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Derek is the newest scripted mockumentary comedy courtesy of Ricky Gervais of The Office and Extras fame. About a year ago a pilot was released and it received a warm enough reception that a full run was ordered. The show is about Broadhill, a struggling retirement home. Its residents, staff, and miscellaneous characters span from heartfelt saints to goon level pants shitters (that's not even close to an exaggeration). Let's meet them shall we? The Characters Derek  The eponymous character is, of course, played by Ricky Gervais himself. This is, perhaps, his most challenging role yet and demands the most from him as an actor. Derek is a kind and simple man in his late 40's. He is a general assistant and caretaker at Broadhill. He is helpful, loved, and loving in turn. He oftentimes gets caught up in distracting thoughts and premises, and has a few quirky ticks and mannerisms. Hannah  Hannah, played by Kerry Godliman, is the utterly selfless manager and chief caretaker of Broadhill. Having done somewhat poorly in school, Hannah found herself working her way up at Broadhill from a young age. When we first meet Hannah she is a middle aged, single, and devoid of a social life outside of Broadhill. She doesn't complain about that, she is simply fine with it. Dougie  In his acting debut, Karl Pilkington plays the handyman, Dougie. Dougie is perhaps the most downtrodden of all of the characters, but even he is somewhat comfortable with his seemingly bleak position in life. Dougie can get fiercely defensive and protective of his fellow colleagues and the residents as well and he is often their greatest advocate. Kev  David Earl plays Kev, the perverted disgusting bum who lies around does nothing. Kev is the wildcard of the cast and is responsible for a fair share of the more broad bits of the show. He has his The Rest The four main cast members are great, but they aren't what makes the show so special. Derek is a show that addresses the aging population, which is not only largely considered a comedy vacuum but a depressing and alienating bit of subject matter. To combat this, the show is presented with great care and of all five episodes that have aired so far, each has found a way to be cheerful, heartwarming, and funny. The residents are played very honestly, and at times, it definitely feels like there is no acting going on whatsoever. Derek is a bright spot of my week. It feels very similar to shows like Bored to Death and Parks and Recreation in that each episode feels like a treat. How Do I Watch It? This is where it gets a bit tricky. US viewers can expect to see the show air in the not so distant future on Netflix. To my knowledge there hasn't been any more news with regard to a US release, but it probably won't be too far off. For British viewers it is currently airing on Channel 4. If you have the means, definitely give the show a shot. The Pilot or the first episode stand up well enough on their own that you only need to give the show one episode before you can make a call on whether or not it is for you. Chili fucked around with this message at Feb 26, 2013 around 07:40 |
| # ? Feb 26, 2013 05:44 |
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| # ? May 26, 2013 08:12 |
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Excited for this, but where the hell is my Life's Too Short season 2? edit: Karl Pilkington is in it, instant watch. Genderman fucked around with this message at Feb 26, 2013 around 06:12 |
| # ? Feb 26, 2013 06:06 |
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I was wondering how Karl would go with acting but this role is perfect for him because all his character does is complain.
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| # ? Feb 26, 2013 06:19 |
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luncheon meat posted:I was wondering how Karl would go with acting but this role is perfect for him because all his character does is complain. First episode down. I would watch this show just for Karl edit: not too sure about Ricky in this show... Genderman fucked around with this message at Feb 26, 2013 around 06:27 |
| # ? Feb 26, 2013 06:21 |
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luncheon meat posted:I was wondering how Karl would go with acting but this role is perfect for him because all his character does is complain. Karl has been great in it so far. The complaining is obviously amazing but he's also gotten a couple of good moments to show some actual acting chops and he's been pretty impressive.
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| # ? Feb 26, 2013 06:27 |
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This show is sorta not good. Some really cheesy bad acting and Ricky hams his character in a not funny way. Karl is definitely a positive
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| # ? Feb 26, 2013 07:56 |
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Isn't there a Derek thread already? Anyway, I didn't get past episode 2. I like a lot of stuff Gervais has done, but both this and Life's Too Short are clearly not my cup of tea. Pilkington is great in this but not enough to carry the whole show. Otherwise it just feels so desperate to be sweet and touching that it comes across ridiculously heavy-handed. One factor that made absolutely no sense in Life's Too Short and isn't much better in this is the stupid "faux docu-drama" thing. The Office basically invented the whole thing (or at least popularized it) and it's like Gervais doesn't know how to make a show without it (even though Extras was terrific and had none of that crap), it's completely superfluous and a cheap way to show what characters are feeling and thinking. Does the show pick up at all after ep 2 or is it more of the same aside from some decently funny Karl shenanigans?
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| # ? Feb 26, 2013 13:00 |
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Stare-Out posted:Isn't there a Derek thread already? I looked around, but I didn't see one. It's definitely a show that goes out of its way to be positive, but honestly I just don't mind that. I've never minded the mockumentary style and I don't fault Gervais for using it, like you said he did practically invent it himself, and really, he's only used it twice before. I watch TV for different reasons every day. When I'm in the mood for perfect storytelling I won't watch Derek. But, after a long and tiresome day when I just want something that will make me smile, Derek has fit the bill pretty well. I would say that if you haven't enjoyed it through episode 2, it's probably not going to be for you.
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| # ? Feb 26, 2013 15:07 |
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Stare-Out posted:Isn't there a Derek thread already? http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=3530414 Not much activity in that thread though. Having watched all of the episodes so far, the pilot was by far the best IMHO. It's not Ricky's best work. Lots of lazy heavy-handed writing, cartoon villains, and lots of things Ricky would've made fun of if it wasn't his own show. Karl is excellent though.
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| # ? Feb 26, 2013 16:26 |
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gret posted:http://forums.somethingawful.com/sh...hreadid=3530414 Wooops. If the mods want to collapse, combine, close or do other magical moddy things to this thread, that's fine by me.
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| # ? Feb 26, 2013 17:23 |
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The writing is very bad, where is Merchant?
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| # ? Feb 27, 2013 07:19 |
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The musical montages are what kill the show for me. While the show has its great moments, the way each episode has its 'theme' and a matching song with a montage of wistful looks and old photographs of the characters just annoys me to bits. Especially last week's episode. loving Coldplay. A bit of editing and the complete removal of Kev would make Derek so much better. Whatever happened to Derek's girlfriend from the pilot, anyway?
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| # ? Feb 27, 2013 08:13 |
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| # ? May 26, 2013 08:12 |
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I got really excited when I clicked on this thread not knowing of the show's existence, and even more excited to learn that Pilkington is actually ACTING in it. I love all of Gervais' work so far (Extras, The Office UK, Life is Too Short, The Ricky Gervais Show, and An Idiot Abroad in that order), with the only exception being The Invention of Lying. But I have to say I'm bummed by the poor reviews in this thread and the absence of Merchant. I still really want to see it. Hopefully it comes out in the US soon.
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| # ? Feb 27, 2013 08:21 |
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