Ricky Gervais' 'After Life' renewed for a second season

Ricky Gervais’ Netflix series After Life has been renewed for a second season.

Gervais, who recently revealed he was writing a new season, said the renewal of the show was ‘insane’: “I have never had a reaction like this before. It’s been insane. And heartwarming. But now I have to make sure the second season is even better so I’ll probably have to work much harder than usual. Annoying really.”

Netflix’s Chief Content Officer, Ted Sarandos, said about the series: “After Life has moved audiences from laughter to tears around the world and we are thrilled to announce that Ricky Gervais will be back with a second season on Netflix.

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“We are so proud to play host to Ricky’s brilliant stand up comedy, specials, original films and series and join in the joy of the fans with his latest hit.”

The show – written, starring and directed by Gervais – is about a man called Tony who loses his wife and reacts by saying and doing whatever he likes, as a way of punishing the world. The series follows as the man, played by Gervais, enacts his new life plan, and how this affects those around him. The series features a number of notable British comedians like Diane Morgan, Paul Kaye and Roisin Conaty.

The series received broadly positive reviews from critics and audiences when released last month. It currently has 68% approval from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, with the consensus calling Gervais’ performance “poignant”.

Gervais retweeted several tweets about the show’s renewal on Wednesday.

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After Life will return in 2020 for six episodes.