'After Life' Season 2: Cemetery lady, nurse or the prostitute — who will be Ricky Gervais' Tony's new lover?
It's always a delight when a show knocks at your aching heart and tries to peel off the pain with a tinge of comedy. Comedian Ricky Gervais' show 'After Life' is something of a lovely surprise when it comes to dealing with the uncertainties in life and embracing the agony of losing a loved one.
The story takes you into the life of Tony Johnson, who lost his wife Lisa to cancer and is dealing with the sorrow by being rude and mean to everyone he comes across. He even tries to attempt suicide, but decides to live instead to punish the world with his brutality and calls his plan a "superpower".
Tony is a journalist at the Tambury Gazette and Tony's brother-in-law and boss, Matt (Tom Basden) and photographer Lenny (Tony Way). People around him try to understand his state of mind and help him try to be a better person again. But, does it work? Where will his life go now and will he spark a close connection with someone new? There are some questions that still remain after the six-episode season.
In the last episode, her wife tells him in a video she created before her death, "I want you to move on. I want you to meet someone nearly as lovely as me." Later that day, Tony goes to his workplace and thanks every single person who has faced his ill-temper and helped him cope with the trauma. His conversation with Anne, an older widow, helps soothe his troubles. He also asks Emma, a nurse who works at Tony's dad's nursing home, for a drink and she agrees. It is still to be seen whether it helps turn his life around.
On April 3, 2019, when Netflix announced a season two for the show, the 58-year-old actor and comedian said: "I have never had a reaction like this before. It’s been insane. And heartwarming. But now I have to make sure the second season is even better so I'll probably have to work much harder than usual. Annoying really."
He also put out a tweet to thank his fans and followers, "Thanks for all your amazing tweets about #AfterLife still flooding in. The most overwhelming thing that has come from people talking to me about the show is the realization that everyone is grieving to some extent. Everyone is going through hardship. 'Hope is everything'."
While we still wait for the show and plot to be revealed, here's who all you can expect to see in the cast. Gervais will definitely be back as the creator and star of the show. Kerry Godliman will be seen in flashbacks as Tony’s late wife Lisa, Ashley Jensen as the nurse of Tony’s father, Roisin Conaty as local prostitute Daphne, Tom Brasden, Diane Morgan, Tony Way, Mandeep Dhillon as his colleagues, David Bradley as Tony’s father, Penelope Wilton as the widow and Paul Kaye as the psychiatrist.
Interestingly, all the characters are returning to the show and only time will tell who will be Tony's new love connection. But we think, the cemetery lady, the nurse and even the prostitute (yes, why not?) stand a high chance of being his new lover — well, only if he's ready to forget his late wife, of course!
The new season drops on April 24, 2020, on Netflix. Here's a little sneak peek you'll enjoy from the show: