Ricky Gervais' After Life is essentially "Saint Ricky" debating "Bad Ricky"

The New York Times

Saint Ricky is the sentimentalist sad clown as seen in The Office, says James Poniewozik. Bad Ricky is the smirking cynic who revels in shock, insult and being anti-P.C. "The two Gervaises — the angel and devil sitting on his own shoulders — uneasily swap custody of After Life," says Poniewozik. "The dark comedy’s six episodes, all of which Gervais wrote and directed, whiplash between vicious and mawkish. It’s the TV equivalent of making lemonade by alternating swigs of straight lemon juice and corn syrup." Poniewozik adds: "The best moments of After Life come when Bad Ricky and Saint Ricky work together...But (Gervais' character's) redemptive arc builds to a Scrooge-on-Christmas-morn’ epiphany that’s too telegraphed to be spoilable and too sudden to feel genuine. It’s a shame, because despite the formulaic turns, Gervais is trying something interesting — to interrogate the worldview that has become Bad Ricky’s public schtick. Gervais has retreated into the 'Everybody’s so sensitive!' safe space of many established comics, declaring on The View last year that 'just because you’re offended, it doesn’t mean you’re right.' After Life, on the other hand, argues that just because you’re offensive, it doesn’t mean you’re right, either. The show makes a case for empathy, a thing that people often call 'political correctness' when it cramps their style."

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• After Life is brutal, heartbreaking, hilarious and moving
• After Life is a study in appreciating the banality of life
• After Life is enjoyable until the final episode consisting of 30 minutes of banal platitudes
• Gervais: My character is like a superhero in a way: he discovers he has this power, which we’ve all got, to say what you want"
• Gervais says he's already planning Season 2