Ricky Gervais’s SuperNature: Repetitive, Mildly Funny if not Offensive

Ricky Gervais, known to be the creator of The Office (UK), Extras & more and hosting Golden Globes, is back on Netflix with his new stand-up special: SuperNature. An hour-long stand special explores the obvious themes which you would associate with the artist without a doubt i.e. atheism, freedom of speech, animal rights, and the trendy: Trans-rights. 

There is a lot to like about his comedy and approach to life. Although, this particular special becomes a bit preachy and mostly condescending. The jokes aren’t even new, considering that this is his special after almost two years. However, there is a consistency in telling the same Hitler jokes, how I took on people on Twitter jokes or I am ultra-rich now jokes. If someone, like me, is a person who watches everything which has Ricky’s name on it, then the special is nothing new and almost not funny.

After Dave Chappelle’s  ‘The Closure’ Netflix is yet again justifying the choice of giving a platform to artists who crack ‘transphobic’ jokes. In this case, the comedian is justifying his stance which I can already imagine would be part of his next stand-up special. In both cases, the comedian made a lot of money, and hopefully, Netflix did too.

I didn’t find the special funny, although there are people who found it offensive. I do think, that was the intent. Also, he is a white, heterosexual, multimillionaire man, technically everything he says is punching down, hence shouldn’t be said. Twitter saw some mixed reactions, considering the large fanbase Ricky has.

To conclude, as much I disliked the special or was left wanting something new or maybe funny, I do ‘stand up’ to his passion to advocate freedom of speech. No one is trying to offend anyone, and if you go outside, it seems everyone is waiting to take some offence on someone else’s behalf. There is little or no space to make mistakes. Everything has to be politically correct. The only memorable line from the special was, “Everything is a syndrome, or an addiction, or a preference”, or maybe you can’t joke about anything then.

The point of the show mostly feels like is to rile up people, and talk about things which have been talked about enough times already. It is like making Jurssasic Park again, and again or Golmaal, in the Indian context. If tolerance isn’t your virtue, then the show isn’t for me.

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