{"id":2083323,"date":"2026-08-07T07:01:06","date_gmt":"2026-08-07T04:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2083323"},"modified":"2026-08-07T07:01:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T04:01:06","slug":"alley-cats-review-look-what-ricky-gervais-has-dragged-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2083323","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Alley Cats\u2019 review: look what Ricky Gervais has dragged in"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky-Gervais-Alley-Cats.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-3332206\" class=\"post-3332206 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_71 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky-Gervais-Alley-Cats-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"Ricky Gervais and Gus from &apos;Alley Cats&apos; review\" title=\"Ricky Gervais Alley Cats\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">Ricky Gervais and Gus from &#8216;Alley Cats&#8217;. CREDIT: Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_72\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_73  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_75  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>Reviews<\/span><span>TV Reviews<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_77 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_77\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">\u2018Alley Cats\u2019 review: look what Ricky Gervais has dragged in<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_78 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_78\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>\u2018The Office\u2019 and \u2018After Life star\u2019s new series features animation that\u2019s as crude as the gags\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_review_overall tdi_79 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_79\">\n<table class=\"td-review td-fix-index\">\n<tr class=\"td-review-footer rate_stars\">\n<td class=\"td-review-score\">\n<div class=\"td-review-overall\">\n<div class=\"td-review-final-score\">1<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_80 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_80\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Matt Maytum<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_81 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-08-07T08:01:06+01:00\">7th August 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_82\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_83  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap big-read-dropcap\">R<\/strong>icky Gervais has described animated series <i>Alley Cats<\/i> \u2013 his latest project as creator, writer, director and star \u2013 as \u201ca cross between a sitcom and a Pixar movie. But with swearing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If that\u2019s the case, you have to worry about what Pixar movies he\u2019s been watching, as the studio\u2019s output shares little DNA with this unpleasant six-parter. It\u2019s easier to see where the sitcom inspiration figures \u2013 <i>Alley Cats<\/i> is basically a feline spin on Gervais mega-successful Netflix hit <i>After Life<\/i>.\u00a0 Gervais stars as a misanthropic curmudgeon with a deeply buried heart of gold, surrounded by familiar faces (well, voices) from <i>After Life<\/i>: Tom Basden, Diane Morgan, Kerry Godliman, Jo Hartley, David Earl, Andrew Brooke and Tony Way all appear.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: The best TV shows of 2026\u2026 so far!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p><i>Alley Cats<\/i> has very little to offer any potential audience members outside of the Gervais faithful or people who find the c-word inherently funny. Unusually for animation, Gervais and his ensemble recorded the dialogue \u2013 discursive ad libs and all \u2013 before a single frame was drawn and the show was built around the voices. Maybe that goes some way to explaining the lacklustre visual style which isn\u2019t quite rough enough to have a distinctive edge but still falls well short of what you might classify as good. A Van Halen-soundtracked moment in the finale offers a little flair, suggesting <i>Alley Cats<\/i> could\u2019ve looked much better than it does. Instead, it\u2019s largely just unappealing characters sitting around engaged in boorish conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Gervais\u2019 Gus is the nominal leader of a bunch a feral strays \u2013 and one well-to-do cat Ponce, voiced by Basden \u2013 whose conversations are largely geared around shock value. Topics including AIDS, autoerotic asphyxiation and inter-species intercourse are invoked alongside relentless swearing as lazy shortcuts to button-pushing.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3961214\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3961214\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3961214\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky-Gervais-Alley-Cats1.jpg\" alt=\"Ricky Gervais&apos; &apos;Alley Cats&apos;\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3961214\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ricky Gervais\u2019 \u2018Alley Cats\u2019. CREDIT: Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The closest thing the mercifully brief series gets to actual storylines involves a cute lost kitten (Hartley) and Gus\u2019s potential love interest Lara (Godliman), both of whom are around to prove that the ginger moggy is actually rather loveable and sweet\u2026 if you can get past the relentless bile he spews. Very occasionally some of the banter will raise a snicker in its absurdity but it\u2019s mostly just wearing, even though the short episodes never run longer than 20 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>There are also attempts to crowbar in a bit of profundity with some philosophising about the meaning of life. But the emotional moments don\u2019t have enough room to bloom and wind up feeling unearned. In fact, much of the trite messaging around the kitten character feels like it\u2019s aimed at a much younger audience but the swears, violence and constant sex gags rule out family viewing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gervais is a self-professed animal lover who has stated that he made this show because \u201cI want everyone to love cats as much as I do\u201d. By that metric, <i>Alley Cats<\/i> is a failure. And besides a few observations about cats being lazy and selfish, there\u2019s nothing here that will ring enjoyably true for cat owners. This indulgent project feels destined for the litter tray.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Alley Cats\u2019 is out now on Netflix<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Netflix<\/li>\n<li>Ricky Gervais<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_88\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_89  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_93  vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_95  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_97 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>More Stories<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap td_flex_block_1 tdi_98 td-pb-border-top td_module_flex_1--card td_module_flex_1--card--highlight td_block_template_2 tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_98\">\n<div id=\"tdi_98\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Gaming News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018Grand Theft Auto 6\u2019 fans furious about \u2018Extended Look\u2019 Netflix paywall<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film Reviews<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018The Last House\u2019 review: lockdown horror as thrilling as making sourdough<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018The Inbetweeners\u2019 reunion movie reportedly in the works at Netflix<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">\u2018KPop Demon Hunters\u2019 has been watched more than twice as much as Netflix\u2019s second-biggest film<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Every song on\u00a0\u2018The Hawk\u2019\u00a0soundtrack<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Film News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">The ending of\u00a0\u2018Heartstopper Forever\u2019\u00a0explained: do Nick and Charlie stay together?\u00a0<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_99\" class=\"tdc-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_100  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_102  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_104 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p><strong class=\"dropcap big-read-dropcap\">R<\/strong>icky Gervais has described animated series <i>Alley Cats<\/i> \u2013 his latest project as creator, writer, director and star \u2013 as \u201ca cross between a sitcom and a Pixar movie. But with swearing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>If that\u2019s the case, you have to worry about what Pixar movies he\u2019s been watching, as the studio\u2019s output shares little DNA with this unpleasant six-parter. It\u2019s easier to see where the sitcom inspiration figures \u2013 <i>Alley Cats<\/i> is basically a feline spin on Gervais mega-successful Netflix hit <i>After Life<\/i>.\u00a0 Gervais stars as a misanthropic curmudgeon with a deeply buried heart of gold, surrounded by familiar faces (well, voices) from <i>After Life<\/i>: Tom Basden, Diane Morgan, Kerry Godliman, Jo Hartley, David Earl, Andrew Brooke and Tony Way all appear.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: The best TV shows of 2026\u2026 so far!<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p><i>Alley Cats<\/i> has very little to offer any potential audience members outside of the Gervais faithful or people who find the c-word inherently funny. Unusually for animation, Gervais and his ensemble recorded the dialogue \u2013 discursive ad libs and all \u2013 before a single frame was drawn and the show was built around the voices. Maybe that goes some way to explaining the lacklustre visual style which isn\u2019t quite rough enough to have a distinctive edge but still falls well short of what you might classify as good. A Van Halen-soundtracked moment in the finale offers a little flair, suggesting <i>Alley Cats<\/i> could\u2019ve looked much better than it does. Instead, it\u2019s largely just unappealing characters sitting around engaged in boorish conversation.<\/p>\n<p>Gervais\u2019 Gus is the nominal leader of a bunch a feral strays \u2013 and one well-to-do cat Ponce, voiced by Basden \u2013 whose conversations are largely geared around shock value. Topics including AIDS, autoerotic asphyxiation and inter-species intercourse are invoked alongside relentless swearing as lazy shortcuts to button-pushing.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3961214\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3961214\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3961214\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky-Gervais-Alley-Cats1.jpg\" alt=\"Ricky Gervais&apos; &apos;Alley Cats&apos;\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3961214\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ricky Gervais\u2019 \u2018Alley Cats\u2019. CREDIT: Netflix<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The closest thing the mercifully brief series gets to actual storylines involves a cute lost kitten (Hartley) and Gus\u2019s potential love interest Lara (Godliman), both of whom are around to prove that the ginger moggy is actually rather loveable and sweet\u2026 if you can get past the relentless bile he spews. Very occasionally some of the banter will raise a snicker in its absurdity but it\u2019s mostly just wearing, even though the short episodes never run longer than 20 minutes.<\/p>\n<p>There are also attempts to crowbar in a bit of profundity with some philosophising about the meaning of life. But the emotional moments don\u2019t have enough room to bloom and wind up feeling unearned. In fact, much of the trite messaging around the kitten character feels like it\u2019s aimed at a much younger audience but the swears, violence and constant sex gags rule out family viewing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>Gervais is a self-professed animal lover who has stated that he made this show because \u201cI want everyone to love cats as much as I do\u201d. By that metric, <i>Alley Cats<\/i> is a failure. And besides a few observations about cats being lazy and selfish, there\u2019s nothing here that will ring enjoyably true for cat owners. This indulgent project feels destined for the litter tray.<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Alley Cats\u2019 is out now on Netflix<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/reviews\/tv-reviews\/alley-cats-review-ricky-gervais-after-life-cartoon-netflix-3961212&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ricky-Gervais-Alley-Cats.jpg&#8221;] Ricky Gervais and Gus from &#8216;Alley Cats&#8217;. CREDIT: Netflix ReviewsTV Reviews \u2018Alley Cats\u2019 review: look what Ricky Gervais has dragged in \u2018The Office\u2019 and \u2018After Life star\u2019s new series features animation that\u2019s as crude as the gags 1 By Matt Maytum 7th August 2026 Ricky Gervais has described animated series Alley Cats [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2083323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2083323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2083323\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2083323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2083323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2083323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}