Ricky Gervais says there needs to be "real demand" for After Life season 3
"I wouldn't do it for the sake of it," insists the writer/star of the Netflix series.
Ricky Gervais returns as grieving widower Tony in season two of Netflix's After Life this Friday (April 24th), but has suggested that a third run of episodes is not a sure thing.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, Gervais said that while he is open to making a third season – meaning After Life would run longer than his other projects The Office, Extras and Derek – it would need to be "a real demanded-for encore".
"I don't know about a series three," he admitted. "For the first time ever, I would do a series three, because the world's so rich, I love the characters, I love all the actors in it, I love my character, I love the town, I love the themes... I love the dog!
"So I would do a third, but it's got to be a real demanded-for encore. I'm not gonna just do it. "
He continued: "I wouldn't do it for the sake of it. I wouldn't do it just to get paid, or because they [Netflix] want another three hours on their platform. It's got to be that people really want more.
"It's a really daunting task, a third series... so it's really got to be wanted."
Though fans are yet to see what awaits Tony and the eccentric residents of Tambury in After Life season two, Gervais did reveal one thing that fans could expect to see in potential future seasons – Tony's late wife Lisa (Kerry Godliman), who currently appears by way of home video footage and is a character that he has no intention of phasing out.
"She would be integral," he said. "It's such a rich vein: the wife he's lost, and all the guilt, and moving on, and her vs. someone else... it's like, who could compare with this perfect wife? She's never gonna make a mistake... so [it's] all those things."
After Life season 2 launches on Netflix on 24th April – check out what else is on with our TV Guide
Authors
Morgan Jeffery is the Digital Editor for Radio Times, overseeing all editorial output across the brand's digital platforms. He was previously TV Editor at Digital Spy and has featured as a TV expert on BBC Breakfast, BBC Radio 5 Live and Sky Atlantic.
