With Extras finished Gervais and Merchant wanted to mine the same path. This time Gervais & Merchant play a version of themselves as some sort of comedy producers/agents with Warwick Davis as a showbiz dwarf, rather egoistical and selfish but also fallen on hard times.It is a mockumentary and rather absurdist. Davis is not likable and we think his heart is in the right place although as a talent agent for other dwarfs he takes the best acting parts for himself. Its hard to sympathise for him but easier to cringe although Davis does offer a lot of physical comedy.There is also the sidebar of Gervais and Merchant with his usual team of Les Dennis, Keith Chegwin and Barry from Eastenders who are joined by a star cameo each week such as Liam Neeson popping up wanting more comedy parts which is a throwback to their previous series 'Extras.'Still like Extras there is enough to make it work, the cameos are amusing, Davis is entertaining as he bravely soldiers on and his hapless accountant provides the laughs.The show only lasted one series and was wrapped up in a special one off episode where Val Kilmer turned up as Batman and Davis is softened up slightly and understands the need to be less selfish.

I have to admit when I first started watching coming attractions of this show I wasn't sure what to make of it but after four episodes I am now convinced this is the funniest show on television. I was out one night with a group of friends and we had gone out for a fun time and we all came back at about 2:00am and we decided to watch something on "HBO on demand." We decided to check out "Life's Too Short." We watched one episode after another after another. I have never laughed so hard in my life! We were all dying!! It turned out to be the best night of the weekend. Warwick Davis (star of Willow, Leprechaun, and Ray) turned out to be a great comic actor. I couldn't believe how funny the show was and the situations Davis had got himself into. His secretary is equally funny. His secretary talks very slowly and in an episode after she (his secretary) explained something to him, Davis replied, "Well that took longer than an episode of Columbo." ROFL! Ricky Gervais is a comic genius as he makes fun of dwarfs, the mentally challenged, and just about everyone else in this TV series! It isn't in some people's taste but it really is all in good fun. I give the series ten stars out of ten. It is the best thing on television. Thank you Ricky Gervais!

I used to detest Ricky Gervais, but I've grown to like his stuff. Sure his humour is all one style, but then Frank Sinatra only sang one style, and both are masters of their styles.Warwick is a revelation, his character is like a mix between David Brent and Alan Partridge. Warwick adds a lot of physical humour, and his performance is on a par with Coogan's and Gervais', I can't give him higher praise than that.As for the jokes, if you like political correctness then steer clear, everyone here is taking the mickey out of themselves in the greatest traditions of British humour.There's actually a touching and heartfelt theme in the background of the gags and awkwardness, and the best comedy always contains this, it's funny because it comes from a real place, and the characters are saying things we're too afraid to say but think nevertheless.My wife's not as big a comedy devotee as me, but we were both laughing out loud at least 3 times an episode, and then giggling for minutes after. We haven't laughed this much since Four Lions. And the quest stars are brilliant too, sending themselves up.It's great to see rich/famous people not take themselves seriously.A+

I love THE OFFICE and am ambivalent towards EXTRAS, so how would I feel about LIFE'S TOO SHORT, Ricky Gervais's latest mockumentary charting the trials and tribulations of dwarf actor Warwick Davis? Having just watched all seven episodes, I'm sorry to say that this is more like EXTRAS than THE OFFICE. It's a predictable series in which the voice, mannerisms and style of David Brent have been ported over entirely to Davis, so that he's in essence a mini-Brent. I love Davis and can't fault his acting, but there's a seen-it-all-before feel to much of the material.The highlight of each episode is the celebrity cameo, with appearances from both Liam Neeson and Johnny Depp early on really setting the standard. Otherwise, the comedy is fairly nasty and unpleasant, with unlikeable characters interacting with other unlikeable characters and nobody to root for. It's all a bit cynical, and it says something when the best bits are the tiny cameos given to the likes of Shaun Williamson, Keith Chegwin and Les Dennis.Follow-up: LIFE'S TOO SHORT has concluded with a one-off, hour-long 2013 special which finalises the story. Bizarrely, Davis has an entirely different character now; bored with his previous unpleasant character, he's a reformed guy. Once you get over that, the special is much better than the TV show, wisely focusing on supporting characters (Val Kilmer, Keith Chegwin, Les Dennis & Shaun Williamson) who really zing and supply plenty of genuinely funny comic material. It's a shame that the rest of the show wasn't of the same calibre...