Ricky Gervais has managed to combine his passions for both cats and expletives in his upcoming Netflix animated series.
In the first trailer for “Alley Cats” — due for release August 7 and getting a sneak peak in Annecy — a group of feral feline discuss a wide-range of thought-provoking topics, including how they’d like to die (“a hand job,” declares one), their plans to team up and take on an overweight child (“let’s bag us a little wagyu fat kid!”) and what they got up to the previous night (“I fucked a rat”).
If the trailer reveals one thing, it’s that “Alley Cats” is several four-legged and distinctly family-unfriendly leaps from the classic Hannah-Barbera cartoon “Top Cat.”
The 6-part series, described as a “slacker sitcom” and following the trials and tribulations of a group of British cats from all walks of society, who seek companionship while ruminating on everyday life, includes a voice cast made up of many of Gervais’ collaborators over the years. Alongside Gervais himself (voicing a “fat, lazy, rude, opinionated creature with fangs”), there’s Tom Basden, Andrew Brooke, David Earl, Kerry Godliman, Jo Hartley and Diane Morgan, while it also features Natalie Cassidy and Tony Way.
“I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited about a trailer. I can’t wait for everyone to get to know these cats,” said Gervais, who is due to attend Annecy to discuss the series and introduce a world exclusive look at the first two episodes.
“Alley Cats” is being co-directed by Elliot Dear, with the animation from U.K.-based award-winning studio Blink Industries (“Dead End: Paranormal Park,” “Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared”). Gervais exec produces for Derek Productions alongside Steven Hamilton Shaw (“Gnomeo & Juliet”) of Shush Creative. Blink’s Hugo Donkin produces and Tang Heng (“Kung Fu Panda” 1 & 2) serves as production designer.
Aside from his stand-up comedies, “Alley Cats” marks Gervais’ return to TV as a creator for the first time since “After Life,” which ran for three seasons on Netflix from 2019-2022.
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See the “Alley Cats” trailer below.
From Variety US