A Good Replacement for Arrested Development

The world of 9 to 5 office work is an often mysterious one. Closed doors, security codes, and hush hush practices abound in the land of copiers and voice mails. Mike Judge explored this world with 1998's Office Space, exposing the soulless, boring world sitting in a cubicle. Years later after gaining a huge fan base Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant decided to retread these waters, only with a slightly different view point. We were given a more personal atmosphere than Judge's hilarious farce, with fleshed out characters, ridiculous circumstances, and some of the most uncomfortable silences ever filmed. Now, Greg Daniels (of King of the Hill fame), brings this series back, with a more upbeat mood.

The Office is a mockumentary about a small paper company in Pennsylvania. The office in question is run by Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell with biting accuracy, who meddles about making bad jokes and offensive remarks. Rainn Wilson plays the nerdy suck-up Dwight Schrute, a character so unbelievable you fear ever meeting him in person. John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer play Jim and Pam, best friends at the office who have an obvious attraction to one another. The minor characters that fill the rest of Dunder Mifflin (the paper company they work for) are explored more colorfully than in the first seasons brief episodes, and they all become especially essential this time around as well.

What makes this show so watchable?
A number of things. The comedy is incredibly clever and edgy, you'll find yourself pausing episodes frequently just to catch your breath. Everything from Michael's inane words of wisdom, to Jim and Pam's constant pranks, its hard to dismiss this show as just another sitcom.

The office relationships are also of extreme interest. Most notably Jim and Pam's, last year millions of people were on the edge of their seats waiting for something special to happen between them. And what makes it so much more appealing then most on screen romances is the genuine quality of it. Jim and Pam's relationship seems so real and unrehearsed, it's hard not to get emotionally involved.

Michael has a strange and hilarious encounter with his boss Jan Levinson (played brilliantly by Melora Hardin), which leads to some unbearably funny situations that often have unexpected results.

How's the acting?
Surprisingly real. Every actor fills their role perfectly, and they never utter lines that seem, well, like lines. The whole point of a mockumentary is to make it all seem real, and the actors do a great job at creating the feeling that this is all really happening. Even in moments of tenderness or sadness, nothing feels forced or scripted, and it really adds to the dynamic of the show.

The British version was kind of depressing, is this version the same way?
Not nearly as much. The British version was a bit incomplete, it was only 13 episodes long, and the end had Ricky Gervais (the boss) being fired, which was a bit of a downer. They released a two hour long follow up special, which tied up the loose ends, but it still was depressing. Though this version has moments of awkwardness and doubt, it still comes off a lot more upbeat than the original, and in that respect I think it's better.

Is the show for everyone?
I'd like to think so, but some of the humor is based around Michael's semi-racist remarks. And it's not tasteless, the jokes offend all the other characters, and their reactions are what make them so hilarious. Granted, some people might take it the wrong way, but it's obviously meant to be a joke, and I myself find those moments hysterical.

What does the dvd include?
It has all 22 episodes on four disks. It includes optional commentaries by writers, actors, and producer Greg Daniel's for 10 episodes, which I loved listening to. It's really apparent how well they all get along, and the comments on each episode are most often hysterical. Disk four has a bunch of extras including blooper reel, hilarious fake PSA's, Carell's interview with himself, and NBC.com webisodes about the accountants, plus a few more. It's a really hefty set, with good features, well worth the thirty bucks.


All in all this is a really great show that will appeal to a lot of people, and it really is a nice departure from the lame sitcoms populating the airwaves these days. I highly suggest buying this DVD, inviting some friends over, and having a ball.