The Office

I like to watch television, maybe a little too much, but that works out well if you like TV too because this blog will be right up your alley. On this blog, I’ll talk about shows I like, give you some fun background information, and give some information on the plot. To begin with, my first blog will be on The Office. The Office is arguably my favorite television show ever; I have lost track of how many times I have seen it, and I still love it every time. The Office is “a mockumentary on a group of typical office workers, where the workday consists of ego clashes, inappropriate behavior, and tedium” (IMDB). The show takes place in the office of a paper company called Dunder Mifflin. The Office follows the lives of the workers in the office; it chronicles their relationships, their workday, and their everyday events. Through interviews given to the camera, as part of the mockumentary style, the audience learns a lot about the characters. By the end of the nine seasons, you feel like you know Jim, Dwight, Michael, Pam, and all the other employees. The characters of The Office are what really makes this show so great. They are all hilarious, with their own brand of comedy, and they are all also very relatable. The show develops relationships between all the characters that evolve throughout the show, while remaining funny. Another great aspect of the show is, of course, the plot. The plotlines are full of awkward, cringey humor (which I inexplicably love). The show manages to come up with entertaining, original plotlines through all nine seasons, and manages to make them all (somewhat) realistic. All of the humor and events and personal stories in the show come together to create a great television show.

The Office also has an interesting history to go alongside the great show. It is based on the UK version of the show, also called The Office, starring Ricky Gervais. Personally, I like the US version better, but I might be biased. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are the creators of the original British version, which is no longer on the air, and are executive producers of the American one. The casting of the American version involved asking potential actors to answer questions in character, which I find interesting, but it makes sense given how in-depth the characters on the show are. A fact I find particularly adorable involves the casting of Jim and Pam; they play a pair of best friends who become a couple. Jenna Fischer plays Pam and John Krasinski plays Jim. After Jenna auditioned for the role of Pam she told John she hoped he played Jim, and John said he hoped she played Pam, as each thought the other was perfect for the role. The Office went through many changes in actors over the years, including the very controversial departure of Steve Carell, who played the main character, Michael Scott. Many viewers worried the series would decline in quality without Carell, and wondered why the series would even continue without him. Personally, I think the show did experience a decline in quality, but not enough to make me stop watching. There definitely was a different dynamic on the show, but at it’s core it remained the same show.

The Office has been nominated for numerous awards, and won one Golden Globe, awarded to Steve Carell for “Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series”. I think The Office is an outstanding show, which provides comedy that anyone could like (provided you can stand some awkward humor). The whole show is streaming on Netflix right now, so go watch it. Then come talk to me about it, because I could talk about The Office forever. As a reward for making it through this blog, I leave you with one of my favorite scenes from the show. And also a picture, because watching videos is a lot of work sometimes.