Gervais: ‘Extras’ Done After Two Seasons
The second season of “Extras” premieres on British television Thursday, and it’s looking like there won’t be a third.
As he did with his previous series, “The Office,” creator Ricky Gervais would like to end “Extras” after just two seasons. The idea, he says, is not to wear out his welcome in people’s living rooms.
“At the moment, I don’t think there will be another one. [Co-creator Stephen Merchant] and I have always had this thing where we only like to do two series,” Gervais tells London’s Sun newspaper. “It’s like ‘The Office’ — people are always asking why we didn’t do any more, but we just wanted to leave people wanting more.”
The second season of “Extras” — which will feature cameos by Orlando Bloom, David Bowie and “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe, among others — debuts Thursday on BBC2 in the U.K. (HBO, which airs the show in the United States, hasn’t set an airdate for the new episodes yet). It will pick up where the first run ended, with Andy Millman (Gervais) selling a sitcom to the BBC.
Unlike Gervais’ own experience, where he’s been given full creative control over his shows, Andy’s show quickly gets away from him. “Andy tries to put up a fight, but in the end he backs down as he craves fame so badly,” Gervais says. “It really is a case of ‘Be careful what you wish for.'”
Gervais, an unabashed fan of American TV drama, thinks he might like to try writing his own dramatic series next. “I’ve got so many ideas in my head,” he says. “… I think I could appear in a drama. I know people may say I couldn’t be taken seriously, but I think it just depends on how strong and well-written it is.”
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