Stephen Merchant

PASADENA, Calif. - Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant - the Brits behind the original version of "The Office" and the HBO comedy "Extras" - return to HBO this weekend with their latest comic invention. "Life's Too Short," premiering at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, follows fictionalized versions of Gervais and Merchant and actor Warwick Davis from "Willow. " As HBO head Sue Naegle put it when addressing the Television Critics Association press tour here last month: "It essentially is a show with three people pretending to be themselves in a documentary...

PASADENA, Calif. - Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant - the Brits behind the original version of "The Office" and the HBO comedy "Extras" - return to HBO this weekend with their latest comic invention. "Life's Too Short," premiering at 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, follows fictionalized versions of Gervais and Merchant and actor Warwick Davis from "Willow. " As HBO head Sue Naegle put it when addressing the Television Critics Association press tour here last month: "It essentially is a show with three people pretending to be themselves in a documentary...

It was hard to imagine how Ricky Gervais would follow up "The Office," one of TV's most indelible and painful comedies ever. His boorish boss was such a memorable spectacle of character flaw, Gervais seemed destined to be forever locked in our collective curio cabinet as the little man who put his foot in his mouth. The fact that "Extras" proves Gervais is more than a one-trick pony makes his new HBO series feel doubly satisfying. The show, which premieres tomorrow night at 10:30, is a sly piece of work that is quite distinct from "The Office.

ON WGBH Greater Boston 7 p.m. WGBH (Channel 2) Egypt's Golden Empire "Pharaohs of the Sun" 8 p.m. WGBH (Channel 2) Part 2 of three. Nova "Bombing Hitler's Dams" 8 p.m. WGBH (Channel 44) Independent Lens "Have You Heard From Johannesburg? Road to Resistance" 10 p.m. WGBH (Channel 44) A five-part history of the global anti-apartheid movement. America in Primetime "Man of the House" 10 p.m. WGBH (Channel 2) Portrayals of men on TV. RADIO HIGHLIGHTS Tent Show Radio 5 a.m. WUMB-FM (91.9)

"Extras" is a little HBO comedy that draws big laughs at least once per episode. The series, from "The Office" creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant , is about a pair of acting extras stuck on a much lower rung of show business than the stars around them. But the stars they encounter on movie sets -- last season's roster included Kate Winslet; this season look for Orlando Bloom, Robert De Niro, and Daniel Radcliffe -- are garish, crude, egotistical, and unworthy of their celebrity.

STRAW DOGS (2011) James Marsden and Kate Bosworth star in this update of Sam Peckinpah's harrowing tale of rural newcomers terrorized by the locals. (More inclined to stick with the Dustin Hoffman-Susan George original from 1971? That's a recent Blu-ray release, too.) Extras: Production featurettes; director commentary. (Sony, $30.99; Blu-ray, $35.99) GLEE: THE CONCERT MOVIE (2011) Hey, the gang puts on a show for real! Extras: Performances not seen in theaters. (Fox, $29.99; Blu-ray, $39.99)

Both "The Office" and "Extras," the two short British series from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, are unexpectedly poignant pieces of work. They are, on the one hand, shining exemplars of cringe comedy, landing knuckle punches exactly where grandiosity meets humiliation. They give us narcissistic characters making utter fools of themselves, steeped in verbal self-incrimination, sinking in the quicksand of their vanity. And yet both shows have enough heart to evoke our pity and, yes, alas, it's true, our empathy.

LOS ANGELES -- "Nothing to me feels as good as laughing incredibly hard," says Steve Carell of NBC's new mockumentary series "The Office. " "If a movie or a TV show or a book makes you laugh until you cry, you just feel better. " A lot of folks did just that with the original BBC version of "The Office," created by and starring Ricky Gervais as lacking-all-social-graces David Brent, manager of a paper supply company. Now it's up to Carell to get audiences doubling-over with similar glee watching NBC's adaptation of the Golden Globe-winning import, which...

As TVs and computers form their domestic partnership, a few questions are in the air. Does TV content play well on computer screens? Are TV shows somehow diminished on a desktop? Will online shorts - say, the sketches from funnyordie.com - be as entertaining on TV? Can a digital podcast - say, one by Ricky Gervais and his buddies - come to life when adapted for the small screen? If you saw “Singin’ in the Rain,’’ you know that talent does not automatically transcend technology.

ON WGBH Greater Boston 7 p.m. WGBH (Channel 2) Egypt's Golden Empire "Pharaohs of the Sun" 8 p.m. WGBH (Channel 2) Part 2 of three. Nova "Bombing Hitler's Dams" 8 p.m. WGBH (Channel 44) Independent Lens "Have You Heard From Johannesburg? Road to Resistance" 10 p.m. WGBH (Channel 44) A five-part history of the global anti-apartheid movement. America in Primetime "Man of the House" 10 p.m. WGBH (Channel 2) Portrayals of men on TV. RADIO HIGHLIGHTS Tent Show Radio 5 a.m. WUMB-FM (91.9)

STRAW DOGS (2011) James Marsden and Kate Bosworth star in this update of Sam Peckinpah's harrowing tale of rural newcomers terrorized by the locals. (More inclined to stick with the Dustin Hoffman-Susan George original from 1971? That's a recent Blu-ray release, too.) Extras: Production featurettes; director commentary. (Sony, $30.99; Blu-ray, $35.99) GLEE: THE CONCERT MOVIE (2011) Hey, the gang puts on a show for real! Extras: Performances not seen in theaters. (Fox, $29.99; Blu-ray, $39.99)

As TVs and computers form their domestic partnership, a few questions are in the air. Does TV content play well on computer screens? Are TV shows somehow diminished on a desktop? Will online shorts - say, the sketches from funnyordie.com - be as entertaining on TV? Can a digital podcast - say, one by Ricky Gervais and his buddies - come to life when adapted for the small screen? If you saw “Singin’ in the Rain,’’ you know that talent does not automatically transcend technology.

Both "The Office" and "Extras," the two short British series from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, are unexpectedly poignant pieces of work. They are, on the one hand, shining exemplars of cringe comedy, landing knuckle punches exactly where grandiosity meets humiliation. They give us narcissistic characters making utter fools of themselves, steeped in verbal self-incrimination, sinking in the quicksand of their vanity. And yet both shows have enough heart to evoke our pity and, yes, alas, it's true, our empathy.

"Extras" is a little HBO comedy that draws big laughs at least once per episode. The series, from "The Office" creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant , is about a pair of acting extras stuck on a much lower rung of show business than the stars around them. But the stars they encounter on movie sets -- last season's roster included Kate Winslet; this season look for Orlando Bloom, Robert De Niro, and Daniel Radcliffe -- are garish, crude, egotistical, and unworthy of their celebrity.

It was hard to imagine how Ricky Gervais would follow up "The Office," one of TV's most indelible and painful comedies ever. His boorish boss was such a memorable spectacle of character flaw, Gervais seemed destined to be forever locked in our collective curio cabinet as the little man who put his foot in his mouth. The fact that "Extras" proves Gervais is more than a one-trick pony makes his new HBO series feel doubly satisfying. The show, which premieres tomorrow night at 10:30, is a sly piece of work that is quite distinct from "The Office.

LOS ANGELES -- "Nothing to me feels as good as laughing incredibly hard," says Steve Carell of NBC's new mockumentary series "The Office. " "If a movie or a TV show or a book makes you laugh until you cry, you just feel better. " A lot of folks did just that with the original BBC version of "The Office," created by and starring Ricky Gervais as lacking-all-social-graces David Brent, manager of a paper supply company. Now it's up to Carell to get audiences doubling-over with similar glee watching NBC's adaptation of the Golden Globe-winning import, which premieres Thursday at 9:30 p.m. ...

An Idiot Abroad 2: The Bucket List 10 p.m., Science Karl Pilkington is clearly a glutton for punishment. He attained his fame by allowing himself to be the target of mockery by his pals Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The first iteration of the series had Pilkington (pictured) traversing the globe to reluctantly see the Seven Wonders of the World. This time Gervais and Merchant are forcing him to complete a list of "things to do before you die. " JB Smoove: That's How I Dooz It 10 p.m., Comedy Central For fans who fell in love with Smoove during his uproarious appearances needling Larry David on...

You know what got “Tooth Fairy’’ made the minute you see it: Hey, how funny would it be to put Dwayne Johnson in ballerina slippers, pink tights, and a tutu? Not very. But here’s the movie anyway, scarcely more than the pitch meeting that spawned it. Johnson plays Derek Thompson, a former NHL player now notorious in the minor leagues for his bone-crushing play. His way with opponents’ dental work has fans calling him the Tooth Fairy. In fact, he’s such a cross-checking star that the penalty box has a Barcalounger.