Life > October 6, 2006

By Christopher Browder

Staff columnist

When I first heard of plans for an American version of the BBC series, The Office, I was very skeptical.  The Office was a true classic.  It was inventive, hilarious and unlike anything else on television. 

Although these descriptors sound like a recipe for success, the great thing about the British version was just how incredibly British it was. 

In fact, the DVD set even included a glossary of British terms for American fans. You couldn’t just translate these jokes to an American setting and expect them to work the same way. 

Unfortunately, this was exactly what the first season of the American Office did.  Many of the episodes were essentially line by line copies of the original, that simply used different slang and replaced Ricky Gervais with Steve Carell as the boss from hell. It was like watching someone try to recount a stand-up comedian’s routine they had seen the night before.  It was awkward and disappointing.  However, when the second season rolled around, all this changed. 

Out of nowhere, The Office seemed to figure itself out.  Characters developed beyond their original prototypes.  New, distinctly American plot lines were formed.  Most importantly, Steve Carell’s character, Michael Scott, transformed into the most charismatically obnoxious character in the history of television.

Now, just a few episodes into its third season, The Office has become the best comedy on television. That qualification is definitely helped out by the fact that Arrested Development got cancelled, but the point stands. 

In fact, I know I am going to outrage probably 75% of the student body, The Office is easily the best show on Thursday nights. Grey’s Anatomy, while entertaining, is so overdramatic and outrageous that it ceases to mean anything, despite what those voiceovers set to the latest single from The Fray might have you believe. 

What is great about The Office, is that while on the surface it appears to be ten times more ridiculous than a show like Grey’s, it is actually one of the most realistic shows out there. 

Sure, some of the plot lines are crazy, and yes, some of the characters are quite bizarre.  But the thing is, all their relationships and all their motivations are completely human and real. 

Michael Scott isn’t just a jerk, although he might seem like that.  He just wants people to like him. He is a middle school loser caught in a 40 year-old’s body, which is probably one of the saddest, yet most accurate things ever.  And the rest of the show is just as amazing, whether it’s the way people talk about what they really mean in their one-on-one interviews with the camera, Jim and Pam’s epic but normal romance, or even just the accountants’ mocking-but-loving banter. 

It is a rare thing for a show to be hopeful, romantic, and poignant without being corny, but it is an ever rarer thing to be all that and hilarious.  Somehow, The Office does it all.  Check it out Thursday nights at 8:30 on NBC.