"Extras" is decidedly not for all tastes, but if you have the taste (and sometimes the stomach) for it, it has lots of priceless moments. The peculiar humor of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant stems mostly from their pinpoint observation of the awkwardness and embarrassments of everyday situations and encounters. Andy, a lowly extra, means well but usually says the exact wrong thing at the exact wrong time; his friend Maggie has a good heart but even less social tact. The first season relies more heavily on the famous guest stars; when they shine the episodes shine (case in point: Kate Winslet), when they are weaker, the episodes are weaker (case in point: Les Dennis). The second season is quite different, which is a bold step to take for any sitcom: Andy gets his own show on the BBC, and the focus is on the compromises he has to make to keep his new career afloat. The role of his agent, played by Merchant, is noticeably increased, while the screen time of the guest stars is noticeably decreased (best of all: Ian McKellen, who also has perhaps the funniest line in the entire series: "We need some vaseline over here!"). It took me a while to adjust to these changes, but in retrospect I realized that the second season is on the whole better, funnier, more assured. The series ends with an 80-minute special episode which is as funny and uncomfortable as the rest, but perhaps a tad too depressing. *** out of 4.
Review of Extras
