For the past few years, I considered the TV series "Family Guy" to be the funniest show on the tube for its ability to poke fun at anything and everything. Yet, more than likely due to the rather sick mind of creator Seth McFarlane, that show tends to beat you over the head (sometimes again and again and again) with its jokes in rather crude fashion. It can be hilarious, don't get me wrong, but a show like that can only stay fresh for so long without having to up the "shock ante" with every episode.
Just recently, though, I discovered "The Office" while utilizing a free trial of Netflix and was blown away by the subtleness of the humor that abounds in each and every episode. I had watched bits and pieces of certain episodes in the past, but beginning to watch them in broadcast order really helped me put the pieces together and enjoy every second of each 20-minute episode.
Basically, the show is set at the Dunder-Mifflin paper company in Scranton, PA, where a very diverse group of office workers work the 9-5 cubicle life under the "direction" of Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell). It's very much like a toned-down, more realistically-funny version of the feature film "Office Space". But here's the catch: Michael is, by and large, a complete idiot, and thus the office functions accordingly.
In this first season (only six episodes long, likely due to its "trial run" status in the U.S. to see if it could duplicate the success of its United Kingdom namesake show), all the building blocks of the show are put in place in terms of character development, relationships, and humor. Really, there are three reasons why the show (right from this very first season) resonated so much with American audiences:
First, is the notion that all the characters are so relatable to potential real-life situations. Everyone can relate to the idiot boss (Michael), the office suck-up (Dwight), the "normal" or "cool" ones (Jim and Pam), the pervert (Kevin) and the tightly-wound frosty woman (Angela), to name just a few. While those characters are of course amped up a bit from what a real office feels like, there still exists that sense that you yourself could just as easily be in the same situation they are.
Another reason this show is so successful is the focus on the characters of Jim and Pam. Both are acted extraordinarily by John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer and are truly the heart and soul of the show. Audiences can easily relate to the romantic tension and silly pranks between the two because of what could be called a "normalcy complex": they are the two most normal, fun characters on the show, and thus the audience roots for them due to the fact that they represent what we want to be at work. Your heart will break as they both struggle to figure out a relationship that seems destined to be, but at the same time you will also laugh along with them as they pull their silly pranks on various office personnel.
Finally, though, what truly sets this show apart from any other comedy series I have previously seen is the fact that storylines are progressed from episode to episode. Unlike some half-hour comedies (like Family Guy) where, by and large, the slate is pretty much wiped clean after every episode, "The Office" instead builds on certain plot and character threads to create continuity. Thus, the characters actually grow and learn on screen in front of you, so to speak, and don't just stagnate repeating the same old jokes or gags.
Thus, I would pretty much recommend this show to anybody who has ever held a job (not too limiting, huh?!), as you will be able to instantly relate to the kind of antics that transpire.
