I just wanted to congratulate you on your accurate review of “Extras” (“Skewering the Sitcom,” Arts & Culture, Jan. 10).

In the aftermath of the season premiere on HBO last week I have read column after column of allegedly professional opinions on the show; however, your summary is perhaps the most articulate and authentic critique that I have come across to date.

As a British fan of the show (and of Gervais’ collective oeuvre in general) who lives in the United States, I am always interested to see how his artistic genius translates on this side of the Atlantic.

It’s heartening to know that the intricacies of the show’s humor are rarely lost abroad in spite of its Anglophilic slant. So long as you know someone who can tell you the ironic significance behind cameos from Moira Stewart (straight-laced evergreen BBC news reader) and Ronnie Corbett (the pint-sized sketch-comedy legend who also got a mention in the first season), you will be fine.

Toby Tenenbaum
New York

Editor’s note: The Style Weekly television critic you laud, Daryl Grove, is in fact a native of Manchester, England.