Arnold
CibbuanoExtras
August 8th 2006 07:55
Extras - coming soon
Coming soon to the ABC is Ricky Gervais' new series 'Extras'.
Now, I'm going to go out on a limb here and I'll probably get lynched for it, but I think Extras is actually better than Gervais' last series 'The Office', or at the very least has the potential to be better.
Gervais plays the main character, Andy Millman, an extra and struggling actor. Millman isn't really all that similar to David Brent, he's nowhere near as much of a... well, wanker. He's an altogether far more sympathetic character. He has his moments though, and commits more than a few politically incorrect faux-pas as the series goes on, and can be a real bastard at times.
He's joined on almost all of his filmsets by his friend Maggie Jacobs, a desperate and somewhat thick barmaid who works as an extra in her spare time. The only other re-occuring character is Andy's Agent (played by co-writer Stephen Merchent - last seen as 'The Og Monster' in The Office), a man who must be the worst actor's agent in history.
The all-star cast of Extras
The format of the show sees each episode take place on a different production with Andy trying to hustle his way into getting a scripted line or some better screen time. Each episode features a big-name celebrity, often hilariously playing against their image. The show makes use of the same kind of awkward humour that made The Office such a hit, and is scripted and acted well enough to the point where it is almost impossible to tell when the actors are adlibbing and when they are sticking to the script. The reason why I think this might be better than The Office? I think there's a lot more room for the comedy to grow here, it's not restricted to any one location or set of characters, and the addition of big-name talent turns almost every episode into 'must-see' television.
Here's a brief spoiler-free episode guide of what to expect from the first series...
Episode 1
Ben Stiller is directing a serious film about Russian atrocities. This is actually the 2nd episode of the series but was broadcast first, presumably because the presence of Ben Stiller is a pretty big hook to get people into watching the series. Stiller plays himself as a real arsehole, which is fun.
Episode 2
British TV star Ross Kemp appears in a costume piece. He tells Andy that he was really in the SAS and claims that he could beat Vinnie Jones in a fight. Vinnie Jones also appears.
Episode 3
Kate Winslet stars as a nun in Nazi Germany, seeing it as a surefire way to win an Oscar. She also offers phone-sex advice to Maggie.
Episode 4
Andy appears in a pantomime as an effinimate genie. British comedian Les Dennis also appears. This episode is probably the weirdest of the lot.
Episode 5
Andy works on a Samuel L. Jackson film and has some trouble with a stalker. This is probably the most sitcom-ish of the episodes and feels like a Seinfeld episode at times.
Episode 6
Probably my favourite episode of the lot. Patrick Stewart is hilarious in it.
Co-writers Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant
| 57 |
| Vote |
subscribe to this blog
Comment by Glen
Reggae