How Long to Watch “Extras”?

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, creators of the worldwide BBC hit The Office, return with this dry comedy about a pair of down-on-their-luck movie extras. Gervais stars as Andy Millman, an actor whose ambitions hardly live up to his day-to-day life as a background player. Wry and resigned, Andy attempts to procure higher-profile film gigs by doggedly pursuing his clueless agent (portrayed by Merchant) and befriending the celebrities he meets on set. Ashley Jensen rounds out the cast as Maggie Jacobs, Andy's best friend and fellow extra, whose political incorrectness flies in the face of her good intentions. Each half-hour episode of Extras features at least one big-name actor playing a humorous variation on his or her real self, from Ben Stiller, who bullies his cast and crew while directing a film about armed conflict in the Balkans, to Kate Winslet, who hopes to nab an Oscar by playing a nun on the run from the Nazis. After premiering July 21, 2005, on the BBC, Extras began its American run on the HBO premium cable network.