Gervais' Netflix 'Alley Cats' Is Surprisingly Bittersweet
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- Ricky Gervais created, writes, and voices protagonist Gus, an overweight orange tabby, in the six-episode Netflix animated comedy 'Alley Cats,' set in a derelict London rowhouse.
- The voice cast includes David Earl as Puke, Andrew Brooke as Fang, Diane Morgan (known for Philomena Cunk) as Olive, Tom Basden as the genteel housecat Ponce, and Jo Hartley as a lost kitten.
- The serialized plot follows the strays helping the lost kitten find her way home, with Gus's growing affection resolving on a 'bittersweet' note; a subplot about Gus's ailing mother is introduced so hastily it 'almost bewilders.'
- The series balances lewd banter with disarming frankness about hardship: an associate is fatally run over on-screen within seconds of being introduced, and the season's final line is 'we're all gonna die soon.'
- The review compares 'Alley Cats' to Amazon Prime Video's similarly themed 'Kevin,' co-created by Aubrey Plaza, finding Gervais's show 'more downbeat and droll' than the louder, more joke-dense American counterpart.
- All six episodes of 'Alley Cats,' each running under 20 minutes, are now streaming on Netflix.
Why it matters: Gervais's animated effort positions Netflix as hosting a distinctly more melancholy, British take on the adult streaming cat cartoon, differentiating it from louder American counterparts like Amazon's 'Kevin' by leaning into resignation and tenderness rather than joke density.
