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Ricky Gervais Show brings 'realanimation' to HBO, Feb. 19

By April MacIntyre Jan 27, 2010, 16:01 GMT

The Ricky Gervais Show is a 13-episode animated comedy series based on the record-breaking podcast, debuts Friday, Feb. 19 (9:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.

The Ricky Gervais Show is a 13-episode animated comedy series based on the record-breaking podcast, debuts Friday, Feb. 19 (9:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO.  

At the winter press tour (TV Critics' Association), HBO presentation for Ricky Gervais' new self-titled animated show also revealed that there have preliminary talks about him possibly appearing in the American version of The Office, a show he originated in the UK.

He also shared there would be a slight chance he might someday return to making more of HBO's terrific series "Extras," which he said had "a little bit of legs to it."

The Ricky Gervais Show is an animated version of his hugely popular series of radio podcasts, and debuts on HBO on February 19 at 9PM.

Voiced by Ricky Gervais, his longtime collaborator Stephen Merchant (who also appeared with Gervais on panel at the TCAs) and colleague and friend Karl Pilkington, whose offbeat musings inspire many of the storylines, the show’s debut will be followed by the second-season debut of “The Life and Times of Tim.”

The series feature wacky conversations among Gervais, Merchant and their pal, Karl. Gervais and Merchant dubbed the series "realanimation" and said at the press tour that they met Pilkington some years ago while hosting a radio show; Karl was “this round-headed minion” who turned out to be “comedy gold.”

Merchant further explained the series: “It’s not a scripted show, these are real conversations we had with Karl. … It’s all the ramblings of an idiot.”

Gervais insisted that the show’s appeal is centered on Karl. “He sees the world through different eyes... But he’s got an opinion on everything and it’s a funny one -- because it hasn’t been heard before! I can’t get enough of Karl. He’s a comedy genius, whether he knows it or not.”

February’s episodes:

Episode #1  Debut:  Friday, Feb. 19 (9:00-9:30 p.m. ET/PT)

Other HBO playdates:  Feb. 19 (12:30 a.m.), 21 (12:30 a.m.), 22 (11:30 p.m.) and 23 (2:55 a.m.)

HBO2 playdates:  Feb. 20 (10:30 p.m.) and 25 (2:00 a.m.)

Synopsis:  After explaining the intentions of the show in their live-action guises, Ricky and Stephen morph into animated versions of themselves and debate the merits of 20th-century inventions with Karl, who feels that pretty much everything people need was invented before the turn of that century.  As for new discoveries he’d like to see, Karl favors a “non-traditional,” if impractical, approach to having kids. 

He also argues that people have “more than six senses”; intimates that cavemen and dinosaurs co-existed; and recalls a story about a pub tankard that killed anyone who touched it.  The guys introduce the recurring “Monkey News” segment, in which Karl describes how banana-trained monkeys launched and piloted space vehicles before humans.

Episode #2  Debut:  Friday, Feb. 26 (9:00-9:30 p.m.)

Other HBO playdates:  Feb. 26 (12:30 a.m.) and 28 (12:30 a.m.), and March 1 (11:35 p.m.) and 2 (1:45 a.m.)

HBO2 playdate:  Feb. 27 (10:30 p.m.)

Synopsis: Stephen shares a news story about 42 midget warriors who were mutilated by a single lion in a Cambodian ring fight, as well as an e-mail from fan Paul “The Party Animal” Parker, about a Serbian man who invented a sex machine for women.  Karl ponders how to avoid being conned into donating to charities, which segues into a discussion of sex.  A dialogue about America’s first nudist organization leads Ricky to critique naked gym jocks, inspiring a revelation from Karl.  The guys debate if there is ever a good time to eat the penis of a kangaroo.

From HBO:

This is the second collaboration between HBO and Media Rights Capital, following “The Life and Times of Tim,” which debuted on the network in 2008, and returns for its second season in February.

Ricky Gervais’ previous HBO credits include the series “Extras,” which brought him an Emmy® for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series; the show was written and directed by Gervais and Merchant, who were also creators of the Golden Globe-winning BBC comedy series “The Office.”  Gervais also starred in the Emmy®-nominated 2008 HBO presentation “Ricky Gervais:  Out of England – The Stand-Up Special.”