Ricky Gervais, the celebrated stand-up comedian, is often credited for co-creating, writing, and starring in the critically acclaimed BBC mockumentary sitcom, The Office. Its dry, cringe-inducing humor inspired the American version of The Office, starring Steve Carell, which became iconic, well beyond anyone’s expectations. But Gervais’s credits do not just stop at The Office, as he has also created and starred in other highly praised IPs like Extras and After Life.

After Life was especially a great venture that was widely commended for its balanced blend of comedy and deep emotions. For the show, receiving much love then, only to be called overrated now, is something the creator of the show, Ricky Gervais, would not have anticipated. But it happened when a TV editor labelled it overrated among other TV royalties.

However, Ricky Gervais’ reaction to this was just priceless, and there is a very good reason behind it.

Generally, when someone’s show gets labelled as overrated, there is normally a feeling of disappointment, resentment, or even anger against the criticism. But Ricky Gervais does not follow the usual template. Just like his jokes, his real personality also shocks people with an out of the ordinary punch. So, when After Life was dismissed as an overrated show by a TV editor named Emily Baker in her article for The i Paper, he was actually grateful for the honor.

“'After Life' listed in 'most overrated shows' along with 'The Sopranos'. This might be the most flattering dis I've ever received,” he wrote in his post on X, responding to the criticism.

He was actually glad that After Life had been labelled overrated alongside the famous comedy-drama series The Sopranos. He considers it a privilege for his show to be mentioned in the same league as the beloved gangster comedy. Although the editor found his show “trite and emotionally manipulative,” the comedian does not seem to be fazed by the criticism.

The author of the article further said that the show that it was undoubtedly a monotonous and annoying television program. She is of the opinion that Gervais's inclination for infantile humor, which was intended to shock rather than merely make his audience laugh, frequently spoiled the rare genuinely poignant moments.

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While she says what she says about After Life, she does not spare The Sopranos and other famous shows like it from her scathing remarks.

While Emily Baker acknowledges the cult status of The Sopranos, it being hailed as the best show ever by many, she does not fully agree with the notion. For her, The Sopranos, whose alumni just made headlines recently, ultimately devolved into yet another protracted gangster story with numerous plot gaps and overlooked storylines over time. And she was utterly disappointed by the finale.

Although the mention of The Sopranos as one of the most overrated shows was shocking enough, there were other iconic and widely popular titles that made the cut, like The Bear, Stranger Things, The Big Bang Theory, and even Peaky Blinders. However, her list also included some anticipated mentions like Grey’s Anatomy and Call the Midwife. Still, Ricky Gervais’ reaction remains more shocking than most of the entries on the list.

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Do you think Ricky Gervais’ After Life is overrated? Share your thoughts.