Ricky Gervais’ latest animated series Alley Cats has faced significant scrutiny from critics, yet it has still found support from a comedy heavyweight.
Despite opening to a chorus of critical disapproval on Netflix, the show, known for its politically incorrect humor and dark comedic tone, managed to debut this past weekend. The reception from professional reviewers was lukewarm at best, with the series garnering a mere 39% rating on Metacritic. Major publications like The Telegraph harshly awarded it zero stars, while The Independent was slightly more generous with one star. A few others conceded to give two stars.
However, amidst the wave of criticism, Gervais highlighted the show’s popularity among viewers by sharing a screenshot on social media that showed Alley Cats ranking well on Netflix’s UK charts. We have contacted the streaming service to provide any additional viewership data they might have.
In a significant boost to the show’s credentials, comedy icon John Cleese, known for his work with Monty Python and as the creator and star of Fawlty Towers, expressed his admiration for the series. Cleese praised the series on X, describing the animated show as “quite wonderful.”
Gervais, clearly moved by the endorsement, responded to Cleese with heartfelt thanks, acknowledging the significance of praise coming from “the creator of the greatest British sitcom of all time.”
Alley Cats, created and voiced by Gervais, dives into the lives of a diverse group of feral British cats. These animated characters explore friendship and life’s everyday challenges, delivering their stories with a hefty dose of expletives. The show had previously received positive reactions at the Annecy Film Festival, where its first footage was unveiled.
This series marks Gervais’ re-entry into adult animation thirteen years after his last project in this genre, The Ricky Gervais Show, concluded. That show, which aired on HBO and Channel 4, was an animated rendition of the popular podcast featuring Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington, styled after classic Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
Daniel Hayes is a business journalist with a focus on market trends, startups, and corporate strategies.
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