Catch Up with Extras on HBO This Week!

What a treat -- comedian Ricky Gervais' absurd and hilarious behind-the-scenes comedy Extras is reprised all this week -- two episodes per night -- on HBO2 East at 11pm ET/PT, beginning Monday 12/10. This festival leads up to the premiere of Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale next Sunday night at 9pm on HBO, and rerunning many times throughout the month. (Of course, this puts it in direct competition with our favorite Dexter which must take priority, but there are plenty of opportunities to watch both of these top-notch pay network offerings.)

Many of you are probably already familiar with Gervais as creator and star of the original British version of The Office, the both achingly funny and nearly heartbreaking comedy which actually managed to spawn a U.S. version every bit as great as the original. Extras, his next series, premiered in 2005 in the U.S. on HBO with its first season of six episodes, then came back with six more. The Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale is 80 minutes long -- more to love -- and is sure to bring more cringeworthy moments as only Gervais and and his cast can.

Filled with celebrity cameos, Extras chronicles the struggles of actor Andy Millman (Gervais) and his attempts to batter down the doors to stardom. Along for the ride are his best friend and fellow actor Maggie (played by Ashley Jensen), and his hapless agent played by Gervais' co-writer and co-director Stephen Merchant. They are all superb.

TFN correspondent Jane has been a big Extras fan from the beginning, and let's look forward to her take on this newest episode and the whole Extras world that she loves so much! But it's never too late to get in on the hilarity -- do the catch-up thing this week just in time for the series finale next weekend! (Those of you who have HBO on Demand or the HBO Comedy channel have even more chances to watch the show, but then you're just plain lucky! DirecTV is to be chastised for still not offering HBO Comedy while bombarding subscribers with every manner of shopping and religious channel out there. Ick.)

Ricky Gervais is some sort of a comic god, creating awkward everyman characters with savage moments of hilarity that are sometimes painful to watch. Ah, perfection....

Check out the Extras HBO Website for more information and the complete schedule.