The Ricky Gervais Show: The Complete First Season

The Ricky Gervais Show, an animated TV series adaptation of comic conversations originally recorded in 2005 as a series of XFM shows and podcasts, presents satirist Ricky Gervais and his writing/producing partner Stephen Merchant riffing off deadpan observations from laconic comedian Karl Pilkington. Among the ludicrous topics that come from oddball Karl's brain are Cambodian midgets, thumbless dishwashing, and monkeys in an old folks home. Although it's all an act, Gervais and Merchant come off as cackling bullies who laugh uproariously as they goad and mock the seemingly oblivious Pilkington, while the visuals turn the bizarre conversations into goofy gags in a cartoonish style that recalls 1960s TV animation. Ultimately, however, the series is no more than an illustrated bull session between three comedians enjoying a private joke that isn't quite as funny for the audience. Compiling all 13 episodes from the 2010 season, DVD extras include production storyboards. Only fans of Gervais—who made recent entertainment headlines with his mean-spirited last stint as host of the Golden Globe awards—will be drawn to this. Optional, at best. (S. Axmaker)