Critics complained that Life's Too Short was too similar to
Extras and The Office.   Life's Too Short, ABC1, 9pm  CRITICS
overseas complained that this latest offering from Ricky Gervais
and Stephen Merchant is too similar to their previous Extras and
The Office, which is a bit like accusing the Beach Boys of
sounding too much like the Beach Boys. This takes up where those
other shows left off, a cringe-inducing, mockumentary-style
take-down of a day in the life of a struggling actor - who
happens to be a 106-centimetre thespian, the go-to-guy when
casting dwarves. Warwick Davis may be a down-on-his-luck
outcast, but he is also an obnoxious and obsequious fellow,
whose self-delusion and vanity evoke our sympathies. Gervais,
Merchant and Davis refuse to soften their politically incorrect
satire. Tonight's episode starts out flat, but has a priceless
scene in which actor Johnny Depp confronts Gervais about the
insults he dished up while hosting the Golden Globes.  Louis
Theroux: Law and Disorder in Johannesburg