After taking in the first two episodes of The Ricky Gervais Show, I can say with complete and total confidence that Mr. Gervias is freaking awesome!  Regardless of your opinion on his comedy, the man has proven to be one of the most influential names in not just television, but global television.  His dry brand of self deprecation mixed with filter-less social observation walks a line between offensive and hilarious that even in failure will rattle around your skull for weeks.  Thankfully, for me, Ricky succeeds far more often than he fails.

Premiering on HBO February 19th, The Ricky Gervais Show is an animated representation of a podcast of the same name.  A podcast, I might point out, featured in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most downloaded.  The cartoon version features Gervais, his long time writing partner and co-creator Stephen Merchant and the oddity that is Karl Pilkington.  Much of the show hinges on Pilkington and his remarkable viewpoints that border on completely insane.  While Karl talks about monkeys flying rocket ships, Gervais and Merchant tear into him, and while some may construe it as mean, it is clearly part of the show and winds up being gut busting.  Gervais laugh is infectious and I found myself near tears many a time.  This show gives a +11 to his awesome scale.

But most of you will know Ricky’s handwriting from The Office.  The original U.K.

version is an essential must own for any home and example number one as to why he is awesome. The Office has been remade for markets in Germany (Stromberg), France (Le Bureau), Canada’s most dissident provence of Quebec (La Job), and of course the United States where the show has achieved phenomenal success.  Gervais and Merchant serve as executive producers on the U.S. Office and wrote the third season episode “The Convict.”  At 100 plus episodes, the Dunder Mifflin edition is by far the most successful.  Additional versions inspired by Gervais’ characters can be found in Russia, Chile, and Brazil.

There was some criticism of Extras when it first appeared on our TV sets, but those were just some cranky guys sitting frustrated behind their desks incapable of writing a joke to save a life.  Extras was about Gervais as Andy Millman, a middle aged actor who has never gotten his big break and pays the bills by taking on endless extra roles on TV and film projects.  The show was an insiders analysis of the entertainment industry and featured guest stars from Kate Winslet and Ben Stiller to Sir Ian McKellen.  It was brilliant and far from the “resting on his laurels” comments a couple of critics tossed its way.  It is another example of awesome and factoring in the finale moves Extras into super-awesome territory.

More proof of awesome?  Check out his comedy special or his appearances on Letterman and The Daily Show.  Ricky has been featured on Inside the Actor’s Studio and won multiple awards, and don’t forget Gervais hosted the 2010 Golden Globes, the first M.C. since 1995, where he made fun of Mel Gibson enjoying his alcohol.  In a town of hypocrisy, calling it out on live television truly is awesome.  And of course the final piece of evidence for Gervais being awesome comes in the yellow hued world of The Simpsons.  Once you get animated in Springfield, you’re big time baby.

Okay, so now that I’ve beaten the word “awesome” to death faster than a teenage world champion texter with an unlimited plan, let me wrap this up in a more adult way.  Just kidding!!  Ricky wouldn’t want that, he embraces the juvenile like a surgeon using a scalpel and it is that calculated use of the ordinary that makes him such a joy to watch.  A master of film, books, podcasts, stand-up, and television, Ricky Gervais truly is an awesome force of entertainment.

(Image via videogamer.com)