Another day. Gotta keep it together. Face the world.
"People think that all those things I miss doing with Lisa... I could just do them anyway, and it’ll make me feel better. But they’re missing the point. I don’t miss doing things with Lisa. I miss doing nothing with Lisa. Do you know what I mean? Just sitting at home. Wouldn’t even have to go out, or do anything, or even talk... you know, just sitting there, knowing she was there."
— Tony Johnson
After Life is a British Black Comedy-drama web television series created, produced, written and directed by Ricky Gervais, who is also the star.
Gervais stars as Tony, whose life is turned upside down after his wife Lisa (Kerry Godliman) dies from breast cancer. He contemplates suicide, but instead decides to live long enough to punish the world for his wife's death by saying and doing whatever he wants. Although he thinks of this as his "superpower", his plan is undermined when everyone around him tries to make him a better person. The series is set in the fictional town of Tambury, where Tony works as a journalist at the local free newspaper, the Tambury Gazette.
The series premiered on 8 March 2019 on Netflix. The second season premiered on 24 April 2020. A third and final season was announced on 6 May 2020 and premiered on 14 January 2022.
After Life provides examples of the following tropes:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Sandy often has this reaction to a lot of the (highly) inappropriate stuff that comes out of Tony's mouth.
- Adolf Hitlarious: One of the stories Tony and Lenny cover is a couple who claims that their newborn child looks like Hitler. It's just a regular baby that they've drawn a mustache on, and dressed in a uniform.
- Ambiguous Ending: The series final scene ends on this note as it shows Tony and Brandy walking away from the Tambury fair and it shows an image of Liza walking with them, back when she was still alive before she disappears. The season then changes to Autumn and Brandy disappears, showing that she likely died of old age, leaving Tony alone before he too disappears on the same Autumn day. While the ending obviously indicates that Tony will eventually die, it's left ambiguous whether it will be because of natural causes or if Tony will kill himself now that he has lost the last thing he felt connected him to the world. Though
Word of God confirms that Tony didn’t kill himself. - The Alcoholic: Tony starts to become one as the series progresses. Interestingly, it doesn't seem to affect his ability to function at work. Nor, as it turns out in Season 3, his ability to beat Matt in various athletic activities, even drinking a pint of beer while playing squash.
- The Anti-Nihilist: Tony embraces nihilism and takes it as an excuse to hurt others and do whatever he likes because he's too suicidal to care. However, he learns the importance of community and helping each other after being called out for ignoring the pain of other people and for believing he's the only one suffering in the world.
- Author Avatar: In usual fashion, Gervais uses Tony as a mouthpiece for many of his more-famous opinions regarding God and religion, the afterlife, the supernatural, children, animals, fame...
- Bittersweet Ending: The series ends on this note; Tony realises that he will never again be as happy as he was when Liza was alive and, depending on how you read the final scene, may eventually kill himself after his beloved dog Brandy dies. However, Tony decides that he will spend what time he has left caring for others again, content in basking in the happiness he can spread for his friends, as shown by him happily looking on at all off his friends whose lives he improved as they enjoy themselves at the Tambury fair.
- Black Comedy: As if it weren't obvious due to being a series about grieving the death of a loved one created by Ricky Gervais. Suprisingly, though, very little humor is focused on the grieving process itself; much of the comedy comes from Tony's interactions with his colleagues and the townspeople of Tambury.
- Brutal Honesty: Tony's specialty.
- Tony: Here’s what’s what: humanity is a plague. We’re a disgusting, narcissistic, selfish parasite, and the world would be a better place without us. It should be everyone’s moral duty to kill themselves. I could do it now. Quite happily just go upstairs, jump off the roof, and make sure I landed on some cunt from accounts.
- Butt-Monkey: Lenny, the Gazette's photographer, often serves as this to Tony, who constantly mocks and belittles him during the series. Tony does eventually ease up on him, though.
- Catchphrase: "Fuck's sake!" for Tony.
- Character Development: Tony starts the series bitter, jaded, and suicidal having given up on life in general after the death of Liza. He decides to take his anger out on everyone around him, calling it his "superpower" and is seen either trying to kill himself or put himself at life threatening risk as he no longer cares about his life. However, after hitting his low point at the end of series one by knowingly giving Julian enough money to overdose on drugs and threating George's bully with a hammer Tony realises that not caring is actively putting others at risk and resolves to be a better person. He becomes less suicidal (though with occasional relapses) and strives to only use his superpower on arseholes who deserve it. By the end of the series Tony decides to care for people again having realised that being good to other people, instead of dismissive, that is the right superpower to strive for.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Many of the Tambury townspeople, especially the subjects that Tony and Lenny interview for the Gazette. Particular mention to the Psychiatrist, who seems less interested in providing actual therapy to his patients, and more in discussing sexual subjects and partying instead.
- Country Matters:
- Used surprisingly often, and not just by Tony. The most famous example from the show is delivered by Tony to a child.
- Tony gets into an argument with Kath at one point, where she declares "You will never get me to say that word." When she gets back from a date that night, she has no other words to describe the guy.
- Deadpan Snarker: It's a Ricky Gervais series. Written by Ricky Gervais. You do the math.
- Derailing Love Interests: This happens to Roxy and Pat in series 3 as, despite getting together with each other in the previous seasons, Pat becomes increasingly insecure about Roxy's job as a sex worker. After getting some ill advice from Roger, Pat gives Roxy an ultimatum, she can either be with him or stay a sex worker. She chooses her job and breaks up with Pat which leaves him open to getting together with Kath at the end of the series. This seems to have been done in part because Rosine Conaty didn't return for series 3.
- Driven to Suicide: Tony hit this point after Lisa's death, and would have succeeded if not for his dog. At the end of Season 2, he hits it again, and, again, manages to be saved at the last second.
- Extreme Doormat: Tony's boss and brother-in-law Matt is introduced with shades of this, with Tony even telling Matt that he will let him get away with doing and saying whatever he wants because of this. He does show more assertiveness as the series progresses, however, especially after Tony threatens one of his son's schoolmates with a hammer.
- Gonk: Lenny. In one episode, Tony tells him that he looks like Shrek.
- Happy Flashback: Used to devastating effect on the show, with Tony constantly watching videos of his and Lisa's life together.
- Hate Sink: The guy Kath goes on a date with in a Season 3 episode. He spends the entire date nitpicking at her for every little slight, openly mocks her for her beliefs, and needlessly insults the waiter, all while having a smug, self-centered air about him. It says a lot when Kath unabashedly calls him a cunt, even after vowing to never use the word in her life.
- Heroes Love Dogs: The fact that Tony has a dog that he showers with affection and never mistreats despite his emotional anguish is a key factor in making him a likeable and sympathetic character.
- Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Roxy/Daphne, a prostitute (sorry, "sex worker") that Tony ends up hiring to tidy up his house. She ends up becoming one of his closest friends during the course of the series.
- Hypocritical Humor: Tony constantly mocks Lenny about his weight, despite the fact that he himself isn't much lighter.
- Inexplicably Identical Individuals: David Earl's character, Brian, may or may not be Brian Gittens, an extremely-similar character he has portrayed in numerous other works, including the short Brian and Charles, the series 4Funnies, and Gervais' film Cemetary Junction. If so, this would make the character The Ageless, given that Cemetary Junction was set in the 70's.
- Insistent Terminology: Roxy is a sex worker, not a prostitute.
- Interrupted Suicide: Happens twice to Tony: the first time, Brandy the dog interrupts him in the bathtub, and the second time, Emma arrives at the doorstep.
- It's All About Me: Much of Tony's initial attitude very much smacks of this. His decision to be as unpleasant and honest as possible is largely built around trying to distract himself from his grief. His Character Development over the course of the series is about him recognizing that he isn't the only one dealing with pain, and the better response is to try and live for others instead.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: The point of the video messages that Lisa leaves Tony, exhorting him to move on with his life, and learn to be happy without her. She even encourages him to find someone else after she's gone.
- Tony eventually says this to Emma, his friend-who-might've-been-something-more, when she broaches the topic of "hooking up" with her old flame.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Tony himself; he's blunt, rude, abrasive and dismissive of others' feelings, yet deep down, he's fundamentally a good guy with a caring heart, who eventually recognizes that he's simply lashing out due to his grief, and takes it upon himself as the series progresses to try and be better to those around him.
- The Lost Lenore: Lisa for Tony. His love for her was so deep and encompassing that her loss profoundly affects him in ways that resonate for months afterwards. It's also the reason why he finds himself unable to commit to a new relationship with Emma, despite her clear and obvious interest in him.
- Tony: I'd rather be nowhere with her, than somewhere without her.
- Mood Whiplash: Given the subject matter, and the fact that the series is a Black Comedy, this happens often. Indeed, it can happen not only during the same scene, but occasionally, within two sentences.
- Morality Pet: Anne, the widow that Tony befriends, often acts as this, helping Tony to curb his worst impulses, and teaching him to understand that helping others lead a good life can be just as rewarding as leading one yourself.
- Also Sandy to an extent, whose sincerity and kindheartedness is one of the first things that can bring those things out in Tony. Eventually any sign of distress from her can provoke Tony into bending over backwards to try and cheer her up. When the owner of the newspaper announces he wants to close it, Tony is completely apathetic until Sandy starts crying, at which point he does a complete 180 and starts coming up with plans to save it.
- A more literal example is Brandy the dog, who stopped Tony from killing himself due to the realization that, if he were gone, there'd be nobody left to look after her.
- Pet the Dog:
- Despite all his unpleasantness, Tony does this quite often. The Season 1 finale ends with a whole series of Pet the Dog moments, as Tony decides to try and improve the lives of those around him in whatever small ways he can.
- The series finale ends with Tony doing a whole round of these by taking out Liza's life insurance money and distributing it to his friends, an old woman who was robbed of her savings, and a children's hospital focusing on cancer research. He also helps Kath get a dog and set her up with Pat at the Tambury fair having realised that, even if he can't be truly happy again, caring for people is his real superpower.
- Posthumous Character: Lisa, who we only see via old videos that Tony watches on his laptop.
- Replacement Goldfish: Deconstructed with Tony's relationship with Emma the nurse who looks after Tony's dad. Despite a rocky start the two hit it off and become friends, with Tony mentioning that seeing her improves his day. However, Tony is still in love with Liza and can only give Emma vague assurances that one day he may be able to move their relationship to the next phase without feeling like he's cheating on his wife. While Emma agrees to those terms its clear in series three that both her and Tony are just trying to replicate moments he had with Liza, meaning their relationship is stuck in limbo and isn't healthy for either of them. Eventually, after Emma meets an old flame of hers, Tony tells her she should peruse him having realised that he is keeping her trapped in a relationship he knows won't progress any further.
- Sir Swearsalot: Tony seems to find it difficult to go longer than a minute without swearing, even when talking to his interview subjects.
- Skewed Priorities: When Matt learns that Tony threatened a 10- year-old child he finally blows up at him and threatens to cut off all contact with George. While his anger with Tony is understandable he also never acknowledges Tony telling him that the child in question was bullying George and we never see Matt follow up on this information.
- Suicide by Pills: In the season 2 finale, Tony decides to try and commit suicide by overdosing on sleeping pills after his father dies. It's only the timely arrival of Emma at his doorstep that stops him.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: In series 3 Coleen, a minor character from the previous series, becomes the newest intern of the Tambury Gazette with Matt even noting that she is taking over Sandy's old job (who has disappeared from the show between seasons).
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom:
- Brian Gittins advises Pat to be a man in relation to his insecurity over Daphene's job in which in a well-intentioned but ultimately misguided attempt to be masculine, he basically asks her to quit leading to Daphene and Pat's breakup.
- Video Will: Lisa, recognizing how hard it will be for Tony to look after himself without her, leaves a series of video messages for him designed to inspire him to keep on living. Tragically, at the end of Season 2, it almost has the opposite effect.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Despite being major characters in the first two series Sandy and Daphne disappear with only offhanded mentions in series three, that seems to indicate that Sandy has moved on to another job and Daphne being too busy at work to visit Tony anymore.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Matt gives one to Tony after discovering that Tony threatened his son George's bully, a 10-year-old child, with a hammer. Although Tony tries to downplay it, it proves to be Matt's last straw, and he threatens to cut all contact between Tony and George entirely.
