Release Date: January 4, 2011
Running Time: 317 minutes
Rating: NR

From the creators of ‘The Office’ and ‘Extras’ comes the new HBO comedy series, The Ricky Gervais Show. The series is an animated version of Gervais’ podcasts that earned a spot in The Guinness Book of World Records for the most downloads. It is voiced by Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and colleague and friend Karl Pilkington who’s offbeat musings inspire many of the story lines which include the merits of 20th century inventions; Karl’s suggestion for population control; how philosophy has evolved through the ages; Karl’s round head; and his thoughts on charity.

The Ricky Gervais Show The Complete First Season is the animation format of Ricky Gervais’ podcast in which he and his two longtime friends, Stephen Merchant and Karl Pilkington co-host. These 13 episodes can basically be seen as a “Best Of” the first season of the podcast. So for those not yet subscribed to the podcast, this show will definitely encourage you to do so. Since the animation is the only new addition to the show (as the audio originally aired on the podcast), viewers who don’t listen to the podcast will find that the animation really brings Pilkington’s crazy antics to life. Viewers who do listen to the podcast may find this show to be unnecessary nit still amusing to watch.

Merchant and Gervais often find themselves recapping, trying to understand, and ultimately mocking Pilkington’s ideology which more often than not shows just how ignorant and naive Pilkington is. It truly is fascinating at how child like Karl’s imagination is, and that is not a positive attribute for him in these discussions. Kudos to Pilkington for sharing his wacky thoughts, allowing people to laugh at him, and continuing to share his thoughts! At first, viewers may be taken aback by Merchant and Gervias ganging up on Pilkington every chance that they get. But over time, it becomes clear that Pilkington is not the least bit phased by his friends. He listens to the guys, ponders for a moment, and doesn’t refuse to discuss any topic as he begins his blunt yet incredibly deadpan responses.

Merchant and Gervais reading through Pilkington’s diary is actually more amusing then the segment titled, “Monkey News.” But every segment and every topic provides laugh out loud comedy. A few highlights include: finding out when Karl’s mother gave up on her dream for him to become a doctor, finding out why Karl does not want to go to a prostate exam, and finding out what Karl did when he caught the eye of his neighbor through the window while washing the dishes. An email about time travel brings up one of the most hilarious responses from Karl involving his childhood, Rome, and an ice pop. Through all of the mocking though, Gervais and Merchant respectfully played with Karl’s idea of what happens in heaven. Heaven and spirituality in general is a delicate topic and the guys handled it well, so job well done. Also, job well done on the animation, which is just a bit more than basic though not too advanced either. This makes it easy viewing! It is actually very easy to lose yourself in this show and watch the entire first season in one sitting. In fact, I know that you will!

Bonus Features:

Channel 4 Comedy Gala Animation – This is a sweet animation short that shows the guys talking about a charity event which raised money for sick children. The guys did not get into too much detail about the event or charity but sometimes even a mention of a charity can help.

Episode Storyboard – Episode 103 can be watched in storyboard format in its entirety though the finished product is much more enjoyable for the full effect.

Own The Ricky Gervais Show The Complete First Season on DVD today.

Season Two of The Ricky Gervais Show premieres January 14, 2011 at 9/8c on HBO.