Netflix Adds All 39 Episodes of a 10/10 HBO Animated Series

HBO has set the gold standard for television over the past 25 years, consistently delivering some of the greatest shows ever made, spanning genres from drama to comedy and more. Rewatching those shows has become easier than ever in the streaming era thanks to a licensing deal between Warner Bros. Discovery and Netflix that has brought several HBO and HBO Max originals to the streaming giant, and another title just joined the mix. Netflix is now streaming every episode of a near-perfect HBO animated shows more than a decade after it ended.

Netflix subscribers can now stream the iconic The Ricky Gervais Show after all 39 episodes of the animated comedy dropped on the platform on March 17th. The series originally aired on HBO for three seasons from 2010 until 2012. The series serves as a visual adaptation of the record-breaking podcasts and XFM radio shows featuring Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington. The series features a Hanna-Barbera-inspired animation style, past audio from the podcasts, and classic segments such as “Monkey News,” “Rockbusters,” and “Educating Ricky.” The show’s arrival on Netflix marks the first time it has been available on the platform.

HBO’s The Ricky Gervais Show Is a Comedy Gem

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The Ricky Gervais Show is pure comedy gold and really a masterpiece of comedic conversation, and you really can’t go wrong with giving it a watch. The show thrives in its simplicity and the sheer oddity of Pilkington’s mind, its magic lying in the unfiltered conversations between Gervais’ raucous laughter, Merchant’s dry, witty retorts, and Pilkington’s unconventional, often absurd, worldview. It’s a pinnacle of the absurd, with conversations meandering through bizarre philosophy, naïve viewpoints, and urban legends and delivering an irresistibly stupid and engaging relief. All of that is amplified by the animation, which allows for surreal visual puns and successfully transforms the podcast’s audio into a fresh and polished experience.

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The hilarious brilliance of The Ricky Gervais Show made it a critical and commercial hit. Although the show doesn’t have a critic consensus on Rotten Tomatoes, it holds a high 93% audience rating averaged throughout its three seasons and maintains a cult status as a beloved, irreverent animated adaptation. The show’s arrival on Netflix comes at the perfect time, too, as Gervais’ upcoming adult animated series Alley Cats is set to premiere on Netflix later this year. The show is set to consist of six 15-minute episodes centered around a group of feral British cats from various backgrounds and promises to bring Gervais’ signature blend of observational, often biting humor.

What’s New on Netflix?

Netflix has plenty of great streaming options this March. In addition to The Ricky Gervais Show, subscribers can now stream originals like The Dinosaurs, The TikTok Killer, ONE PIECE Season 2, and Virgin River Season 7. On the movie side, Netflix’s library now boasts titles including Deepwater Horizon, The Lego Movie, and Zombieland.

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