After Life series 2 is ‘even better’ and will leave you ‘chuckling while you cry’
So wonderfully nuanced in humour and heartache with bereavement at its core, this is Ricky Gervais's finest work. In fact, it's one of the best shows we've ever watched.
Ricky plays Tony, who – in the first series – lost his reason for living, wife Lisa, to cancer. He reacted by not caring about anyone or anything, until his beloved dog Brandy and a well-meaning stranger Anne convince him that "we're not just here for us, we're here for others".
This second series is, unfathomably, even better, and marks a remarkable turnaround as Tony, almost unknowingly, becomes the one dishing out advice, making people feel good about themselves and offering well-intentioned wisdom – and matchmaking – to give them a boost.
Every episode emotively reminds us of the bereavement that's this show's origin.
But each scene of heart-wrenching angst is cleverly contrasted with laugh-out-loud one-liners that have you bursting into hysterics, while a sad, grief-induced tear trickles into a mouth, flung agape by giggles.
Chuckling while you cry, you'll relate to so much of what Tony says about life; in particular, life after love.
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If you've been touched by grief it will have remarkable resonance; if you haven't, it will prepare you for it.
And somehow – somehow – this series even seems to normalize the C-word.
As Ricky revealed to TV Mag last week, a third series is likely, and we’re overjoyed because, full of compelling characters, this is outstanding, unmissable, world-class drama that's uniquely comedic while providing a comforting companion to tragedy.
After Life series 2 airs on Netflix from 24 April.