It's Only A Matter of Time Before American TV Ruins 'Extras'
Extras, the new Ricky Gervais BBC import on HBO, began it's second season without much fanfare, which is the way it ought to be for a truly brilliant show. Like The Office, Extras features Gervais as a grade-a prick trying to get ahead, sometimes meaning well but forever tripped up by his grander ambitions. The series is also part of the meta-TV trend whereby the show is a "show about a show" (at least in the first two episodes of the second season), sort of like 30 Rock and Studio 60, but actually funny.
I've not see the American version of The Office, but people I respect say it's great. I guess I've continued to protest it because its based directly on something of which I was very fond. I realize this is a silly habit, but a man has to have some standards. It remains to be seen whether Extras will be Americanized (and super sized, since Gervais purposely pulled the plug on the British version of The Office at the height of its popularity, which is taboo on American tv), but given the network's cannabilistic tendencies, it's a safe bet.
