It’s hard to remember it now, but seasons two through four of “The Office” can rival the current and the last of seasons “Parks and Recreation” in sheer gloriousness. So much has happened since the marriage of Jim and Pam that it’s easy to lose sight of just how amazing the show once was, how it excellently combined the comedy of discomfort with the effervescent sweetness, and how Jim and Pam were once a sublime combination of Ben/Leslie and Andy/April.
Based on Ricky Gervais’ brilliant UK series, many argued during the heyday of the US version that it was actually better than the original: It was a sweeter, less misanthropic version of Gervais’ series, and if anything, it was more palatable. As originally formulated, the series revolved around the branch manager, Michael Scott and his uncanny ability to stick his foot in his mouth, the will they/won’t they relationship of Jim and Pam, and a menagerie of eclectic and amusing oddballs that made up the rest of the Dunder Mifflin staff.
What’s happened in recent years, however, is that Jim and Pam did, and then Michael Scott left, and suddenly, those eccentric and oddball side characters — originally designed to be scene stealers with little screen time — have had to take on a heavier load. The oddballs and boobs became the main characters — one of them, Andy Bernard, became the new branch manager –and “The Office” lost its core, its voices of reason. In the beginning, when Michael Scott or Dwight Schrute would do something dumb, we knew we at least had Jim or Pam as our inside voice: They provided the sane perspective. But somewhere along the way, before Pam’s second pregnancy, and during the never-ending series of prank wars with Dwight, even Jim and Pam lost sight of reality, succumbing to one-dimensionality.
Now “The Office” is a mess of supporting characters, of oddballs and eccentrics, that bounce around each other with no real rhyme or reason; there’s not a lot of consistency in their characterizations; now, it seems, the more they’re onscreen, the less we really know about them. At one point, the characters drove the storylines; now, the increasingly inane storylines drive the characters. And it’s driving “The Office” into the ground.
After the first few episodes of this, the eighth season, I had some small hope that the showrunners would turn it around, that Andy would infuse “The Office” with new energy. I felt the direction they were heading in was to turn Andy Bernard into a version of Leslie Knope: A boss whose earnestness the cast would rally around, instead of mock. He would be determined and hard-working, and would take the business of selling paper way too seriously, and his staff would grow to respect it. Alas, Andy is just another version of a Michael Scott character that had already grown stale. And James Spaders’ Robert California, who I thought might resurrect the show’s moral center, is just another boob in the show’s collection of them. He’s like a smarter, wealthier version of Creed, if Creed were allowed to run the company.
Look: Situation comedies rarely survive creatively after 100 episodes: There’s only so many iterations of the same situation you can play with. We’re seeing the same thing on “Modern Family” in only its third season, but like “Modern Family,” “The Office” is still watchable, amusing at times, and often entertaining. But “The Office” has not only outstayed its welcome, it’s slowly destroying the brilliant characters it created over the first three seasons. Jim’s only purpose these days, it seems, is to continue his prank war with Dwight, a prank war that Dwight often gets the better of, which occasionally allows Dwight to be the show’s voice of reason. And you know there are problems when Dwight is a voice of reason. Pam has been reduced to a waddling pregnancy joke; nobody knows if Ryan and Kelly are together, week to week, and even fewer people care; Daryl got promoted into a job where he doesn’t seem to do anything; Stanley now employs a catchphrase (it’s a funny catchphrase, mind you, but “The Office” was supposed to be the anti-catchphrase comedy); Meredith is a series of drunk jokes; Angela’s obsession with cats ran its course four seasons ago, and now she’s getting the pregnancy jokes’ sloppy seconds; Oscar, who was once a cool gay character, is now a gay stereotype; and Kevin has somehow gotten dumber over the course of the series, which is saying a lot since there was once an episode where Holly confused him for a mentally retarded man. Indeed, the only character the show hasn’t completely destroyed is Creed, whose mind was destroyed in Vietnam.
Worse still: There’s no apparent end in sight. In its eighth season, “The Office” is the most popular sitcom on NBC. They’re bringing in Catherine Tate in the second half of the season (she was originally thought to be Michael Scott’s replacement, but she had stage commitments in the UK) and, who knows? She could replace Andy. There could be a never-ending succession of Micheal Scott replacements. “The Office” could run another four or five years, recycling plot lines, magnifying the caricatures, and hauling in a series of guest stars to take our attention away from the stale regular cast. But the longer “The Office” continues, the more we forget. Now this scene, back when Jim and Pam managed to stay ahead of the curve instead of bending with it, and back when “The Office” still had a keen sense of playful self-awareness and an unwavering sweetness, is little but a memory, a ghost of how great “The Office” once was and may never be again.
the office jim and pam wedding dance from Isthshowulikeit on Vimeo.
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At least we got adorable Ellie Kemper out of the downward spiral. She’s like Annie without the boobs.
I think Mindy Kaling is the most-underrated attractive girl on NBC. But I go for those ethnics, so I could be biased.
Oh dry blowjob girl. You finally made it.
Remember when Andy was a rage-a-holic with a constant need to one up Michael and vitriolic dislike for Dwight when he stole Angela from him? Yeah, neither does Paul Lieberstein.
I bailed on this show when the writers had them constantly leave the office to go on their zany adventures. Hey guys! Why don’t we have them all go to the mall in the middle of a work week because that happens in real life! Doesn’t that sound wacky and fun?! Ugh.
I still DVR this show because I’m too dumb and lazy to change my series recordings. However, I don’t think I’ve actually watched an episode in weeks.
@ Sous
Rage-a-holic Andy was DA BOMB!
The Office should just off itself and bring Ted McGinley in as the new manager. Hold on… manager Jefferson D’Arcy. JACKPOT!
Michael Schur leaving to create Parks and Rec is the reason for the downward spiral of The Office.
The issue with the background characters is spot-on. Meredith was hilarious when they only hinted at her alcoholism- randomly have her head down on the desk in the background or be drinking from a giant go-cup during the workday. Than Michael dragged her by the hair into a rehab facility which was just odd and distburbing. I don’t remember what season that was but I know that episode was the beginning of the end of me looking forward to the show each week.
Also, Kevin went from being a singer / drummer in a band who had won a bracelet in some poker tournament to being a barely functional retarded person. Seriously, he’s worse than Joey in the last seasons of Friends.
@Tubesteak. Same here. It’s just eating up disc space until I finally decide to delete the episodes unwatched.
The show REALLY should focus on “Erin’s” bouncy boobs……
….that is a classic story-line
I think Andy and Robert California COULD be turned into better characters…….but it will never happen…..
I’d like to see more focus on “Jim” realizing he is just an immature ass-hole ……then he leaves )forever) and they bring back Pam.
Also….Mindy Kaling should become a more major character whilst keeping her ditzy-ness …….maybe make her a CSR with real issues to resolve…
Ironically, it was the above scene, jacked straight from a youtube video (which sure, they cop to through Jim) that finally ripped me out of the denial and stopped actively watching. Spot on.
I think you’re dead-on with the descriptions with all the characters, but I don’t think Oscar is a typical gay character. I think he’s a typical know-it-all and he’s actually the funniest character on the show now.
I stopped watching when Michael went from sympathetic boob to horribly horribly sad failure of a man sometime around season 5/6 seen other episodes in between then and now but not because I sought it out.
It’s not nearly what it once was, but in it’s defense, I was also a lot cooler 7 years ago too and I’m still rehashing the same lame jokes that once made me funny. Perhaps this is why I still DVR it.
It’s bad because the writing is bad. Parsimony is a bitch.
Honestly, I think this season is the best it has been in years. I hated Michael Scott; he was annoying and Steve Carell tried way too hard to be funny. I think the show is better off without him, the writers can still turn it around.
I bailed at “PB&J.” It’s not a decision I regret.
@LaSchmo, agreed. I turned the TV off when Andy started jerking around at Gettysburg and haven’t even thought of watching The Office again.
I am afraid that “Parks and Rec” is heading in this direction with the never ending topic of will Leslie have a boyfriend or not. It takes away from what everyone else is doing and the show reverts to the “I want love” formula that I hate. I would rather “parks” go back to it’s cartoon formula where each episode was basically on it’s own and had nothing to do with last weeks episode.
Anyone who ever thought that at any time the american office was better than the UK office is stupid fucking cocksucker.
They also have shit taste.
@Evil Twin – Let’s not discount Ellie Kemper’s boobs.
The American Office was never close to the original. It was good, occasionally very good, but never approached the British version in quality.
So….is this blog going from Warming Glow to Shit We Don’t Like?
Because it seems like a couple really negative posts are made every day. How about some positive posts and news instead of all the negativity that WE can bring in the comments ABOUT your positive posts about the shit we don’t like?
@TFBuckFutter – I agree…seems like more and more of the posts are just negative and about shit they hate instead of just presenting news.
I still like the show. There’s always a few big laughs in each episode for me. I’m not looking for anything other then a few laughs.
Or the show was terrible from frame one and has only gotten worse. It’s baffling to me that the same people responsible for this can turn out something as consistently funny and perceptive as “Parks and Rec.”
I never fully hopped on The American Office bandwagon, but it is a show that has had some seriously funny moments, AND some great character moments during it’s run.
Too much hate on here for this show, but it’s the internet. I should expect nothing less.
Dan Seitz, I don’t think it’s really “from the same people.” It seems like one of the creators of The Office is involved, but I think most of the writing is from the guys who used to run Firejoemorgan (which was awesome….fuck the heck?)….That Fremulon logo at the end is, I believe, theirs’.
I could definitely be wrong though.
If those asshole writers even THINK about going for another Youtube or meme parody, I will be most unpleased.
I don’t think Oscar is a gay stereotype.
Robert California is probably the funniest character to be introduced on this show in seasons. He alone has made this a better season than several ones prior.
Has this blog completely devolved into shit-talking every single show in the absence of Matt?
*Shakes magic 8-Ball*
“As I see it, Yes.”
@TFBF, @Itrainmonkeys
A couple points.
1. Sure, when Matt loved something, he loved it hard and discussed it. But instead of bitching about stuff that deserves to be bitched about, he either ignored it or made fun of how bad or stupid it was deep into “What’s On Tonight.” Or apologized about having to cover it.
2. I guess when Matt did want to complain about something, he would stab it in the jugular and walk away. Which was hilarious. But I don’t mind the longer critiques. Takes a lot of effort.
3. The new guys are killing it as a staff, a record label and a motherfuckin’ crew.
FSJ, Perhaps points 1 and 2 are what led to the blogs success.
I’m not knocking them entirely, I just don’t care for the tone of their articles thus far. I can read people bitch about shit anywhere.
The new writers have been doing a great job, although I do miss Matt. One reason I miss him is that he’d be down here in the comments calling you guys the whiney cunts that you are.
@FSJ
You can’t replace Ufford. That man was a god. Like replacing Favre. Or the USSR.
With that said, both this critique and the earlier Modern Family one have been pretty insightful. I’ve seen all episodes of The Office and like most people, I roll my eyes during some parts and politely chuckle during others over these last couple of seasons. But it does show it’s age, as the gap between priority watching of Community and Parks and Rec widens from this show.
And as for Modern Family, I’m about four episodes deep and I can already tell it’s a show that spreads itself too vast, taking mediocrity and senseless PC tropes with it. Heck, I’m in it for Sarah Hyland (stone cold fox, that one is), but it’s still a cool concept. It’s not retreading the cop, vampire, or lame superhero theme, so I’ll take it.
So whether it’s a show you love or one you’ve just come across a couple of times, these posts are damn good, and a breath of fresh air from news about movies that don’t come out for another two years, Sofia Vergara and that fugly redhead from Mad Men gifs, and basically anything printed on WWTDD in the past two years.
Keep up the current format guys, but can we legislate more Corgi Fridays and Ohio or Florida? That latter is this site, right?
Jim and Pam is the opposite of April and Andy, in my opinion. Jim and Pam’s relationship is super hyped while April and Andy’s wedding was kept a secret until the middle of the actual wedding episode. Also, Jim and Pam started from being pretty cool characters into obnoxious ones, while April and Andy started from being second-stringers into pretty cool characters.
I must know…what is Stanley’s catchphrase?
Is this a review of The Office to this point from the beginning? Just season 8? Since Pam and Jim got married? Only the episodes that immediately come Dustin’s mind? He say’s “in recent years” Pam and Jim happened – quick google – Jim and Pam got together in 2007, engaged in 2008, and pregnant in 2009. “But the longer “The Office” continues, the more we forget.” And the less we pay attention I guess.
So first it’s “There’s not a lot of consistency in their characterizations;” then the second to last paragraph is dedicated to the each character’s one note? There’s not a lot of consistency in this criticism. There’s plenty of evidence to refute most everything here but meh.
All I’m saying is every episode of the Office is worth at least 2 viewings before trying to tear it apart like this. Like Community, there are gags set up in one season that pay off in the next, even if not as awesomely as Beetlejuice. There are still priceless lines of dialogue in wonderfully uncomfortable situations. Yes, the characters have some defining traits, but where some are static (Meredith is a drunk, she is a whore, she is a horrible mother and she always will be) others grow and change (Andy is a suck up and he’s goofy, but he’s no longer a rage-a-holic, he was the horrible salesman but now he runs the office, he was the clueless cuckold but now he’s standing up for his feelings, and maybe someday he’ll get the approval of his father he so desperately seeks). For every character who doesn’t change there is one who is far more dynamic. Even the ones who don’t change still surprise from time to time. But I guess it’s easier to issue the blanket statement “the only character the show hasn’t completely destroyed is Creed” rather than find actual supporting evidence for how each of the other 17 current characters have been ruined this season (or in recent years… or since the show started… or Jim’s wedding… whatever). Oscar’s gone from “cool gay character” to a simply a stereotype? Example please.
“I must know…what is Stanley’s catchphrase?”
If you don’t know, you can stick it up your butt!