Ricky Gervais Teams Up With 'Dexter' Showrunner for Atheist Show 'Afterlife'

The creator of one of the best comedies on TV is teaming up with the showrunner of one of the best dramas as Ricky Gervais (creator of "The Office") and Clyde Phillips (showrunner for "Dexter") join forces to bring a new comedy to life. Or..to afterlife.

Gervais and Phillips are currently working on a new comedy called "Afterlife," according to EW. The show tells the story of an atheist who dies and, ironically, goes to heaven. Hilarity presumably ensues as the atheist wonders what the heck he's doing in this place he thought didn't exist.

The theme is no surprise coming from Gervais, who is an outspoken atheist. His feature film "The Invention of Lying" basically equated religion to one big lie, and he ended his infamous Golden Globes hosting gig by saying "I'd like to thank God for making me an atheist."

The show is in the works right now and expected to go into production sometime in early 2012. As EW reports, no studio is attached yet, so it will be interesting to see if anyone is brave enough to pick up a show with this kind of potential to offend...after all, with Gervais at the helm things can always get a bit dicey.