Ray Burmiston
The Office meets Dexter?
Yes! Ricky Gervais, the creator of The Office and Extras is teaming up with former Dexter showrunner, Clyde Phillips, for a new show called Afterlife, about an atheist who dies and goes to heaven.
They are writing the pilot episode now and plan to film in early 2012, though no studio is yet attached. Gervais will take a cameo role.
On his website, Gervais wrote, “Dexter has consistently been my favourite show of the last five years. When I first saw Clyde’s name all over it I knew I had to work with him one day. I found out he was also a fan of my work and we became friends on email and through short conversations on various red carpets. We finally started working on an idea this year and we really hit it off. I am so exited about this project.”
The plot has traces of Gervais’ The Invention of Lying, the 2009 film that featured Gervais as a desperate underachiever who introduces the idea of God to a naive society where no one else has yet contemplated the notion of telling a falsehood.
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YAY!!
Interesting concept. Not sure how they will continue the storyline past the first few episodes… I mean, besides the initial shock and such, what will actually happen?
Fortunately it will probably only be 12 episodes.
I’m guessing many jabs at religious people. Can’t wait!
Yes!
I love the teaming of these two geniuses. How can the show miss? I hope it is on HBO or Showtime.
Sounds like it could be good if it gets on the right network. BTW, the movie is called “The Invention of Lying,” not inventing.
Wasnt that David Mitchell’s idea on QI a few years back. Even Stephen Fry said it was a good idea. Mitchell said what if Heaven was full of athiests. Has Gervais been watching QI………….
Why? It’s sacrilegious on it’s face.
John 14:6
Jesus said unto him, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me. (NKJV)
It’ll last one season, and the heretics at the Emmys will heap loads of awards on it coz it mocks Christians, but isn’t that gratuitous by now?
Yes, and next thing you know, they’ll make a show that mocks leprechauns and unicorns.
This. Yes.
“I condemn false prophets, I condemn the effort to take away the power of rational decision, to drain people of their free will–and a hell of a lot of money in the bargain. Religions vary in their degree of idiocy, but I reject them all. For most people, religion is nothing more than a substitute for a malfunctioning brain.”
– Gene Roddenberry
Theists have a few centuries of mocking non-theists or different theists in the can; don’t think theists can hold any high ground here.
Yes, and every second you live you believe that I deserve to be tortured FOREVER! Not because I’ve murdered someone, or raped someone, or any of that; just because I don’t believe in your god. There is no amount of insults that can even touch that one because that one is infinitely insulting.
Ricky, we get it, you’re an atheist.
Chris, we get it, you’re black.
Mel, we get it, you’re jewish.
Adam, we get it, you’re an idiot.
Exactly. An opinion is one thing. An obsession is another.
@Adam, not the guy who thinks he’s funny above me.
And Christianity doesn’t obsess their ideologies on everyone?
Other people caring about things I don’t like = obsession
>Christian
>Telling someone else that they are obsessed with an ideology
OH MY GOD LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!
@Adam, You know…Atheists and pretty much every non-christian groups have been saying the same thing (minus the @Adam, You know…Atheists and pretty much every non-christian groups have been saying the same thing (minus the god part, I like to use Santa or maybe even the Easter Bunny, all are equally imaginary) about leaving them alone to christians for millennia … How well did that work for them?god part, I like to use Santa or maybe even the Easter Bunny, all are equally imaginary) to christians… what was that saying about doing unto others?
Oh, I thought it was about a serial killer comedian who murders comedy.
Ricky’s obsession has become himself, even more than atheism.
The intellectually honest consequence of atheism is nihilism.
Atheists always invariably destroy themselves and those around them.
Wait for it…
“Atheists always invariably destroy themselves and those around them.”? that’s a pretty bold statement. it’s also completely untrue, but statements like those are a natural side-effect to close-minded bigots.
You’ve confused religion with morality, Bill.
The funny thing is you can say near the same thing in a different fashion for religion.
Why should you do anything to better yourself or society whenever you can just avoid stepping on the toes of other people and accept Jesus, and when you die you’ll have an eternity to do all that other stuff you skipped out on in life.
> The intellectually honest
> consequence of atheism is nihilism.
I’ve always been perplexed by this idea. After all, it isn’t *atheism* but *religion* that tells us that all our actions are planned for us in advance; that we can change nothing and accomplish nothing in life — that no matter what we do a banal, unending infinity awaits us.
> Atheists always invariably
> destroy themselves and those around
> them.
Yeah, that’s why it’s the *secularist* nations that are the worst off! I mean, it’s not like religiosity and rejection of secularism are directly tied to every known self-destructive and socially reprehensible activity (such as abortion rates, teen pregnancy, STD transmission, property-damage & theft crimes, murder and violence, etc., etc.. — the more religious the community the more prevalent these things are.)
Yup. Us atheists are *clearly* the purveyors of meaningless wanton cruelty and ignorance. <_<
Atheism, has never, and can never be the causation of anything. You might as well say that people who don’t believe in pixies do harm to others. Grow up.
It sounds like it’s been the “causation” of terrible grammar.
Erm… give me a war or an atrocity caused by atheists and then say that again. Religion, I will admit can be a beautiful thing, but it also has a very dark side to it – and can be incredibly destructive.
Does Ricky really think athiesm sells or is funny? I thought he had evolved more than that.
Your concern is noted.
And I thought that civilization would have evolved enough to reject religion and its unfounded beliefs.
Atheism is funny. Look up George Carlin for more detials.
Religion isn’t funny. Look at all the killing in this world in the name of religion.
Just look at all this hatred from religious people. Love it!
ricky gervais IS heaven … *sigh
George was more evolved in terms of athiest comedy. Ricky is still in the amoeba stage. Ricky will always have a very small athiest audience if he continues to try and sell his beliefs on people. Most entertainers believe in God but they don’t make it their platform. People don’t watch Oprah because she believes in God. And people did not go see George Carlin because he was an athiest. I’ve seen Ricky’s standup. It’s ugly and mean spirited.
Silly, Gospel. We all know Christians don’t believe in EVILution.
By the way, watch Dane Cook’s bit about atheists for some real mean spirited stuff.
Who likes Dane Cook!!? (nobody)
Watson, that’s not true. There are plenty of Christians who believe in evolution.
Haven’t seen Dance Cook, but I don’t like knocking ANYONE for their beliefs (or lack there of). I don’t think Gervais really does that, nor do I think he’s mean spirited. I think he’s funny, and I think he has a different opinion to me. That doesn’t matter in the least to me, and I’m happy to laugh at his jokes.
That’s your ignorant, ill-informed opinion, John.