Comedian Ricky Gervais released his latest special, “Armageddon,” on Netflix Christmas Day, and it’s probably his worst live show ever, which totally sucks.
While I’m sure a lot of people will find various reasons to attack Gervais for his latest special (some even attacked him before it came out), it almost doesn’t feel worth even writing a full review about it because it didn’t feel like Gervais cared enough to make himself funny.
“In this show, I talk about sex, death, pedophilia, race, religion, disability, free speech, global warming, the holocaust and Elton John. If you don’t approve of jokes about any of these things, then please don’t watch. You won’t enjoy it and you’ll get upset,” Gervais said on social media before “Armageddon” was released. But judging by the reviews, no one was upset by Gervais.
Everyone seemed really let down.
Variety was particularly brutal in their review, noting how out-of-date Gervais came across with jokes about Michael Jackson’s pedophilia, controversy over films that came out years ago and universities teaching courses on Taylor Swift. They weren’t bad or mean jokes, they were just a bit … old. (RELATED: Dave Chappelle Is Back With The Best Way To End 2023)
“Beyond the lack of fresh material, Gervais’ delivery is as dull as his staging and all-black getup: There’s no style, no pizazz, no cadence to his humor,” Variety’s William Earl noted, and his sentiment was shared by many others. Fans apparently described the work as “boring,” according to UniLad, and I think that’s a fair assessment. Others called Gervais “lazy,” which also feels fair.
Gervais definitely phoned in the entire show and made himself the butt of the “Okay Boomer” joke, which sucks. Perhaps it’s his age, but for whatever reason, “Armageddon” felt like mostly a flop with a few funny bits in the middle. Where is the man who so perfectly shredded the Hollywood elite for so many years? Does he just not care anymore?