The story
After his wife dies of breast cancer, local newspaper reporter Tony Johnson contemplates giving up altogether, then settles on another plan: say and do whatever he likes, whoever it upsets. He calls this bluntness his superpower – yet the colleagues, relatives and oddballs of small-town Tambury keep finding a way past his defences. Ricky Gervais's comedy-drama pairs caustic jokes with a surprisingly tender look at grief.
Why it matters
Made for Netflix and written, directed and led by Ricky Gervais, After Life became the first fiction series he created to run beyond two series. Its focus on grief also carried off screen: Netflix partnered with suicide-prevention charity CALM to install benches around the UK, echoing the bench conversations at the heart of the show.
Notable facts
- Its renewal for a third series was the first time a fiction series created by Gervais had run beyond two series. (source)
- Netflix and the charity CALM installed park benches around the UK as part of a mental-health initiative linked to the show. (source)
- Filming locations included Hampstead, Hemel Hempstead, Beaconsfield and Camber Sands. (source)