The very existence of Ricky Gervais’ After Life is a point of contention. It marks his second full-length TV show away from his long-term writing partner Stephen Merchant (with whom he created and wrote The Office and Extras), as well as one of the biggest departures from his ‘style.’
Of course, we all know Ricky is a great actor, even if he does have a tendency to basically play the same character in everything he does. After Life is well written, powerful, and often hilarious, but is it as good as his masterpiece, The Office?
After Life: It Doesn’t Tone Things Down
When The Office first appeared in the very early 2000s, there was a lot more you could do on TV. People were less offendable, less prone to rage and disgust, and much more likely to laugh at the taboos of the world. By the end of the 2010s, political correctness is a minefield for comedy writers.
Not one to shy away from the controversial, Ricky stuck to his guns in After Life. Sure, it feels slightly safer than The Office, but with cancer, suicide, and drug abuse all playing prominent roles and sometimes acting as punchlines, it seems he hasn’t toned down his style.
The Office: It Has Stephen Merchant
The thing about After Life is that it needed Stephen Merchant to really shine, as did Derek. Ricky may have gone on to find the fame, but Merchant was always the better writer. You could tell when a line had come from his mind in The Office, and those sorts of things were missing from After Life.
He was also on hand to calm Ricky down in his use of his two favorite things: turning his character into an everyday hero whenever possible, and making sure everyone watching knew he was an atheist. Without Merchant there to redirect his writing, Ricky is able to self-indulge a little too much.
After Life: The Cast
On the face of it, the cast of After Life is exceptional. The core group of main characters is primarily made up of relatively little-known British actors and comedians alongside Gervais; we see Roisin Conaty, David Earl, and Tony Way deliver fine performances, but it’s the supporting cast who is seriously impressive
It boasts the likes of Penelope Wilton, David Bradley, and Ashley Jensen, all of whom work wonders to sprinkle star-quality onto those strange scenes that take place away from the main action of the show.
The Office: The Cast
On the other hand, the cast of The Office is also pretty incredible. At the time, Gervais wasn’t a household name, Martin Freeman hadn’t made his way into The Hobbit or Sherlock, and Mackenzie Crook hadn’t found fame in Pirates Of The Caribbean.
This cast is charming and impressive in the sense that almost everyone involved went on to become stars, using The Office and its brilliant writing and reputation as a springboard. Even those who remain unknown were given some great lines, with Merchant’s character Oggy proving to be a particular favorite for many.
After Life: More Variety
The Office builds itself around its mostly one-room setting. They’re hauled up in an office, which leads to tedium, which leads to messing around, which leads to the hilarious antics loved so deeply. It’s a great formula, sure.
However, After Life lets us travel a bit, we see Gervais in a retirement home, a graveyard, and even the temporary home of a homeless heroin addict. It’s a nice break from the potential claustrophobia the one-room setting can lead to after a while.
The Office: Isn’t As Depressing
While Gervais makes it his goal to combine poignance with comedy, After Life might just about take it too far. Sure, The Office centered on the trials of a lonely man, Extras was about a failed actor and Derek was filled with old-people-death; but After Life is just non-stop depressing.
Tony is not only depressed throughout, we frequently have to watch heart-breaking videos of his wife before she died, and the protagonist is intentionally mean to the people around him. The comedic moments are often overshadowed by a desire for dismay.
After Life: Ends Up Being Sort Of Uplifting
The one difference is that season 1 of After Life ends on a much more uplifting note than many of Gervais’ other endeavors. Tony seems to have a new outlook on life, no longer wanting to die or make the lives of others miserable, and we even see him laugh occasionally. In season 2, maybe we’ll see a changed man.
While The Office, Extras, and Derek all have uplifting final moments, The Office ends with Brent still very much alone. Extras returns Andy to his unremarkable life, and Derek has recently lost his father, dog and many of his friends.
The Office: The Comedy
Considering The Office might just be the funniest, most well written, and most quotable TV show ever to come from a British mind, it was always hard to top. Extras and Derek didn’t make it, and Gervais arguably ruined his own legacy with Life On The Road. While After Life gave it a good shot, it simply wasn’t as funny.
The main character wasn’t uniquely hilarious, the supporting cast wasn’t as iconic, and the writing just wasn’t as incredibly brilliant. Maybe one day Gervais will be able to find the right lines, but After Life hasn’t managed it quite yet.
After Life: It Has More Real-World Meaning
The Office does well to touch on the mundanity of office life, but none of the characters are particularly plagued by difficult circumstances. Sure, Brent might have some deeper issues, but they’ve never explored as he covers them with overconfidence and pomposity.
Tony, however, makes it known that he is going through an incredibly difficult time, and explores the feelings and actions that come with it. Gervais himself has shared many examples of those in similar situations who have found After Life a comfort in the grieving process, and that’s a real-world application The Office just doesn’t have.
The Office: So Much Longevity
Considering The Office was the basis of one of the most successful US TV shows of all time, you’d be hard pushed to argue that the UK original hasn’t remained incredibly relevant and important, even now it’s edging towards its 20th anniversary.
Is there really a situation in which After Life can be adapted for American audiences in a way anymore successful than the dismal attempt to recreate Peep Show? It seems to be much more of a one-off, unique piece of work that certainly doesn’t have the longevity of Gervais’ first creation.
