Over the last decade, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have created some of television's funniest and most poignant situation comedies. Their first hit BBC series, The Office, premiered in 2001 and was followed shortly by the equally hilarious BBC/HBO coproduction Extras. Their newest BBC/HBO coproduction, Life's Too Short will debut on HBO in February after completing its run on the BBC in December. While Life's Too Short does not quite equal the comedic excellence of those earlier classics, Gervais and Merchant again present an emotional and funny, quality sit-com of the type that only seems possible in the U.S. on HBO.
Life's Too Short centers on the fictional daily life of the real U.K. character-actor Warwick Davis. Davis is a dwarf who has made his living playing ewoks, leprechauns and other minor characters, with the exception of his one starring role as the title character in the box office failure Willow. This is a source of irritation to Davis, who wishes he was recognized as a star despite the fact that in all of his successful roles he has been hidden beneath masks and makeup. Like The Office, LTS is filmed as a mock-documentary about Davis and his travails as a struggling actor and impresario. In addition to acting, Davis runs a talent agency called Dwarves For Hire. As the series begins, we also learn that Davis is going through a divorce and dealing with a huge tax bill due to the failings of his incompetent accountant.
As with all of Gervais and Merchant's comedies, the humor doesn't arise as much from the situations as it does from the characters. Davis, like David Brent in The Office and Andy Millman in Extras, is endearing and sympathetic despite being outwardly pompous and arrogant. The brilliance of Gervais’ and Merchant's writing is that they are able to create real characters and not just comedic caricatures that are only on screen for a quick laugh. Davis’ character is trying desperately to compensate for his height and subsequent feelings of inadequacy. Although he behaves egotistically one can see that buried beneath the veneer of confidence there is a man with a good heart and low self-esteem. He is trying hard to keep his dignity but this is a difficult task in a world where Davis cannot even reach high enough to ring a doorbell and must deal with condescending behavior from a maitre d’, store clerks and even complete strangers.
Although driven by strong characters, the series is filled with memorable comedic situations. Davis appears at a Star Wars convention, throws a “celebrity” house warming party, runs an unconventional campaign to be chairman of the Society of People of Short Stature and attends a celebrity charity auction. Like Curb Your Enthusiasm, much of the humor derives from Davis creating embarrassing public moments in these situations. Unlike Larry David, Davis does not consider himself a “social assassin” and you can sense his unease during the awkward moments. LTS is also able to skillfully mix slapstick humor into many scenes and Davis proves himself as both a physical comedian and a comic actor.
Gervais and Merchant appear as themselves in the series, as do a number of A-list actors. Johnny Depp has one of the best cameos making light of his penchant for method acting. In preparation for a role as Rumpelstiltskin, Depp hires Davis so he can observe how a dwarf moves and their scenes together are hilarious. This also gives Gervais a chance to mock himself by having Depp rip into him for his Golden Globes monologue. Other cameos include great comic appearances by Liam Neeson, Helena Bonham Carter, and Sting.
Life’s Too Short is a very funny show filled with endearing characters and memorable comic moments. It does not reach the heights that Gervais and Merchant achieved with their previous work, but those shows may have set the bar too high to ever reach again. If you are not familiar with the original and best (only) version of The Office or with Extras, I encourage you to watch those no matter what you think of this series. Life’s Too Short begins a run of 7 enjoyable episodes on HBO in February.
