THE OFFICE is one of my all-time great comedy TV shows and up there with the classic likes of FAWLTY TOWERS and MONTY PYTHON. I recently rewatched the lot - series 1 & 2 and the Christmas specials - and am pleased to report it holds up now better than ever. Even more so perhaps, given that Ricky Gervais's subsequent TV offerings - EXTRAS and LIFE'S TOO SHORT - have come across as diluted variants of this show.
What makes THE OFFICE so successful? It has to be the documentary format, which makes the characters on screen feel real like never before. Anybody who's ever worked in an office will know how true-to-life the whole thing is, and the camaraderie between the main characters is what keeps this humming along. Watching the misadventures of Tim, Dawn, Gareth and Keith is just a delight. Yes, there's too much of an emphasis on lowbrow humour, but it's the character tics that make this work.
Of course, Ricky Gervais's David Brent is the man who lords over it all, and he plays a surprisingly complex character. Given that his off-colour humour, desperation to be liked, and frequently humiliating situations all point towards somebody you should hate, Brent turns out to be Gervais's most likable creation ever. It says something that THE OFFICE is the only thing I truly like the comedian in. In any case, THE OFFICE is brilliant stuff and every episode is a zinger; it truly is untouchable.
What makes THE OFFICE so successful? It has to be the documentary format, which makes the characters on screen feel real like never before. Anybody who's ever worked in an office will know how true-to-life the whole thing is, and the camaraderie between the main characters is what keeps this humming along. Watching the misadventures of Tim, Dawn, Gareth and Keith is just a delight. Yes, there's too much of an emphasis on lowbrow humour, but it's the character tics that make this work.
Of course, Ricky Gervais's David Brent is the man who lords over it all, and he plays a surprisingly complex character. Given that his off-colour humour, desperation to be liked, and frequently humiliating situations all point towards somebody you should hate, Brent turns out to be Gervais's most likable creation ever. It says something that THE OFFICE is the only thing I truly like the comedian in. In any case, THE OFFICE is brilliant stuff and every episode is a zinger; it truly is untouchable.