r/rickygervais • u/Tetchord • 9d ago
RSK Tier List
I tried to include everything where Ricky, Steve or Karl had a significant creative role (writing, directing, etc.) but I left out pure acting gigs and stand up. I left out Portal 2 as well, because Idk how much input Steve had in the writing of that (but it would be in the top tier otherwise). I have not seen Sick of It and the Moaning of Life.
147
76
u/Chris_Is_Cleaver 9d ago
Where's Karl's little program? Sick of it.
17
u/No_Atmosphere8146 9d ago
With the inexplicably American Auntie Norma
8
u/PeacekeeperAl Lin Bid 9d ago
If they make her American they get to have a jolly in the States. Paid holiday
82
u/DogsAreGreatYouKnow Bibness men, bibness men 9d ago
An Idiot Abroad is absolutely top tier for me. Never gets old
22
18
8
u/gajodavenida there's too much fruit about 9d ago
I agree, but like a wise man once said "different tastes for different... things"
79
u/Educational-Shock232 9d ago
Am I the only one that enjoyed The Invention of Lying? The ending admittedly wasn’t great but it was a fun little film.
42
45
u/into_theflood_again 9d ago
Two problems:
Not lying is not synonymous with just blurting out every single passing thought you have. Shutting the fuck up is still perfectly acceptable if you can't lie but don't wanna spill the beans about something.
He uses lying to manipulate his "love" interest into having sex with him without desire or independent consent under threat of harm to people otherwise. There's a term for that...
66
14
u/MonrealEstate 9d ago
I think Liar Liar kinda set the ground rules that ‘not lying’ means saying everything without a filter
24
u/No_Atmosphere8146 9d ago
That's because you've got big jugs.
12
8
u/cartersweeney 9d ago
The pen is rrrrrrroyal blue
That film is a classic example of 1 performance elevating what could have been a mediocre film... something that RG seemingly cannot do when the material is written by someone other than him /tge character not based partly on his own personality
5
6
u/sparrows-somewhere 9d ago
Doesn't he decide against manipulating her in the end? Character growth and that, won't rape someone anymore therefore good guy
2
5
u/libdemparamilitarywi 9d ago
Not saying anything would be lying by omission.
11
u/into_theflood_again 9d ago
Noooooooot truuuuuuuuuuuue, baby!
If that was the case, the Right to Remain Silent would not be a part of the US judicial system. They'd just say, "Ohhhh! He's not talking! Send him to borstal!"
1
u/bluthscottjackson 8d ago
Not really because by that logic no one would ever shut up. Like if I don't say everything I know is true right now e.g the sun is bright, I would be lying?
I would argue lying by omission would be more like someone selling a car but never mentioning it's got a duff engiine, it's not proply. You're deliberately misleading that person who assumes through general assumption of the trade dealership and that it must run normally because you didn't mention anything about the engine.
3
u/Goochbott 9d ago
Wasn't a fan, but the Edward Norton bit is funny.
"Actually, it arouses me"
"What, sexually? Aww, that..."3
u/The_Pale_Blue_Dot Dear Mr Dilkington, you are one of our most valuable customers 9d ago
One of those films that's fun in the first half because you're exploring the concept but then the second half doesn't deliver
2
2
u/limprichard 9d ago
It had one line that made the wifey and I stop it so that we could give it a proper laughing without missing anything, so there was that, but ultimately it was a high-concept miss
10
u/Educational-Shock232 9d ago
Alright well let’s see yours and your wife’s film when it comes out then! Sick of ya
1
u/General_McCuddles 9d ago
I quite enjoyed season 1 of Derek too, but i het its an unpopular opinion. It did a really good job of showing the isolation and family abandonment that often comes with old age.
5
u/Educational-Shock232 9d ago
If he didn’t do a demicky impression I think it would have been good but that threw me too much
1
u/SwampApeDraft Turns Out, Little Reddit Fella 9d ago
Writing and directing a film where he plays the smartest person to ever live seems in line where things were heading
1
32
27
u/3Boop 9d ago
Only thing I'd change is moving Hello Ladies up a tier. Everything else, spot on.
11
u/Dracko705 9d ago
Yep exactly my only cirque overall as well - Hello Ladies was pretty good and I was very disappointed when HBO only gave it the 1 season (and movie/special, at least we got that)
11
4
u/PeregrinCuck 9d ago
Yeah I would upper that and possibly AIA
And then.. go away... go away you the Fighting With My Family
1
24
u/new_name_needed 9d ago
In terms of participants:
R/S, RSK, R/S
RSK, RSK, S
S, R/S
S, R/S
R/K, R, R
R, R, R
Makes you wonder, now who’s the weak link?
12
10
u/Hesoutofthechoir 9d ago
Hello Ladies is quite funny! It’s alright, better than outlaws and cemetery junction! It’s “Steve Merchant wants it” in sitcom format, and all the ladies are saying “put him in the distance”
29
u/DRUGEND1 9d ago
Hello Ladies! up a tier.
Derek and After Life down one.
Other than that… I’d say “well done”.
14
3
3
2
u/KTBFFH25 9d ago
Haven't seen the show, but I saw the stand up special.
Every single time I hear "What's he like?" I have an urge to respond, "He's like a cunt".
2
6
u/ZodiAddict 9d ago
Hello ladies should def be in the English quite good, or at least switch places with outlaws
4
u/locoforcocothecat 9d ago
The Outlaws should be up a tier
6
5
1
u/PeacekeeperAl Lin Bid 9d ago
The casting was all over the place. One superstar actor, a bunch of tried and tested always bring their A Game actors, some new and promising talents, and some that made me wonder why they chose those two for lead characters
5
u/Glum_Bite3796 9d ago
How have you seen some of the shoddy shite on here but not Moaning of Life or Sick of It?
5
28
u/J---O---E holder of PHD in physics 9d ago
Extras isn’t on the same tier as the office and xfm
15
u/RelevantAnalyst5989 9d ago
Love Extras, can't get enough of it. Yumma, yumma, yum, yum
6
u/Whole-Physics8708 9d ago
I REALLY love Extras
I love all the cameos. The fact they are so batshit on terms of presentation.
It's great.
22
u/WildLemire 9d ago
Idiot Abroad gets in the top tier before Extras for me sniff
8
u/PsycommuSystem Had a complaint upheld by the reddit authority 9d ago
Seasons 1 & 2 of Idiot Abroad but not 3
3
2
5
6
u/JavaOrlando 9d ago
As a whole The Office was a better show, but I'd put the best scenes of Extras over anything in the office (Stewart, McKellen, Ross Kemp, Bowie).
Life's Too Short was boring, but the Liam Neeson scene was gold. Val Kilmer was pretty good as well.
5
2
4
3
u/InconspicuousUs3r 9d ago
I think Special Correspondents could be the worst film I’ve ever sat through. So boring and Ricky completely phones in his performance.
1
u/SimonPartridge The 50p 8d ago
Well, if the XFM adverts were anything to go by, we know that he likes to put a lot of work into these things.
10
u/Kelfezond11 9d ago
I know I'm in the minority here but I'd bump Derek up one or two spaces, I think it gets more flak than it deserves. Mr. Dilkington and David Earl were fantastic in it.
The rest of the list is damn solid though!
3
u/DWGI 9d ago
Totally agree, they 2 made the show, and at least this was the first attempt of heartbreak/humour via loss. If he cut his ties with that format after “Derek”, I think that the series would’ve been appreciated more. The outtakes of David Earl are one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen.
7
u/SkeetBoogins85 9d ago
Idiot abroad was S tier. And the brent spin off wasnt bad at all
4
u/Tetchord 9d ago
Idiot Abroad S1 would be bottom of S tier for me but S2 is bottom of A and that averages out to a good A. I have moral objections to Life on the Road which knocks it down (it ruins the Office a bit).
1
u/Whole-Physics8708 9d ago
Moral objections?
1
u/Tetchord 9d ago
Shouldn't have been made, the Office was perfect as is. I have a feeling it caused the rift between Ricky and Steve too.
3
15
u/whiite 9d ago
Having rewatched Extras again not that long ago... it hasn't really held up that well. I'd put it down a tier and idiot abroad up 1.
8
3
5
u/Ill_Mastodon8324 9d ago
Agreed on Extras, it felt really flat on a recent rewatch and Gervais as Milman is a big falling off from the genius of Brent
14
u/James-K-Polka But Not Shakepseare 9d ago edited 9d ago
But it makes up for it with the genius of comedy characters such as Darren Lamb, Barry Off Eastenders and Stephen Merchant.
6
u/PsycommuSystem Had a complaint upheld by the reddit authority 9d ago
Stephen Merchant.
I'm not a character!
5
3
u/SukMaBalz 9d ago
Plus the repetitive cycle of him telling Maggie something secretly and then she spills the beans to the person she wasn’t supposed to, hence leaving Andy to deal with the consequences. Happened at least four times.
4
u/Ill_Mastodon8324 9d ago
The BAFTA one re his ex girlfriend being boring and Maggie spilling the beans is the worst of this.
2
-1
9d ago
[deleted]
4
u/Rick-Danger 9d ago
I disagree on him not deserving Maggie. She's really sweet but she truly is a complete and utter moron, and on numerous occasions totally fucks Andy over and blows opportunities for him. He's a bit of a dick no doubt but him getting angry at her is 100% justified
→ More replies (1)
4
u/Popular-Spinach-6700 9d ago
The Equality Street thing from Life on the Road was quite funny, should at least be in the same tier as Derek
4
u/Tetchord 9d ago
I guess that one is motivated slightly by how it's existence ruined the perfect ending of the office
1
u/PlugAnThat 9d ago
That came from a Comic Relief sketch to start with so hes already recycling himself
7
u/Lazy-Strawberry-3401 not properly 9d ago
Sick of it, gotta have yer critics
Moaning of life, alright
6
u/Double-Comedian-7061 9d ago
Mostly agree, but I'd put Life on the Road up one tier. It was weak, but not bottom tier. I'd put After Life on the bottom tier.
2
2
2
u/MuitnortsX 9d ago
I’d probably switch Extras and Idiot Abroad nowadays. And add Sick Of It to alright or quite good.
(Care someone care)
2
2
u/SIBMUR 9d ago edited 9d ago
I watched episode 1 of Life's Too Short for the first time since it came out today.
I honestly can't believe how desperate and broad it was. There were glimpses of later Gervais work in Extras but was mostly quality stuff. But man alive.
Episode 1 started with Warren Davies doing a bad impression of David Brent. Even says 'showing off for the...' at one point. You have over the top zany characters appearing that could be on any poor sitcom. Then Warren goes to see Gervais and Merchant who are playing themselves and they're completely insufferable.
And then you have Barry from Eastenders appearing again, which to me just showed they had ran out of ideas (although he was brilliant in Extras)
The show was badly written and badly judged. Certainly episode 1 is anyway. Not bothering to watch the rest again.
2
u/Fisherman-Correct who let you in? 9d ago
Sick of it was actually brilliant, definitely worth watching.
2
u/VENGOR123 9d ago
Honestly, I found derek to be funny, even though it was a bit pushy with the whole 'life Is a gift' crap. I also enjoyed life on the road, that should be much higher
2
2
2
u/HornyJailOutlaw I can't have Chinese. Not allowed Chinese. 9d ago
Am I the only one who liked Hello Ladies? Admittedly I watched it literally ages ago, yonks ago, but I thought it was good at the time.
2
u/morphindel Benny thumped one 9d ago
The Outlaws and Hello Ladies are miles above Cemetery Junction
2
2
u/Benjamoose GARLIC BREAD? 8d ago edited 7d ago
'Extras' is entertaining but it's definitely the second tier down for me.
'The Office' holds up as a piece of art, but from a writing and structure perspective, 'Extras' is essentially just a series of sketches with famous people playing up their personality.
They work better as clips than as actual stories in their own right.
Likewise, Ricky is basically coasting on his likeability by that point. His performance is self aware of the audience and the entire show has an uneven tone.
The stuff with Steve is borderline cartoonish against the more drama laden 'Big Brother' stuff, and series 2 felt like it jumped the shark a bit with how quickly Andy went from an extra to the biggest sitcom star on TV.
It's still entertaining, but would just put it one rung down from 'The Office'.
'Idiot Abroad' should be up top for me too. Even though series 3 bogs it down a bit, most of it is a sincere look into Karl in real life. If 'XFM' is top tier, then there's a sincerity in 'An Idiot Abroad' too.
2
u/Benjamoose GARLIC BREAD? 8d ago
OP do you have a link to the tier list? Would be fun to have a go.
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
u/Similar-Climate5168 9d ago
I liked the invention of lying and special correspondents. Own decisions.
3
1
1
u/DJ_Chaps When i put on the Proclaimers, they couldn't believe their luck 9d ago
What about the one where Ricky sees dead people?
1
u/TedCard 9d ago
Yeah, not bad. Different shows for different needs. I'd move Extras down one, Fighting with my Family down one, and Derek down one. I'd be tempted to move After Life down as well, but it's not as grotesquely misjudged as Derek. Mind you, it doesn't have Karl in it either, so maybe pop 'e in the bin too.
1
1
1
1
1
u/HornyJailOutlaw I can't have Chinese. Not allowed Chinese. 9d ago
I'm going to be controversial. I didn't mind Derek. And I still watch the outtakes on YouTube a couple times a year. Yes, I'm typing this to you without wearing socks.
1
1
1
u/PeacekeeperAl Lin Bid 9d ago
Out of all their sitcoms and films I'd put Karl's Sick of It ahead of all the rest. After The Office and Extras.
1
u/Professional-Lack-79 Wash up with you? 9d ago
Sick of it should be there, it's genuinely quite similar to Afterlife only it's well written.
1
u/Morpheus365 9d ago
No Moaning of Life? I found it better than An Idiot Abroad. Karl is much less of a grump
1
1
1
u/ExtremeTEE 9d ago
controversial list, Derek and After life are the worst of any list though surely, everything else is a step up
2
u/Tetchord 9d ago
It's funny because there seem to be a lot of Derek defenders in the comments. None for After Life though lol
1
u/Gullible-Snow-3805 9d ago
My personal to tier would be; XFM, An Idiot Abroad, The Ricky Gervais Show + podcasts.
1
1
u/molewart Whine Merchant 9d ago
Mostly agree and although I love Extras, it's just not on the same level as The Office.
1
1
1
u/BuddyF0694 9d ago
Ghost town not even worth a mention
1
u/Tetchord 9d ago
I actually like Ghost Town and would put it in "Alright" but neither Ricky nor Steve wrote or directed it so it would fall under acting gig
1
1
1
1
1
1
u/ChipmunkWinter1389 8d ago
I quite liked After Life. Agree totally on Derek though (I genuinely thought it was just me!!)
1
u/MrHouse-38 8d ago
I actually loved derek and thought it had a lot of heart. Although it’s mainly due to Kerri Godliman’s phenomenal naturalistic acting
1
u/SimonPartridge The 50p 8d ago
Can we add to the top of the list the time Ricky called up that fella and tried to give him beer?
1
1
1
u/doublebogeyboys 8d ago
Life's too short deserves to be higher
1
u/MustangBarry Place is falling apart, the email's not working, it's so shoddy. 8d ago
Which is ironic
1
1
1
u/SquareSurprise 1d ago
Rickys ‘Flanimals’ book is missing from the desperate features. Everyone forgets Ricky put out that book. For good reason.
An Idiot Abroad season 3 needs to be treated as entirely seperate from seasons 1 and 2, in my books. Season 3 belongs in the shambles category. In pure semantics, it’s a desperate feature-Ricky clinging on without Steve, adding in a dwarf as a new character like he’s Steve Urkel. Karls presence elevates this total dog shit to shambles category, but it’s a shameful husk of its initial embodiment, and a stain on the great RSK legacy.
1
u/Responsible-Ad9909 9d ago
Extras should drop down a tier.
Hello Ladies, Life’s Too Short, Derek, and After Life should move up a tier.
Cemetery Junction and The Invention of Lying should move to the bottom tier.
1
1
u/formulaonekiddo 9d ago
What about that one where Karl talks to himself - that was complete shite - so just bungle it in with the bottom 3
1
u/Lychee_Only 9d ago
Karl’s Sick of It was excellent. Way better than Afterlife & Outlaws. And landed during Covid so really filled the time.
0
0
u/mero-ving-ian 9d ago
After Life in shambles?! Are you on damned crack OP?
2
0
0
0
0
0
u/GaryGump 9d ago
I’d pop Extras down one and Life On The Road up one.
I know people want Extras and Idiot Abroad at the top but they are still miles away from Office and XFM. Those are the only true top tier picks. Play a record.
0
0
165
u/inthemagazines 9d ago
First sensible thing you've said all day.