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Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant‘s latest series, HBO/BBC comedy Life’s Too Short, will come back to HBO for a special, which will wrap the story. Gervais had been talking about doing a Life Is Too Short special since the summer when it became clear that there will be no second season of the mocumentary created by and starring Warwick Davis, Gervais and Merchant, which premiered on HBO last February and ran for seven episodes. Now HBO has committed to the special, which will air later this year. Merchant is already working on a new comedy series for HBO, Hello Ladies.
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This series always felt like a half-baked idea. On a writing level, the quality just wasn’t there. Hopefully, Warwick Davis can get more gigs on the strength of his performance, though.
I completely disagree. This show was fantastic and it delivered exactly what it promised. Davis was incredible and the writing was solid. Could have seen a longer season, so the special is a welcomed addition.
I agree. I think it was Gervais’s strongest work yet. The writing was often subtle, and Davis’s perf was absolutely brilliant — he really knew how to milk the comedy out of physical comedy.
Damn. It was a great show. A truly funny and intelligent program. Davis is brilliant. I am so disappointed. I love that guy.
an ugly trainwreck of a show. A nice idea in theory but in practice almost entirely devoid of any real laughs. Having to see the smug faces of the co-creators every episode was not a smart move. integrating the celebrity cameos that Ricky has become so fond of required the show to often take dramatic turns off course in order to do them. Look at Liam Neeson’s cameo in the first episode. Hilarious, but it requires our central character to sit quietly in a meeting that he shouldn’t even be attending anyway! I’m actually shocked it’s getting a special send off as I just assumed it was quietly slaughtered out the back.
I should amend the above to “Gervais and Merchant’s strongest work yet.”
Warwick Davis was very good in the show, but the writing was Gervais on predictable auto-pilot mode coasting on previous work at best and at worst it was just lazy.
Plus Gervais and Merchant should stop inserting themselves into shows. Their smugness (especially Gervais) really just made it preferable to mute the show at times.
I am not sure that Gervais and Merchant inserted themselves into the show because they desperately want to be on-camera. It’s more a case of them wanting to import as many celebrity cameos into the series, and further exploring their idea of celebrity (Gervais and Merchant as themselves as opposed to fictionalised characters).
However, I don’t think the concept works because it is too scattershot. Clearly, they wanted to develop a series around Davis, but imposing the now traditional celebrity often undermines the Davis story. Those scenes usually feel like skits rather than an organic, necessary part of the episode’s story.
Gervais and Merchant are interesting in the sense that they seem to be like Andy in the final episode of ‘Extras’: they are attemtping to create populist television that appeals to a wider audience, but they also want their ‘art’ projects, too, to prove, that, hey, they haven’t sold out at all and that they’re serious storytellers e.g. the ‘Derek’ special that no one would have paid for if not for the Gervais brand. That series screams GOOD INTENTIONS, an attempt to prove that Gervais isn’t a comedian at all, but a social realist visionary in the vein of Charles Dickens and Victor Hugo. If Gervais truly wanted to reflect the working class of Britain, he would have cast a less well known actor (like Ken Loach does) who could have given the part a more authentic feeling, and who wouldn’t have stood out among the supporting cast like Gervais does.
I loved ‘The Office’, admired ‘Extras’ and like both men’s stand up, but I am bewildered by their recent work. ‘The Invention of Lying’ would have been a fine high-concept comedy with more serious leanings, but Gervais’ self-indulgence was ridiculous in that film, transforming the film – half-way through – into an ideological rant (it’s like if ‘Groundhog Day’ suddenly became an aetheist lecture about how God doesn’t exist … and then threw a romantic comedy at the end, too).
‘Cemetary Junction’ was incredibly broad, too. I thought that film would have benefited with a strong, intelligent director at the helm to help the writers craft the story and give the material some further direction (much like Mike Newell on ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’). The direction is so plodding, its characters simple archetypes rather than fleshed-out human beings, and the story so generic that it’s difficult to understand what Gervais and Merchant were trying to achieve other than AN INSTANT CLASSIC (rather than a good film).
I like Gervais and Merchant and think they are smart guys. I hope their next venture surprises me. I would like to see them work with strong directors and other crew members that can challenge them, something – I suspect – they haven’t experienced in a long time.
Yes! I can’t believe people didn’t enjoy this show, I loved it. A shame there’s only going to be one but I’ll take what I can get.
I’m with you. I thought it was hilarious, and I am thrilled they will be back with the special. It’s obvious from the responses here that those who saw it either loved it or hated it; count me as part of the former.
Go home, Ricky, it’s over.
Not by a longshot.
This show was just simply amazing! When the series ended I was sad as I wanted more. IMHO it’s one of the best written comedies to come out of Britain since The Office and Extra’s.
Warwick was really fantastic, all in all it did what it was intended to do – and that was to entertain and make people laugh!
Well done to all involved!!!
We absolutely loved this show. I have to tell you that the scene with Liam Neeson explaining to Gervais and Merchant that he is funny has to be one of the most brilliant comedy scenes ever. We watched it to many times over to count. We laughed so hard we were almost sick.
I did not know that it wouldn’t be returning for more seasons. Really to bad. Most TV shows are so bad that when good stuff comes along..and then not renewed..its almost painful. But, Thank you Ricky for the laughs. We do appreciate it!
I have to say this was one of my favorite shows. i loved it. davis was brilliant. i agree the scene with Liam Neeson was hilarious. i quote that scene all the time. Totally disappointed.