I will say something for Gervais: he's always doing something. Whether it's sitcom, stand-up, guitar tutorials as Brent, gigs as Brent, stuff with Karl, writing and directing his own films, starring in other people's films, or cameos in other TV shows - you certainly can't call him lazy (in terms of being active - writing style is another thing). Unlike some comedians.

What I think he needs to do, though, is perhaps disappear for a year or two, and properly hone a new idea that changes comedy in the same way The Office did all those years ago. I've no doubt that he could.

Quote: shaggy292 @ 24th May 2014, 7:28 AM BST

I will say something for Gervais: he's always doing something.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOCyADJaK_E

Quite true.

I think Derek is a lot like Sherlock or Jonathan Creek, in a bad way. All those shows have no real strong plot of any description. Just a lot of loosely linked scenes, with funny bits, action bits. It seems designed for an audience that's easily distracted and not paying attention.

In Derek you have a few apparently funny bits and lots of sickly emotional bits. But no plot, no growth, nothing tying it together.

As sitcom is dependent on character and plot, the end result is just lumpen. Like a vegan who makes a sponge cake and just leaves the eggs and milk without replacing them.

It seems to be a uniquely UK thing, I can't think of any US show that does it.

Please stop it, we're making too much bad telly in this country.

I take issue with its lack of respect for the audience's intelligence.

The Office was quite the opposite, with the audience being trusted to fill-in the gaps, rather than sign-posting every funny or meaningful occurrence like we're children.

I believe that Steve and Ricky are both incomplete semi-circles who bring something different to the table (wacky Ricky is the gas, with self-defacing Stephen the brakes), and individually they are incomplete as writers.

Of course, the reaction to that might be "What about Life's Too Short?", which (besides the fact I didn't hate it, despite it being several levels below the previous two shows) simply felt a bit rushed and/or lazily-written. I don't think it was symptomatic of a complete collapse in the way Derek is (I've not seen Hello Ladies).

I think Shaggy has it right, where Gervais needs to get away for a bit, and find his focus. His relatively-recent podcast stuff proves he is still a funny and edgy guy, but Derek needs to be given the usual Gervais "2 series and done" treatment; albeit for different reasons that The Office and Extras.

This show really stinks. Watched first two episodes and it's just no plot, no funny bits, just seems so lazy and repetitive. I thought the first series was not too bad but this seems to have really lost it.

It is interesting how a guy who made such a great show like The Office, then follow it up with three just dreary sitcoms, especially Extras which is just such a second rate, dated Larry Sanders. Merchant's Hello Ladies was pretty awful too.

I managed to find the original Derek sketch which was removed from YouTube after Gervais decided Derek wasn't just a disabled person to laugh at.

http://perezhilton.com/fitperez/2011-10-04-ricky-gervais-bringing-a-derek-noakes-show-to-tv

And there's this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DgyoIMAMPI&noredirect=1

And this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZPtRQPVZS4

Another good series, was predictable but enjoyable.

Loved the last episode of Derek, I cried at the end. I hope they do another series.

Terrible

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2FToyZil3I

That is as awesome as it's confusing.

I did think the last episode was an improvement on the others. But can he concentrate on something else now please?

Quote: zooo @ 30th May 2014, 12:31 PM BST

I did think the last episode was an improvement on the others.

View original

So is waterboarding.

The final episode was quite a low key display of ineptitude, considering the blaze of glory of the robot dog. It was still terrible. Characters changing their entire personalities on a sixpence via violence (a strange recurring theme in Derek - I thought it was about kindness?!), telegraphed plots, and a GCSE drama student's approximation of a heartfelt speech telling us to call our mums. Not to mention the spoonfed, saccharine diarrhea by way of a YouTube search for 'sad piano music'.

I'd like to say that the worst crime Derek commits is treating its audience like total idiots (hence the need for a talking head to explain what is happening every thirty seconds). But it's not. The worst crime it commits is not being looked at past a first draft. How can it be? I've seen characters literally repeat themselves within minutes. I've seen entire backstories suddenly invented to serve a single episode (how hard would it have been to have mentioned Tom's history in the navy in an earlier episode, or Kev's talent for art?). I've seen a robot dog. Someone looked at that and went "yeah, that's fine."

On another note, perhaps more cynical and exploitative than Derek itself (yes, we live in a world where this is possible), Ricky Gervais answered questions about whether Karl had really left the show earlier in the series with "Keep watching " on Twitter. Karl didn't come back.

Alternate ending.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P8eUyu2O2g