Ricky Gervais making Alley Cats, a cartoon about a bunch of foul-mouthed feral cats, sounds like exactly the kind of idea that might have struggled to find a home a few decades ago. Netflix's new sitcom about stray cats arguing, swearing and pondering the meaning of life feels like a very specific kind of weird, a UK eccentricity even, but that’s where adult animation is right now.
Alley Cats takes Gervais’ familiar mix of sharp humour, social observation and a fascination with life’s more awkward moments and drops it into the world of a group of feral cartoon cats trying to survive on the streets. Top Cat meets It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia comes to mind. It’s a strange setup, but animation has always been good at making strange ideas feel completely normal. It's why Alley Cats is another sign of how adult animation has become one of the most flexible spaces for creators, where comedians, writers and artists can take ideas that might sound ridiculous on paper and turn them into something audiences will happily spend hours watching.
