Since starting college, i have become obsessed with the NBC show "The Office." "The Office" fictionally documents the everyday happenings of the Scranton, PN branch of the paper company Dunder Mifflin. I'm have never been the type of person to gather in front of the t.v. at the same time each week to watch a certain television series. However, this has changed in the past few weeks, as i find myself on the couch every Thursday at 7:20, ten minutes before "The Office" goes on the air. I had heard from a few people that the show was funny, but i finally got into it when a buddy down the hall got the second season on dvd. I watched a few episodes with some friends and was instantly hooked. In about two weeks i watched all of season one and two and am now caught up to the current season.
I found myself wondering what makes the show so appealing to me and millions of other people. I think "The Office" is so popular because it plays to numerous stereotypes that certainly occur in ordinary offices around the country. Almost everyone can relate to one of the characters on the show. For the guys, there's the laid-back prankster Jim, the all-knowing, egotistical Dwight, and the ignorant, self-centered boss Michael Scott. There's also a smart, quiet, but funny temp, named Ryan, and a lazy big man Kevin. For the ladies, there's the cute, innocent Pam, the tightly wound Angela, and the over-talkative, sweet but annoying, Kelly.
Another reason for the shows high ratings is it's ability to relate to everyday situations and problems that arise in the workplace. For instance, there is an episode that deals with restructuring health care plans for office employees. There's a take your child to work day episode and a Christmas episode that includes an office secret santa. There are numerous little disagreements and confrontations between the employees that are very believable. Although there is a certain level of exaggeration in the characters and the scenes that is necessary for mass appeal, the show has a lot of truth to it that so many can laugh about. If you haven't seen "The Office," try it out this Thursday at 7:30 on NBC.
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The Office is definitely hilarious. I don't watch it regularly, but it is a pretty great show. Dwight is by far the best character: "When my mother was pregnant with me, they did an ultrasound and found she was having twins. When they did another ultrasound a few weeks later, they discovered, that I had resorbed the other fetus. Do I regret this? No, I believe his tissue has made me stronger. I now have the strength of a grown man and a little baby."
The Office is pretty much the only network TV show I watch. I was resistant to it at first because someone had given me DVD of the British version, and that was so incredibly good I just didn't think the American version could compare. But I think it's just as good now. It's less depressing than the British one (if you can believe that) and the writing might actually be better. Rainn Wilson (Dwight) is fantastic, and so is Steve Carrell. It nails the soul-crushing aspects of office life, and the bizarre people you're forced to spend your entire day with. And I love that it's set in Scranton, PA (except it makes Scranton seem cooler than it actually is). The greatest moment from last night's show was when Pam, in her determination to start over as an assertive gal, tells her ex-boyfriend (what's his name? Roy?) that she kissed Jim. Roy flips out and starts yelling and throws his bottle, and then, in the background, you see Roy's buddy calmly pick up a chair and start smashing it against the bar. Genius.
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