Ricky Gervais is getting animated for his latest project at Netflix. On Thursday, the streamer released a first look at the comedian’s new show Alley Cats, which is set to premiere in 2026. Gervais created, executive produces, and co-directs the series, in addition to providing the voice for one of the titular felines. “I play a fat, lazy, rude, opinionated creature with fangs, who’s not as smart or brave as he thinks he is,” he said in a statement (via press release). “So quite a stretch.”
According to a synopsis from Netflix, Alley Cats is a “slacker sitcom” which “follows the trials and tribulations of a group of feral British cats from all walks of society, who seek companionship while ruminating on everyday life. From the funny to the absurd, the series is packed with Gervais’ signature style of heart and social commentary that audiences have come to expect.” Gervais teased the show in a Twitter/X livestream earlier this year (via Forbes), sharing that many of his After Life co-stars are part of the adult animated series. The cast includes Tom Basden, Andrew Brooke, David Earl, Kerry Godliman, Jo Hartley, Diane Morgan, as well as Natalie Cassidy and Tony Way.
Alley Cats continues Gervais’ long partnership with Netflix, where he has an overall deal. In addition to three seasons of After Life, he also wrote, directed, and starred in the film Special Correspondents for the streamer. Netflix has also hosted his last three stand-up specials, 2018’s Ricky Gervais: Humanity, 2022’s Ricky Gervais: SuperNature, and 2023’s Ricky Gervais: Armageddon, which won a Golden Globe and holds the world record for the highest-grossing single stand-up performance of all time. The British comic is currently touring his latest show, Ricky Gervais: Mortality, which is also set to air on Netflix. Meanwhile, he shared on the Twitter/X livestream that Alley Cats has been in the works for quite a while. “I found some of the original sketches that I did from, like, September of 2023,” he said. “It’s mental. It takes so long.” You can check out the first look image below.
Image courtesy of Netflix
