On British television an average series may run only six or so episodes, but for the program's fans on this side of the super-sized pond that can seem piddly indeed. Fortunately for followers of all things Ricky Gervais, the new DVD version of his HBO series Extras, which is out this week, contains over 100 minutes of additional material to enjoy. If you missed the initial airing, the second season of Extras follows put-upon actor and writer Andy Millman (Gervais) as he tries to make a success of his sitcom When the Whistle Blows on the BBC despite encroaching mainstream mediocrity. Along the way he, his actress friend Maggie (Ashley Jensen, also on Ugly Betty) and his agent Darren (Stephen Merchant, Gervais's creative collaborator) embarrass themselves and various famous people like Orlando Bloom, Daniel Radcliffe, Ian McKellen and in the final episode, Tribeca's own Robert DeNiro.
Rewatching the series, it's delightful how funny the set-ups remain even if you already know the humiliating punchline. All of the celebrity co-stars are incredibly game to Gervais's brand of humor, and often upstage the stars, like when David Bowie sings his improvised ode to Gervais's considerable girth and squashed dreams. An hour-long featurette "Extras Backstage" reveals more of this footage lost to the cutting room floor, as well as interviews with some participants and Gervais and Merchant. Sometimes it's tough to tell when those two are "doing a bit" or when they're actually revealing insider information to the cameras, but that's part of the fun. Also an interesting behind the scenes tidbit comes from the featurette "Art of Corpsing": Gervais can hardly make it through a scene without busting out into maniacal laughter. Apparently, Gervais thinks he and his cast's performances are hysterical. Also he is a horrible procrastinator, subjecting his editor Nigel to increasingly more painful office tape and scrap paper torture all captured for posterity in "Taping Nigel: The Gimpening." But he makes hilarious TV, so here's hoping this season of Extras isn't Gervais's last hurrah on the small screen.
Other DVDs hitting shelves this week include Billy Bob Thorton's family film, The Astronaut Farmer, Dennmark's submission for the Best Foreign Language film Oscar from last year, After the Wedding and another movie for the kiddies, The Last Mimzy.
Photo via BBC
