Ricky Gervais' Netflix Series Is Renewed, As He Signs Deal With The Streaming Service

Actor and comedian Ricky Gervais has signed a multi-year overall deal with Netflix, following in the footsteps of Ryan Murphy, Shonda Rhimes, and others, who have also signed long-term deals.

In addition to this new deal, Gervais' series After Life has been renewed for Season 3, according to Variety. This new deal will see the actor produce both stand-up comedy specials along with scripted series.

The series follows Tony, whose life drastically changes after his wife dies. He decides to "punish the world" for her death by doing whatever he wants. However, the people around him try time and time again to make him a better person.

While the series does deal with death and grieving, it connects with people as many people have had to deal with the passing of a loved one. "With other shows of mine, people come up to me on the street, and they usually say, 'I love the show,'" Gervais told the New York Times. "But with this one--and this was before coronavirus--they come up to me and say, 'I just want to say, I lost my sister three weeks ago.' Or, 'I lost my husband.' No one said, 'Oh, I had to turn it off because it was too upsetting,' or, 'It reminded me of something bad.' You suddenly realize, of course--everyone's grieving. And the older you get, the more you've got to grieve."

Season 2 of After Life arrived on Netflix on April 24, and both seasons are available to watch now. As for Season 3, this is new territory for Gervais as his previous series (The Office UK, Derek, and Life's Too Short) had never gone beyond the second season.

And speaking of things you should be watching, consider listening to GameSpot's weekly TV series and movies-focused podcast, You Should Be Watching. With new episodes premiering every Wednesday, you can watch a video version of the podcast over on GameSpot Universe or listen to audio versions on Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play, and Apple Podcasts.