Despite creating one of the most highly regarded adult animated series of the 2000s and 2010s, HBO hasn’t brought it back even after 14 years since the show ended. The Simpsons paved the way for adult animation to become a popular part of television, and many shows quickly followed, each offering a unique take on the format. Shows like Family Guy, King of the Hill, American Dad, South Park, and Bob’s Burgers all benefited from its success, but some series also explored more innovative and experimental styles of adult animation.
As a huge animation fan, I always loved how different The Ricky Gervais Show on HBO was. Most adult cartoons have a set cast and a specific world, but this one was totally unique. It started as a podcast, and the show basically took the rambling, hilarious conversations between Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington and animated them like an old-school Hanna-Barbera cartoon. There wasn’t much of a plot, really – it was just them going off on tangents and arguing with each other, and that’s what made it so funny!
The Ricky Gervais Show Was An Iconic Adult Animated Comedy From HBO
HBO’s animated series, The Ricky Gervais Show, started as a British radio comedy in 1998. The show, which ran for three seasons and 39 episodes, cleverly used content from already-recorded podcast episodes, giving it a wealth of material from the start. Now, with years of additional, unreleased content featuring Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, and Karl Pilkington – who have continued working together – a revival of The Ricky Gervais Show in 2026 feels perfectly timed.
After renewing The Ricky Gervais Show for a third season, HBO considered a fourth, but Ricky Gervais announced in June 2012 that the show had ended. Unlike The Simpsons and other popular animated comedies with memorable characters viewers could connect with, The Ricky Gervais Show didn’t rely on a consistent cast beyond its hosts. Despite this, the series was a creative and worthwhile effort, and its best animated conversations are as funny and memorable as those from any other comedy in the genre, making it deserving of a revival.
The Ricky Gervais Show’s Potential Revival Has Plenty of Source Material
The label “adult animated comedy” often brings to mind crude humor and lazy characters endlessly trading jokes. Though shows like the later seasons of The Simpsons and its best successors have proven this isn’t always the case, many adult animated comedies still fall into that predictable pattern. That’s why The Ricky Gervais Show deserves a comeback – its unique concept unintentionally paved the way for a whole world of online video content.
Since The Ricky Gervais Show ended 14 years ago, it’s become a popular trend for animators to create fun, short videos to go with clips from podcasts they enjoy. Some podcasts now even pay animators to do this, which shows just how influential The Ricky Gervais Show was – and suggests it’s time for a revival of this animated comedy.
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2026-05-03 23:41