As ‘After Life’ Comes To An End, Ricky Gervais Faces Up To What’s Next – The Deadline Q&A

deadline.com:

Be happy, be kind, be Tony.Ricky Gervais is coming to the end of After Life, the Netflix comedy series that he created and stars in and which has been watched by 100 million people around the world.The final season marks a departure for the British comedian, who has never made a third season of any of his scripted series before – The Office, which spawned the NBC adaptation, Extras and Derek all ran for two seasons and a special.Gervais is aware of this fact, telling Deadline in a wide-ranging interview that he really should have done a fourth season but that he didn’t want to risk the quality of the show dropping.After Life, which returns January 14, follows Gervais’ Tony, a writer for the local Tambury newspaper, who is dealing with life after his wife, played by Kerry Godliman, dies.

The third season picks up with the complicated relationship with Tony and nurse Emma, played by Ashley Jensen, as Tony must also deal with the grief of his father dying.

Gervais promises that there isn’t a “happily ever after” ending.The cast also includes Penelope Wilton, Tom Basden, Diane Morgan and Joe Wilkinson.In the interview below, Gervais also addresses how the pandemic impacted the show, which filmed last summer in the UK; talks about his upcoming Netflix stand-up comedy special Supernature, which was filmed in London; as well as the current state of comedy (“it’s subjective”) and the trio of projects that he’s mulling setting up next at the streamer.DEADLINE: You’ve been out on the road recently with Supernature.

How have you been finding it?RICKY GERVAIS: I’ve been on the road for three years with a little 18-month break because of the pandemic.