Ricky Gervais’ Alley Cats beats The Simpsons and Family Guy to win major TV award

Ricky Gervais’ animated comedy Alley Cats has beaten some of television’s most iconic cartoons to be named Best Animated Series at the 2026 wheretowatch.tv Streaming and TV Awards.

The Netflix series came out on top in a fiercely competitive category, beating long-running favourites including The Simpsons, Family Guy and South Park, as well as Bob’s Burgers and Stranger Things: Tales from ’86.

The win marks another major milestone for Gervais’s latest comedy project, which has attracted considerable attention since arriving on Netflix in August.

Featuring a gang of foul-mouthed street cats, the six-part series combines the comedian’s trademark irreverent humour with observations about friendship, relationships and the absurdities of everyday life.

And while the show has divided critics, its performance on Netflix has been difficult to ignore. Alley Cats reached number one in the UK Netflix chart shortly after its release, giving Gervais another streaming success to celebrate.

The 2026 awards are decided by viewers, with thousands taking part in the voting across the different categories. Alley Cats’s victory is a particularly impressive result given the competition from some of the most recognisable animated shows in television history.

Alley Cats takes on some of animation’s biggest names

The Best Animated Series category brought together an impressive collection of established favourites and newer releases.

Alongside Alley Cats were The Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park and Bob’s Burgers – all shows with substantial international fanbases and long histories on television.

Stranger Things: Tales from ’86 also featured among the finalists, bringing the animated spin-off of Netflix’s hugely successful Stranger Things franchise into the mix.

However, it was Gervais’s foul-mouthed feline comedy that secured the award.

The result is a notable achievement for a series that takes a very different approach to the traditional animated sitcom. Rather than following a family or a group of neighbours, Alley Cats centres on a gang of stray animals navigating life on the streets of London.

Its humour is deliberately provocative, with plenty of swearing, insults and outrageous exchanges, but there is also a more sentimental story running underneath the jokes.

What is Ricky Gervais’s Alley Cats about?

Created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais, Alley Cats follows a group of feral British cats who spend their days scavenging for food, arguing with one another and contemplating the strange world around them.

The central character is Gus, a cynical but surprisingly affectionate orange tabby voiced by Gervais.

Gus considers himself the leader of the gang and likes to present himself as a tough character. However, beneath his gruff exterior is a much softer side, particularly when it comes to the people – or cats – he cares about.

He is joined by Fang, a chaotic tuxedo cat; Puke, a shameless and rather disgusting member of the group; Olive, whose intelligence is not always her strongest quality; and Ponce, a posh domestic cat who occasionally leaves his comfortable home to spend time with the strays.

The gang regularly gathers in an abandoned flat, where they watch television, exchange insults and discuss their latest problems before heading out into the streets.

The series’ main storyline begins when the cats discover a lost kitten and become involved in helping her find her way home.

What follows is a series of misadventures involving the gang’s attempts to look after the youngster, alongside their own personal dramas and disagreements.

Although the comedy is often outrageous, the story also explores companionship, loyalty and the idea of finding a family in unexpected places.

Netflix describes the series as an adult comedy about feral cats causing havoc while reflecting on life and trying to survive in a difficult human world.

Ricky Gervais reunites with his After Life favourites

One of the biggest attractions for fans of Gervais’s previous work is the impressive voice cast, which includes several familiar faces from his earlier television projects.

Gervais voices Gus, while Tom Basden plays the middle-class cat Ponce. Basden previously worked with the comedian on After Life and has also starred in Plebs and Here We Go.

Diane Morgan, best known for her character Philomena Cunk and her work on After Life, voices Olive.

David Earl, another regular Gervais collaborator, plays Puke, while Andrew Brooke provides the voice of Fang.

The cast also includes:

• Kerry Godliman as Lara
• Jo Hartley as the Kitten
• Natalie Cassidy in a voice role
• Tony Way, another familiar face from Gervais’s previous projects

The reunion of several After Life cast members gives Alley Cats a familiar British comedy feel, even though the characters are considerably furrier than the ones audiences may remember.

Gervais has spoken about wanting the cast to record together in the same room, helping to create the overlapping conversations and natural exchanges that give the gang its distinctive dynamic.

The series was co-directed by Elliot Dear, with animation produced by Blink Industries, the studio behind projects including Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.

Alley Cats became a Netflix number one

The award follows an impressive start on Netflix, where Alley Cats quickly attracted attention after its global release on August 7, 2026.

Within days, the series had climbed to the number one position in Netflix’s UK chart.

Gervais celebrated the achievement on social media, expressing his delight at the response from viewers and thanking his fans.

The show also made an impact internationally, appearing in Netflix’s daily top 10 charts in more than 40 countries during its opening days, according to early chart tracking reported by What’s on Netflix.

It was an especially satisfying result for Gervais, who had admitted that he was unsure how audiences would respond to a sitcom centred on a gang of swearing cats.

The comedian has made no secret of his affection for the project, describing it as a love letter to cats and drawing inspiration from his own experiences as a cat owner.

Speaking to Netflix’s Tudum, he revealed that his own cat, Pickle, had helped inspire aspects of Gus’s character.

The first series consists of six short episodes, each running for approximately 15 to 17 minutes. That makes it an easy watch for viewers looking for a quick dose of comedy rather than a traditional half-hour sitcom.

Netflix’s official listing describes the show as a British adult animated sitcom, with its mix of dark comedy, irreverent humour and animal characters aimed firmly at grown-up audiences.

The series divided critics – but what do they know?

Alley Cats has not been without controversy since its release.

While the show attracted viewers and climbed the Netflix charts, its reception from professional critics was considerably less enthusiastic.

Some reviewers (not us) criticised its humour as crude and repetitive, while others questioned whether the series lived up to the standard of Gervais’s previous work.

However, audience scores and the show’s chart performance suggested that plenty of viewers were happy to make up their own minds.

Gervais was quick to celebrate its number one position, making clear that the support of his audience meant a great deal to him.

The comedian has built a career around provocative comedy, from The Office and Extras to Derek and After Life. Alley Cats continues that tradition, with its characters given plenty of freedom to say things that would be unlikely to make it into a conventional family cartoon.

Its award win now provides another indication that the series has found an enthusiastic audience, despite the divided response from reviewers.

Will there be an Alley Cats series two?

With the first series attracting strong early interest, fans may already be wondering whether Gus and his gang will return.

However, Netflix had not officially confirmed a second series in the latest reporting available on the show’s renewal status.

Gervais has made it clear that he would be keen to continue making the programme, and has spoken enthusiastically about the possibilities offered by animation.

The format also means the characters can continue their adventures without the ageing and scheduling issues associated with a live-action cast.

For now, viewers can watch all six episodes of the first series on Netflix.

And following its success at the 2026 wheretowatch.tv Streaming and TV Awards, Alley Cats has another reason to celebrate – having beaten The Simpsons, Family Guy and South Park to take home the Best Animated Series title.

For a gang of foul-mouthed London strays, that is quite a result.

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