Ricky Gervais, the king of dark and cynical comedy, returns in Netflix’s “After Life” with its third season streaming exclusively on the platform Jan. 14. Giving more premium content as a new COVID variant rages on, ”After Life” follows Gervais’ character, Tony Johnson, trying to live on after his world has been halted following his wife’s passing from breast cancer.

Writing and directing the entirety of the series, Gervais wonderfully crafts it to be a perfect balance of both sadness and joy. Leaving you to find yourself laughing at all the small things, only to hold yourself when it pans to the bigger picture of it all. Dealing with mental health issues and the pain that stems from losing a loved one, “After Life” is an excellent example of the victories and wallows that present themself all too easily.

From living in the shadows of his mental health to seeing a brighter side of the world when he helps and mocks others, it’s a roller coaster that keeps you in the loop with ease with his careless attitude and sentimental ideals. Wanting to feel and do better but with a hill to climb, the mountainous region of this show reveals struggles that are all too real.

The yearning for what was only to accept what is Gervais’ character dances within memories that have fleeted all too quickly from his grasp. Knowing he found his only partner the world could ever give him, he holds on to the strand of memories of the woman he loved. A romantic story at heart, “After Life” presents itself to be a little of everything with the range of Gervais performances along with an underrated star Brandy the dog, played by Anti, who at times steals the show too easily. 

With the culmination of Gervais’ quick-witted humor and the real-life sincerity he holds towards his spouse shows a more prominent aspect of himself, other than being the guy who created the hit British and American show “The Office”. Leaving it with an ending up to debate as it wraps up another stellar series brought by Netflix, Gervais has excelled once more in his comedic range but also in heartwarming sentiment.