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Last Updated on May 30, 2018 by Stefanie Hutson

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Netflix and Ricky Gervais have gotten pretty tight in recent years, and it looks like that's going to continue into the foreseeable future. In addition to releasing his most recent stand-up comedy special Humanity in March of 2018, they also have a deal in place for another stand-up special and an upcoming 6-part dark comedy series called After Life.

Earlier this month, Gervais posted that pre-production had begun on the series.

I start pre production on my new Netflix show tomorrow. It's a 6 part, dark comedy, in which I play a man who, after the death of his wife, becomes suicidal but decides to live long enough to punish the world by saying and doing whatever the fuck he likes from now on. pic.twitter.com/7AwmV6rEbd

— Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais) May 7, 2018

Netflix offered a slightly “cleaner” version of After Life's description, saying:

Tony (Ricky Gervais) had a perfect life. But after his wife Lisa suddenly dies, Tony changes. After contemplating taking his own life, he decides instead to live long enough to punish the world by saying and doing whatever he likes from now on. He thinks it’s like a Super Power — not caring about himself or anyone else — but it turns out to be tricky when everyone is trying to save the nice guy they used to know.

Either way you slice it, it sounds an awful lot like Gervais himself, at least where his comedy is concerned (at home, it seems he's ruled by a cat). He's not exactly known for sparing feelings, and many have called him out as offensive. To be fair, though, much of the best comedy is a little offensive, and even incredibly mainstream guys like Jerry Seinfeld have run afoul of modern political correctness standards in recent years.

Who Else is Involved in After Life?

While there haven't been any announcements about other actors on the project, we know that Gervais will write, executive produce, and star in the project. Charlie Hanson, a previous collaborator from Extras and Derek, will also be an executive producer on the show.

It's worth noting that this is another Ricky Gervais project that won't involve Stephen Merchant. The two were partners in his most commercially successful shows, The Office and Extras, but they haven't worked together in years. While there's some speculation that there was a big falling out, both parties maintain that they're simply pursuing their own interests – and that makes perfect sense to us. Once you've had a bit of success, you're sure to encounter all sorts of new opportunities that let you pursue exactly what you want – and that may not be exactly what your previous collaborator wants to do.

When Will After Life Premiere?

Given that it's still in pre-production, it may be a while before we have an official air date. However, when more information is available, we'll be sure to post it here. If you want to stay in the loop, subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Facebook.