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Ricky Gervais RULES!

There are comedians who make you laugh, there are comedians who make you think, and then there are comedians who do both while simultaneously making a whole room of people incredibly uncomfortable. Ricky Gervais belongs in that last category, and that's one of the many reasons I love him.


I happen to think he is one of the most important comedic voices of the last thirty years.


Whether he's writing a sitcom, directing a movie, performing stand-up, hosting an awards show, doing a podcast, making an animated series or simply sitting in a chair as a talk-show guest, Ricky Gervais has a way of saying exactly what he wants to say without worrying about whether it's going to offend anybody. That's become increasingly rare, and I find it incredibly refreshing.


He's also one of those remarkably talented people who almost seems incapable of staying in one lane. Most people know him as a comedian, but before comedy ever took over his life he was chasing a music career.


In the early 1980s he was the singer of the New Wave duo Seona Dancing, which never found much success in England but strangely became a pop sensation in the Philippines years later.


He worked in radio, managed bands, wrote books, hosted shows, made podcasts, produced documentaries, directed films, acted in movies, performed voice work in animation and eventually became one of the biggest stand-up comedians in the world. That's an extraordinary career by any standard.


The partnership that really changed everything was the one he formed with Stephen Merchant. Those two together are comedy magic. They complement each other beautifully as writers, directors and performers, and their collaboration produced some of the smartest television comedy ever made.


The Office wasn't just a terrific sitcom, it completely changed television. The mockumentary style had existed before, but Gervais and Merchant perfected it. David Brent became one of the great comic creations, a character who is simultaneously unbearable, pathetic, infuriating, sympathetic and unbelievably funny.


The British version remains, in my opinion, superior to the American adaptation. That's not taking anything away from Steve Carell and that terrific cast (they made a wonderful show) but the original is leaner, sharper, more uncomfortable and ultimately more emotionally satisfying.


They followed it with Extras, another brilliant series that might actually be even more underrated. It's one of the funniest Hollywood satires ever produced, packed with astonishing celebrity cameos from actors completely willing to destroy their own public images.


Patrick Stewart, Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, Ian McKellen, David Bowie, Daniel Radcliffe...the guest list alone is incredible, but underneath all the laughs is a surprisingly poignant story about ambition, friendship and the desperate need to be taken seriously.


That's something Gervais has always been exceptionally good at. He can write jokes that make you cringe one minute and then completely break your heart the next.


That combination of brutal satire and genuine compassion runs through almost everything he does. Derek and After Life are perfect examples. On the surface they're funny, awkward, sometimes even outrageous, but underneath they're deeply humane stories about loneliness, grief, kindness and the importance of treating people with dignity.


Gervais catches a lot of criticism for being mean or provocative, but I think people who make that argument sometimes overlook just how much heart there is in his work. His characters often make terrible decisions, say awful things or embarrass themselves in spectacular fashion, but they're still recognizably human. That's what makes them memorable.


Of course, millions of people who have never watched The Office or Extras probably know him best as the guy who walked onto the Golden Globe stage and absolutely demolished Hollywood.


Those hosting gigs have become legendary, and rightly so. He treated the ceremony like an old-school Friars Club roast, gleefully puncturing celebrity egos, mocking the self-importance of the entertainment industry and reminding everyone that actors standing around congratulating one another probably shouldn't take themselves quite so seriously.


The discomfort in the room was almost as funny as the jokes themselves. Some people thought he went too far. I thought he was hilarious. The honesty, the fearlessness and the complete refusal to play by the usual award-show rules made those monologues unforgettable.


He's also a terrific stand-up comedian, even though he came to stand-up later than most comics. I've seen him perform live, and he's outstanding. His stage persona is confident, mischievous, provocative and relentlessly funny, constantly challenging audiences to think about why they're laughing in the first place.


Sometimes his material sparks controversy, but controversy has never been the point. The point is to question assumptions, expose hypocrisy and remind us that comedy isn't supposed to be completely safe. That's always been part of the art form.


Another aspect of his career that I absolutely love is everything surrounding Karl Pilkington.


What started as a radio show with Stephen Merchant eventually evolved into The Ricky Gervais Show, podcasts, audiobooks, the wonderfully animated HBO series and, of course, An Idiot Abroad. Watching Gervais completely lose control because of something Karl says is one of the great joys of modern comedy.


And speaking of losing control, Ricky Gervais has my favorite laugh in entertainment. It's loud, uncontrollable, completely genuine and unbelievably contagious. Every time he breaks into that hysterical laugh, I start laughing too, even before I've fully processed the joke.


His film work deserves much more attention than it gets. The Invention of Lying is one of the most original high-concept comedies of the last twenty years, taking an ingenious premise and turning it into something funny, thoughtful and surprisingly emotional.


Cemetery Junction, which he co-directed with Merchant, is a terrific coming-of-age drama with real warmth and humanity. As an actor, he's wonderful in Ghost Town, hilarious in the Night at the Museum movies, and has consistently brought intelligence and personality to everything from animation to supporting roles.


He's never been afraid to move between television, movies, streaming, radio and live performance because, at the end of the day, he's simply interested in making people laugh.


Outside of entertainment, he's been an outspoken advocate for animal welfare, donating enormous amounts of time and money to charities dedicated to protecting animals. Like everything else he does, he approaches those causes with sincerity, passion and absolutely no concern for whether he's making powerful people uncomfortable.


Now he's back with Alley Cats, his new animated Netflix series, and it's another reminder of why Ricky Gervais remains such a singular voice. It's edgy, fearless, profane, satirical and unapologetically funny. It is exactly what I've come to expect from him over the years.


More than three decades after he first appeared on television, he's still pushing buttons, still making people laugh, still offending the right people and still refusing to soften his point of view.


So I thought it would be fun to celebrate one of my favorite comedians by sharing ten clips that perfectly capture why I think Ricky Gervais is such an original talent. They showcase his brilliance as a writer, performer, filmmaker, interviewer, stand-up comic and all-around comedic force.


If you're already a fan, you'll probably smile the minute you see these. If you're not familiar with his work, this is a pretty good place to start.


10 GREAT EXAMPLES OF RICKY GERVAIS:















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