Customer Reviews
humor how it should be done 
2008-08-25
Enjoyed this product a lot. Ricky Gervais just has a way about him that makes me smile the whole time I'm watching it. The expressions of the actors are priceless. Stephen Merchant is excellent as the agent for Ricky's character. Can be difficult at times understanding the dialogue due to the accents but I guess that's what the rewind button is for. The guests they get for the episodes are great and look like they have a lot of fun having themselves skewered.
Rocky Gervais "Extras" 2008-08-24
Ricky Gervais along with Stephen Merchant and Ashley Jesen make a memorable British comedic trio! And I do mean "memorable"....."Extras" is a hilarious series, especially when seen one after the other as on these discs. Kate Winslet, David Bowie, Ian McKellan, George Michael are among the cast of stars who highlight each episode with heretofore unforseen 'totally over the top' humor highly unexpected from them. This series is hysterical and well worth buying! Hours of enjoyment......the looks Gervais gets on his face, the comments.....priceless!! Highly, highly recommended!!
Gervais and Merchant do it again! 2008-08-24
Artists are fortunate to have one great piece of work. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant had that hit with "The Office."
Who would've guessed they could return with another two-season series that delivers great dark comedy. You will laugh. You will cringe. You'll often do both at the same time.
Gervais slips into the skin of another obnoxios and foul character, Andy Millman, but in no way repeats his portayal of motivational boss David Brent. The two characters do share one thing in common though. By the end of the two series, these irritating, ridiculous men are sad figures we pity.
I really liked the fact that the series tackled the serfdom of entertainment, where the stars are royalty and the extras are treated like slaves.
so not pc and so funny! 2008-08-13
These shows had me on the floor laughing. Definitely not for the sqeamish as the humor can get pretty crass but Ricky Gervais has assembled such a sweetheart of a cast it's a can't miss!
Not Fawlty Towers 
2008-08-12
I found the show to be uncomfortably embarrassing, though I can completely understand why people would find it funny. It IS funny - in a way. Sometimes the accents were difficult to get through (and I'm a huge Python fan).
A lot of embarrassing social humor about working in film and tv.
Awesome show 2008-08-09
The British phenomenon and 2007 Emmy?-winner Ricky Gervais founder of BBCs original The Office stars in the hilariously funny series Extras now available in a Gift Set! Watch the story unfold as Ricky Gervais plays a lowly film extra Andy Millman who makes his mark in the background while the stars do their work. This Gift Set is packaged in a slip case that includes both Seasons of the hit series Extras and a 90 minute series finale never before released on DVD! Extras: The show with big big stars?and Andy Millman.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS UPC: 883929003464 Manufacturer No: 1000035867
Wonderfuly cringeworthy! 2008-07-19
Ah, the Brits. No one else can produce so many successful shows with such unlikable main characters. Consider The Office - The Complete Collection BBC Edition (First And Second Series Plus Special) and Black Adder: The Complete Collector's Set. Neither David Brent nor any of the various Blackadders (with the possible exception of Captain Blackadder), were especially likable, but the shows built around them were very good and very popular.
Enter Ricky Gervais, formerly David Brent, now Andy Millman, would-be TV star. As a character he's very unlikeable and one of those for whom the word "cringeworthy" is coined. He's a character who tries very hard to get ahead, but his own lack of ability and confidence really holds him back.
The character is fascinating to watch. He starts out as an extra, or "background artist", as he puts it. He wants to be more. He wants to have his own TV show on the BBC, but it's hard to just get speaking lines, and his particular personality traits and skills at self-sabotage only serve to make things worse.
Consider, for example, and episode in which our hero is dating a Catholic woman. He's an atheist himself but is lying to her and saying he's a Catholic. This works reasonably well until her priest starts talking to him and he begins what my friend and I call "The Millman Slide", as instead of manning-up and taking responsibility for what he's done, he starts lying even more, and more ineffectively (at one point saying his childhood priest was one Father Michael O'Flatley). Soon he's buried himself so deep he knows there's no point in trying anymore and simply leaves the room. At one point he's talking to David Bowie and his insecurities are so obvious to everyone around him that Bowie makes up a song, on the spot, mocking him ("Depressed and all alone / Fatty takes his own life").
Along with Andy we have his incompetent agent, several celebrities playing exaggerated versions of themselves and Andy's friend Maggie, who in many ways is the heart of the series. Watching her develop as a character is one of the great joys of the show, particularly in the Christmas episode.
The DVD's have several great extras (or "bonus material," I guess I should call it), including outtakes, behind-the-scenes material and a short film on the efforts of Gervais and his collegue, Stephen Merchant, to get Leonardo DiCaprio onto the series. The only thing that's lacking, actually, is any additional features on the Christmas episode, and that's really too bad. I would've loved an audio commentary.
This is an excellent series available on Amazon at an amazing price. You get all twelve episodes plus the Christmas special, and I highly recommend buying it as a set rather than just getting the discs on their own. You'll save money this way.
If you have any interest in Hollywood, the movies, television or the entertainment world in general, you owe it to yourself to watch this show!
I love Extras 2008-07-10
I was a fan of the Office with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and saw this series- couldn't wait to see it. Format and style is somewhat different, but still has that offbeat humor that I loved in the Office. Stephen Merchant is a regular character in this series as well as Ricky Gervais and is very funny. Love the guest stars and the DVD extra material.
Only downer is too few episodes. 2008-07-08
Of course fans of "The Office" would naturally gravitate to Gervais's humor in "Extras". But fans of "The Larry Sanders Show" by Gary Shandling would also find much to laugh at here. Similarites abound... a comedy sans laugh track with celebrities portraying obnoxious versions of themselves.
EXTRAS by Amazon- The Incomplete Series 
2008-07-05
I preordered extras from amazon, had disc 2 of season one missing didnt notice till monthes later, now i'm getting a new one sent but returning old one at my own expense. I'll be using amazon for its other sellers only from now on.
