Ricky Gervais is an absolute treasure. His quick wit and intelligence can skewer anything and turn it into comedy. He is so adept at his craft that he can insult you, and you probably won't even realize it until 20 minutes later. How else does anyone explain the delightful and uncomfortable series An Idiot Abroad or, for that matter, The Office?

In 2020, he was invited to host the Golden Globe Awards for a whopping fifth time, after hosting it three years in a row and then in 2016. Many people felt that the Ricky Gervais Golden Globes 2020 was the best version of that awards show ever. Ricky Gervais is legitimately funny. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a body not known for being all that hip or on top of the times, disagreed, and Gervais has not been asked back to reprise his hosting gig. He was also not invited to host the Oscars, or to even attend the Oscars, despite expressing interest in hosting the Academy Awards, as an interview with NME revealed.

In his Golden Globes monologue, he infamously opened with the line, “You’ll be pleased to know this is the last time I’m hosting these awards. I don’t care anymore. I’m joking. I never did.” Later in his speech he took a shot at a number of A-list celebrities saying, "Talking of all you perverts, it was a big year for pedophile movies. Surviving R Kelly, Leaving NeverlandThe Two Popes," before adamantly saying: “Shut up, I don’t care.” Hollywood got its proverbial panties in a twist over Gervais' remarks, and the comedian loves to directly court controversy.

Nonetheless, he is a prolific content creator who has made some of the best comedies of this young century so far, along with being a passionate animal advocate. Where would we be without The Office, both the UK and US versions? The Office isn't the only television or streaming series Gervais and his frequent collaborator Stephen Merchant have created, though. Let's take a look at all the series Ricky Gervais created, ranked.

6 Extras

Extras debuted in July 2005 and starred Ricky Gervais as Andy Millman, an average Englishman who dreams of Hollywood stardom. Unfortunately, Millman is relegated to being an extra, but through this work he gets to meet some of the biggest names in the film industry, including Ben Stiller, Kate Winslet, Samuel L. Jackson, and Patrick Stewart, along with many other celebrities putting in great cameos. The series was written, directed, and starred Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Over time, Millman finds success starring in a B-level sitcom. Extras ran on BBC and HBO for 13 episodes.

5 Derek

In Derek, Ricky Gervais plays a naive, childlike, socially awkward retirement home worker named Derek Noakes. He loves his job but faces criticism because of his apparent developmental delays. The character of Derek is based on a character from one of his stand-up comedy routines. The show is shot in a mockumentary style. In an interview with Variety, Gervais said that all of his work is “semi-autobiographical” and that Derek was inspired by his mother, sister, and sister-in-law, who were all care workers. “Everything I do has been a labor of love to some degree." In fact, he called Derek, "the most sincere thing I've ever done." Derek ran from 2012 to 2014 for 14 episodes on the UK's Channel 4 before being on Netflix.

Related: Ricky Gervais Says He's Hoping to Get Canceled with New Comedy Special

4 Life's Too Short

Life's Too Short, is a title that takes itself quite literally. The series was created by Ricky Gervais and ran for one season with eight episodes on BBC Two from November 2011 to March 2013, along with airing on HBO. The mockumentary-style series stars Warwick Davis, an actor who is a dwarf, as a fictionalized version of himself. His career is on a downward spiral, he's in the midst of a divorce, and his accountant has left him facing an enormous tax bill. To get over his problems, he becomes the subject of a reality show that films him 24/7. It is his hope that this will catapult him back to stardom. Like Extras, this Ricky Gervais show features an impressive amount of cameos from actors playing themselves, including Johnny Depp, Val Kilmer, Sting, Helena Bonham Carter, Liam Neeson, and many more.

3 After Life

In Netflix's After Life, Ricky Gervais plays Tony, a widower navigating life after the death of his beloved wife Lisa. Before her death, he was a nice guy who had everything. After her death, he transformed into a morose, mean fellow who lashes out at the world for taking his wife, and contemplates taking his own life. The show aired season three, the final season of After Life, in January 2022, making it his longest-running fictional series with 18 episodes overall. In an interview with Deadline, Gervais explained, saying, "It's a no-brainer I should do a fourth [season], I should do it in terms of economics and the audience would love it, everything points towards it except would series four be as good as the first three and actually better because it's no good for it to be just as good? I don't want it to outstay its welcome." In other words, he wants to end the show while it's still on top.

Related: Ricky Gervais Zings Celebrity PSA Video on Racism

2 An Idiot Abroad

An Idiot Abroad
Passion Distribution

If you've never seen An Idiot Abroad, run, do not walk, to your nearest television and start binging it. You will not be sorry. The series features Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant alongside their friend Karl Pilkington, a rather simple man who has not traveled. The 18 episode, three-season series can be streamed on Apple TV+ or Roku. Gervais and Merchant send Pilkington off to see the seven wonders of the world and instruct him to become "one with the locals," to hilarious effect. The whole series is basically a practical joke turned social experiment that slowly opens Pilkington's eyes to life beyond his English city. Part travel show, part prank show, all hilarious.

1 The Office

The Office
BBC

The U.K. version of The Office only ran for two seasons, compared to the U.S. version's nine seasons, but it left an indelible mark on comedy and television, and helped create a legion of Ricky Gervais fans. In it's 14 episodes (starting in 2001), Gervais plays David Brent, the middle-management executive at a paper company in an office park in England. The Office was created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Gervais' The Office spawned nine international versions in the U.S. (The Office), France (Le Bureau), Israel (HaMisrad), Quebec (La Job), Brazil (Os Aspones), Germany (Stromberg), Sweden (Kontoret), India (The Office), and Chile (La Ofis). Its use of the mockumentary style and distinct brand of humor radically transformed television globally.