What’s the deal?
The show revolves around Derek, a slow-witted aide who works at the home. Derek has the biggest heart and is the most compassionate person in the world. It is a mockumentary style like The Office in a way. It follows the day to day life of working at the home and sometimes that means there is some heavy stuff. I will admit to tearing up a few times.
The Main Players:
Derek
I think the best thing that sums Derek up is that when given the opportunity to tweet for the first time, he tweets ‘be nice to animals.’ This is a guy who doesn’t have a lot, but loves everything he has with a passion. He loves the old people, he loves dogs and he loves his friends. I have to give it up for Ricky for creating this character because it really is one of his best.
Hannah
She runs the home and is one of those people who goes above and beyond for the people in her life. She sits with a sick woman instead of going on a romantic date. She always is taking care of the people in her home like they are her family and she considers them her family. And she is fiercely protective of Derek, even head-butting a woman in a bar when she makes fun of him. She is a true boss and a kickass as well.
Kev
He is really not my favorite character in the show, but he is in it a lot. He is the man child that almost every comedy seems to have. He is gross and has no prospects. He is friends with Derek and spends all his time drinking at the home. His character does get some heart in the end, but for the most part, I find him annoying.
Dougie
If you have seen Idiot Abroad (which I previously recommended), you will recognize Dougie. He is played by Karl Pilkington and he basically just plays himself as a handyman with a bad hairdo. He’s way more funny than Kev and adds so much to the show, which is why I was dissapointed when he wasn’t in Season 2.
What’s so great about it?
Honestly? Because it is so real. This show has a lot of heart and deals with really heavy stuff well. It also just really makes you want to be a better person. Derek has a heart of gold and Hannah will make you want to do something meaningful with your job. It is funny and sweet. It’s also a low commitment, as I watched it in about three days.
Also, we see Ricky Gervais doing something very sincere. I think he really did an amazing job with this series and you can tell it was a real passion project. His love for animals and old people really come through. You can really tell he cares with this show and does such a great job portraying Derek as he should be portrayed.
Perk of Watching:
Seeing Derek smile like this. It just makes you smile back.
You can watch all three seasons on Netflix now.
Have you seen Derek? What are you binging?
