It might not always have been for the reasons a creator would want, but Ricky Gervais’ new comedy Alley Cats has been one of the most talked-about TV shows around for the last couple of weeks.
The animated Netflix sitcom centres around a group of surly, foul-mouthed cats living on the streets of London, featuring an all-star cast who’ve lent their voices to the show.
Upon its release, Alley Cats was absolutely slated by critics, with a smattering of one- and even zero-star reviews going in on everything from its humour to its general tone – a stark contrast to the acclaim Ricky has become accustomed to for his TV shows like The Office, Extras and After Life.
Meanwhile, the man himself has jumped to the defence of his latest comedy creation, hitting back at critics on social media, while pointing out that in the days after its release, it sprung to the top of Netflix’s most-watched chart (at the time of writing, in the UK, it has fallen to number four, behind the new episodes of My Life With The Walter Boys and documentaries about cult leader Charles Manson and football legend José Mourinho).
As a result of its apparent popularity with Netflix users, some may now be speculating whether a second run of episodes could be on the cards.
Well, Netflix hasn’t actually confirmed or denied whether Alley Cats will be returning at the moment, although Ricky has previously made clear that he’d like the show to run and run.
“It’s the first thing I’ve ever created that I’d like to go on forever. I can see myself just making this show till I die,” he said in a YouTube video days after the series premiered.
He pointed out: “The cats won’t age and it doesn’t matter how fat and old and bald I get. Someone can just put me in a chair with a microphone, surrounded by the rest of the cast, and off we go.
“It won’t really matter when senility kicks in as I’m usually talking bollocks anyway. It’s the dream job.”
As for whether or not Netflix would actually greenlight more episodes, that remains to be seen.
While on one thing, you might think the scathing reviews would be a deterrent, Netflix has repeatedly given multiple seasons to projects that have failed to impress critics, while a string of others have been axed in their prime despite glowing receptions.
It’s also probably worth keeping in mind that Ricky has an existing relationship with Netflix, having previously collaborated with the streaming giant on his award-winning series After Life, recently voted the best comedy of modern times by Radio Times, as well as numerous stand-up comedy specials.
Regardless of what happens next, Ricky has made it clear that he stands by Alley Cats, and has claimed that he’s “never been so happy” as he was to see it topping Netflix’s most-watched shows chart.
Source: Read the original article on www.huffingtonpost.co.uk