Derek

If you have Netflix, I suggest you watch the new Netflix original series Derek. It was created, written by and stars Ricky Gervais. I am a huge Gervais fan. His stand up is hilarious. He writes and creates some of my favorite shows (The Office, Extras, Life's Too Short, The Ricky Gervais Show). His new show Derek, centers around a mentally challenged nursing home aid. It's extremely funny but is equally heartwarming and sad. It's a difficult mixture but it works. It tackles the issues of death, forgiveness, love, friendship, purpose and value of life and appreciating others but at the same time, keeping comedy in the mix of it all without turning into a romantic comedy. There are only 7 episodes and they are all less than 30 minutes so it will take you about three hours to get through the whole series.

The last episode hit home hard for me as Derek's estranged father tries to reconnect with Derek after almost 50 years. I recently went through the same thing just over the last year so it was incredibly real to me and the dialogue is incredibly eye opening for any father. I encourage anyone to curl up on the couch for the night and watch the whole series. Grab some tissues though.