resavva Another gem from Ricky GervaisIn many ways it is quite hard hitting and at first you can be excused that Gervais's portrayal of Derek Noakes required him to "dumb down" the characterWith lots of highs and lows and occasions where you seem to have a bit of dust in your eye you realise that the smartest one of them all is Derek.Loved it

shanayneigh This show wants to be funny, but it also desperately tries to be poignant. It ends up being neither. It's not funny enough to be a comedy (nothing in the show is as funny as its hilarious bloopers), and it's not meaningful enough to be a good drama. In that way it reminds me of "Louie" after the first season. This show wants to be heartfelt so bad, but it just ends up being saccharine and sappy. Yes, yes, we should be kind to each other. Fine. What else have you got? That was it? Say what you want about Gervais, he's a great comedian, but a horrible actor. I work with clients with cognitive disabilities and feel like his portrayal of Derek was exploitative and outright demeaning. Apart from being bad, Gervais' performance wasn't even consistent, probably due to his acting skills as well as him constantly breaking character which makes for hilarious bloopers but must be hell in editing.There is no way that someone like Derek would be an employee with these kinds of responsibilities, or that Kevin (and his family at times) would be allowed to be a permanent fixture. Had it been an out and out comedy it would be easier to suspend disbelief, but since the show aspires to something "higher", for the lack of a better term, it just comes off as ludicrous.I respect Gervais for wanting to try something different (although he doesn't stray too far from past successes, given that it's another mockumentary) but this show just didn't work for me.But I'll say this: I would watch a show with Dougie and Kevin in a heartbeat.

laura Bravo Ricky Gervais. The whole cast is brilliant. The show allows us to confront our own mortality in a way that is at times uncomfortable but mostly a good reminder that the only real super power is kindness. The rest is just noise. Thank you for the beautiful portrayal of an adult with cognitive disability - for highlighting that true beauty and possibility lies in the eyes of the beholder. Bravo. Hilarious and so emotionally moving. Watch at least two episodes.

snazz11 Usually I'm a huge fan of Ricky, his stand up comedy & "The Office" is just brilliant, but Derek misses the mark. I'm fairly sure the TV show only has traction due to Ricky being known as a comedy genius.Also, I also question the legitimacy of other reviews on this page. All initial reviews give a poor rating and all of the sudden the average review score goes from 3 to 9 and 10's. I'll let you be the judge.Ricky G still has a lot to offer the comedy world, but it won't be with Derek. Lets hope he ends this series and begins to focus his efforts on other projects. Bring back David Brent and the world will be a happier place!