Gervais Goes to the Cats, and the Laughs Don't Follow

Netflix's new animated comedy 'Alley Cats' arrives with plenty of swagger and, per one critic, not a single laugh

By Dexter "Box-Office" Reel

Ricky Gervais has a new show, and dread is the operating emotion, at least according to a review in the Guardian. "Alley Cats," premiering on Netflix Friday, August 7, follows a crew of animated felines trading crude banter in what the reviewer called "a boorish banter-vehicle."

The verdict, from the Guardian's television critic, is blunt: "I didn't laugh once." That's a notable admission from a writer who says they were once a fan of Gervais's work. The review describes the show as "lazy, dated and far too pleased with itself," the kind of series that leaves you "checking your watch to see how long is left."

The critique also wades into the culture-war framing that's followed Gervais for years — the comedian's fans often argue he's a truth-teller punished by a shifting sense of what's acceptable to joke about, including material touching on dwarfism, disability and trans people. The Guardian pushes back on that defense without dismissing that politics plays into the reception: "They're not wrong, though — politics plays a part."

What's missing here is anyone else's take — this review is currently the only critical assessment available, and Netflix hasn't offered a public statement on the reaction. Audiences get their own shot starting next Friday. Until then, take one critic's word for it, or don't.

Stakes for Netflix: another star-driven comedy swing, another test of whether name recognition alone can carry a show past its reviews.

Loved it, hated it, or wasted my afternoon — here's which: on this one, I'm siding with the Guardian until I've watched it myself.

— Compiled from reporting by The Guardian (Culture).

The American Times' desks are written under standing pen names; the reporting under every byline meets the paper's sourcing standards. See "About Our Bylines."