Friday, February 17, 2012
The Televangelist / Television / Review The Televangelist: "Life's Too Short" Preview
Posted by Allison Keene @keeneTV on Fri, Feb 17, 2012 at 2:09 AM
- BBC2
- "Yeah ... how did I get talked into this again?"
In the recent whirlwind press junket to plug his upcoming half hour scripted comedy on HBO, "Life's Too Short," every clip of Ricky Gervais' new show that has been previewed has been of Ricky himself - Ricky and Johnny Depp, Ricky and Liam Neeson, Ricky and Helena Bonham Carter. The only problem is … the show is not about Ricky. It's about Warwick Davis, who you may recognize from Willow or as Professor Flitwick from the Harry Potter films (or as a joke that is made throughout the seven-episode series says, "Warwick who?").
In the last few years, Ricky Gervais and his writing partner Stephen Merchant have stepped away from scripted comedies and instead focused jointly on promoting their friend Karl Pilkington, whose grumpy and unique look at the world lead (in the last decade) to multiple and extremely successful batches of podcasts and audiobooks, as well as the travel show "An Idiot Abroad." Though the duo collaborated on the hidden gem of a film Cemetery Junction in 2010, "Life's Too Short" marks their first return to TV since "Extras" as well as a return to the faux-documentary format they popularized, though without Gervais in the lead acting role.
Already at the mention of "documentary," the troubles start. The show has some trappings of a documentary - a camera crew following Warwick Davis in his day to the day life - but, in many scenes, the documentary format is forgotten or ignored (much like "Modern Family," it employs the style and the talking heads without the logic of the why or how). The second issue is the presence of Ricky and Stephen throughout the series. Warwick is playing a fictionalized version of himself, a la "Curb Your Enthusiasm," who finds a pretense to visit the duo in their London office almost every episode. But Ricky and Stephen's comedy overshadows Warwick's performance to such a degree that in many of those scenes Warwick is a forgotten figure entirely (literally being ignored by the string of celebrity guests - and each episode has at least one - who also traipse in and out of the office). As "Life's Too Short" progresses, one cannot help but wish the show followed Ricky and Stephen instead of Warwick, who is limited to a series of cringeworthy scenarios that lack the pathos of David Brent or Andy Millman because the character of Warwick is never shown in a likable or flattering light. He's just portrayed as an incredibly self-absorbed, well, dick who happens to also be a little person. Is that supposed to be controversial? Or subversive? Or is it just a little easy?
Moreover, many of the gags feel like scraps from the cutting room floor of "The Office" and "Extras," almost as if a group had been commissioned to make a Gervais-like show instead of it being a show that someone of Gervais (and Merchant's) wit and talent actually made. For long-time fans (such as myself), the recycling of jokes from their days on the London radio show XFM and some of the podcasts (from which material is already being mined for the animated "The Ricky Gervais Show") feels forced and, to use an honest word … lazy.
Of course, at the end of the day, we're still talking about Ricky Gervais. He's a comedy legend for a reason, and there are moments in "Life's Too Short" that offer glimmers of the magic of his previous works that are genuinely funny. And while that cringe-core style of suffocating second-hand embarrassment that permeated "The Office" and "Extras" is still present, it's taken a different form. Instead of cringing on behalf of Warwick the character, you may find yourself cringing on behalf of Warwick the actor, and for Gervais and Merchant as writers for stooping to level of some of the gags that, ultimately, rely solely on the hopes that everyone will find the simple fact that Warwick is a dwarf hilarious.
Since "Life's Too Short" aired in the UK (to quickly diminished ratings and disappointed reviews, which seem to have been completely ignored by Ricky who is planning the second season), I have answered questions about the show thus: If you have the time, watch it. It's not a show I would go out of your way for. If you dislike Ricky Gervais, you'll hate it. If you are neutral towards him, you may get a laugh or two. If you're a fan, you'll have very complicated feelings that you may or may not pour out onto internet message boards. But much like "Downton Abbey," those who suffer through the questionable twists and turns the series takes will be rewarded somewhat in the final episode, though certainly not to the degree of "The Office" or "Extras." The hard truth of it is that, unfortunately, "Life's Too Short" is a very disappointing turn for two men who you not only suspect but know could do better.
"Life's Too Short" premieres Sunday, February 19th at 10:30pm on HBO
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