After Life, starring Ricky Gervais, is a dark comedy that depicts the grieving one goes through after the death of someone close to them. The story’s protagonist – Tony becomes detached from society after his wife, Lisa’s death and he doesn’t care what he says to people anymore.
A Netflix Original, the series’ second season was released quite recently and viewers all around the world have been hooked watching this beautifully written story pan out. After Life is driven by its diverse characters, who revolve around Tony, as they are the ones who progress the storylines. Without further ado, let’s rank the 10 best characters from the show.
Lisa
Even though she isn’t alive, Lisa still plays a huge role in Tony’s life. She is shown through the recorded videos on Tony’s laptop and by the way she speaks, reacts, and talks, one can see what kind of a woman she was.
She was caring, loved a laugh, and most importantly, she was selfless. Lisa was very close to Tony, so much so that Tony felt she was the one who gave meaning to his life.
Brian
Brian adds humor to this tale. He is one awkward human being who just wants to annoy everyone, and throughout the series, he makes jokes about his ex-wife and keeps saying the wrong things at the wrong time.
Brian wants his story on the front page of his local newspaper and he will really do anything for it. His struggles get rewarded, in the end, as he gets published and he is also given a job by Matt.
Anne
Anne is the one Tony goes to meet whenever he feels sad and depressed. Their usual meeting spot is the graveyard both their spouses are buried. Tony connects with Anne because she understands his loss.
She is a calming presence who usually gives very good advice. Without her, Tony would have probably given up a long time ago. He would have gone down the wrong path of drinking and taking drugs. But, thankfully, Anne was there for Tony when he needed someone.
The Therapist
Tony and Matt’s therapist or psychiatrist isn’t really good at his job, but he is one of the funniest characters in the series. He is paid to listen and yet, he never really does this. Instead, he usually talks about his own life, narrating the dirty details of his life like it’s some kind of achievement.
He comes across as a person who doesn’t really respect women and is all about dark jokes. Even though he keeps on chatting about ridiculous things, for some reason, Matt sticks with him.
Postman Pat
The ever so happy Postman Pat seems to be someone who accepts his life the way it is and never really moans about stuff.
Even though Tony is mean to him in season 1, he never really takes it seriously and always remains calm headed. He forms a good friendship with Daphne, which will be explored in season 3, for sure.
Lenny
Lenny is Tony’s best friend in many ways. He understands that his friend is going through something horrible, so he doesn’t ever talk to him in a bad way, even though Tony isn’t very nice to him and makes fun of him for being fat. He is the photographer of the Tambury Gazette and he likes to hear a good story.
It goes without saying that he is a food lover and he really enjoys having a family. Lenny is a good man who doesn’t have many expectations from life and that, usually, keeps him happy.
Daphne
Daphne is a friend Tony wouldn’t have thought he would make. She is a sex worker who forms a connection with Tony. While in season 1 they aren’t really open to each other, season 2 sees their friendship become stronger.
She also starts dating Pat and she seems to have some chemistry with him. Will it turn into romance, though? Season 3 will have the answers.
Emma
Emma is a nurse at a nursing home, where she looks after Tony’s father. At first, whenever she meets Tony, he is all negative, moaning about everything bad in his life. She lets it go at first because of her understanding nature, but after a point, she confronts Tony about it.
This, seemingly, attracts Tony to her but after their first date, Emma concludes that Tony isn’t over his wife yet. She wants more from Tony but as it stands, she is not willing to wait forever. In the end, she comes around and one can say that she literally saves Tony’s life.
Matt
Tony’s brother-in-law, Matt, is Chief Editor of the Tambury Gazette and one of the sweetest men one could ever come across. He is always nice to Tony, even though he has some of his own domestic problems to deal with. He is selfless, innocent, and sometimes his caring nature is misused by his employees.
While in the first season, not much is revealed about his relationship with his family, the second season explores this part of his character. Some of his conversations with his therapist are hilarious, to say the least.
Tony
Tony is the one around whom this story revolves. At first, he thinks he has a superpower. He can say what he wants and do what he wants because, without Lisa, his life just doesn’t matter. And if he doesn’t like doing what he wants, he can always revert to suicide.
In the first season, he is mean to people, he says offensive things, and it’s as if he hates all human beings. Tony loves his dog, though, and without her, he wouldn’t have survived the pain of losing his wife. Soon, he realizes his mistakes and decides to correct them. He comes to a conclusion – he is going to be bad to bad people and good to good people, which is quite fair, to be honest.
