I am a little late to the party, but I have finally watched The Office (US) in its entirety, and this isn’t an unpopular opinion, but I thought it was excellent.

The Office began in 2005 as a simple, American interpretation of Ricky Gervais’s UK sitcom of the same name. While the first season of the American Office is almost an exact replica of its UK counterpart simply with different names,accents, and humor, the seasons following distinguished the US Office as its own series entirely. Perhaps the biggest difference between the American Office and its UK predecessor is that the former went on to become a pop culture juggernaut that still remains popular and relevant five years after its finale and 13 years after its premiere, while its British original is probably only talked about today because it inspired a hit in the USA.

The concept of The Office is where its brilliance begins, and fans have Gervais to thank for this. The show asks the question of: What is life like for people working in an everyday office? To emphasize this observation of office life, both shows use a mockumentary format in which the sitcom, while scripted, is shot like a documentary, and the subjects have confessionals and everything. The concept sounds strange, but it makes the show hilarious. If anything, The Office shows that comedy can be so simple. The way the camera moves or the glances into the lense from the characters can communicate more than any joke sometimes. I enjoy how the characters poke fun at the fact that they are being filmed, particularly in season 9 when their documentary is getting prepped for release. Luckily for viewers, we got an in depth look at the entire “documentary.”

In a TV show or movie, the characters are everything. The Office has so much to offer in this department. The workers at the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company Scranton branch are wonderfully quirky and ridiculous.

First, there’s Michael Scott,( Steve Carell) the eccentric boss , who’s main objective is to be friends with everyone in the office, boost morale,and look cooler than he actually is. He also thinks he’s a lot better and smarter than he really is, showing his complete lack of self awareness. Michael has an insane desire to be liked, and often covers up his own incompetence, mediocrity, ignorance, and loneliness, with bad jokes (that are borderline offensive if the wrong person is at the end of them )and theatrics. Michael sounds horrible, but it’s actually so hard to not love him. I’ll explain why later. If this were the Dundies, Michael Scott would win the Dundie for most compelling character.

It’s too bad that Carell left the show after seven seasons, as he was the true centerpiece and heart of the show.

Then there’s Dwight Schrute(Rainn Wilson), another eccentric character who is obsessed with attaining power, solving problems, getting to the bottom of crimes, and tending to his German family farm. He also loves paper. He lives and breathes being a paper salesman and wants to be Michael’s right hand man.

Dwight is often harassed by Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), another top salesmen at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch.

Jim is also the branch’s resident prankster and wise-guy, and is known for his famous glances at the camera in which he expresses utter disbelief, wonder, and judgment at what is going on around him due to his crazy coworkers.

I’d say he pokes fun at the fact he is being filmed the most. He is probably the most normal person in the office, so these little looks are his way of connecting with the audience. One glance from Jim after some crazy antic says You can’t believe this right? I can’t believe it either.

Jim’s eye is caught by Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer), a quiet and bored receptionist who at the beginning of the series is incredibly passive.

She’s also one of the normal people in the office, although it’s revealed that she’s kind of a goofball herself. Jim and Pam constantly flirt and bond over pranking Dwight and an office romance ensues.

The supporting cast lends to the show immensely too. Many of them are office stereotypes. Ryan Howard is your typical wannabe hot shot millennial temp who thinks he defines cool, even though he’s a punk , and Michael idolizes him for it. Kelly Kapoor is Ryan’s on and off girlfriend who is the office’s go to girl for gossip, celebrities, and what’s “in.” Meredith is the gross and disturbing middle aged mom. Angela is a crazy cat lady who is extremely self righteous. Kevin is the loveable big guy who isn’t too smart. Toby is the depressed HR rep that ruins Michael’s fun and gets walked all over. Phyllis is the matronly, motherly woman who is at the butt of many a fat joke. Stanley is the angry black man that hates his job and is only there for the paycheck. Oscar is the know it all who is also into guys. Darryl is the warehouse worker who doesn’t take any ridiculousness and wants to move up in the ranks. Creed is the creepy old dude that is probably a felon or is just super coked up on drugs. No one knows (at least not until the end). These characters, along with all the others that come and go through the office, are so interesting and they make the show a lot of fun.

While these characters are sensationalized and scripted, they are also very human.

Darryl is a single dad. Oscar struggles with finding love. Angela and Dwight are in love, yet they constantly fight their feelings. Pam and Jim have the office romance to end all office romances but they also have marital problems. Andy’s dad doesn’t love him as much as his brother. Ryan’s success goes to his head and leads him down a path of drug addiction. Erin doesn’t know who her parents are and was stuck in a foster system.

Michael is incredibly lonely and has so many unrealized dreams. He just wants to find love and looks for friends in the office because those are the only people he has access to.

This is why he acts the way he does, and I feel bad for him a lot of the time. I rooted for him to meet that special someone and start a family, despite how incompetent he was as a boss.There was one episode where he watched a video of himself as a kid talking about his future only to realize that none of his dreams had come true. Just heartbreaking.

The truth is, none of the people at the office really want to be there. For many, it is their only option, and a lot of them feel stuck in the mundane workspace ,asking themselves how they spent ten plus years selling paper when they have degrees from Cornell(Andy), or families to feed, or lofty goals, or “cutting edge” ideas ( Ryan).

Viewers empathize with the characters because we have the same struggles, and it makes us root for them, even when they’re horrible on the surface. It’s cool to see how these characters grow throughout the series too, also lending to their humanization. They just feel real even though they’re completely ridiculous.

Part of the reason we laugh at jokes is because of the realism present in them. I think we laugh at The Office because of its own brand of realism. So many bosses out there, or teachers, are just like Michael in their attempts to boost morale. Michael, like bosses who adopt his managing style in real life, also don’t get respect from their employees. If anything, Michael’s character shows that being a boss or being at the top is isolating.

So many people hate their jobs just like Stanley, and count down the minutes until the clock hits 5 o’clock, signaling closing time.

So many people have annoying coworkers like Dwight or run-ins with HR on a daily basis. And what office doesn’t have a diversity day or something similar to it?Office romances and affairs are also very realistic, and in many ways, the people we work with or go to school with do become our families…maybe just not in the same way that Michael sees it.

However, the office workers do become a family. They genuinely care about each other, and it tugs at the heart strings.

Sure, The Office is funny. Sometimes it makes me chortle so hard my abs hurt. I laugh every time Michael makes a “That’s What She Said” joke, or at each episode’s opening scene, or at Ryan’s cockiness and Michael’s obsession with him, or at Jim’s judging glances, but the true magic of The Office transcends the comedy. It’s really just a love story. One of my teachers once told me that a show or movie isn’t about its subject matter, but it’s about how it’s about its subject matter. The Office isn’t about the workplace exclusively, but it’s about the relationships built at the workplace and the love people can have for what they do. The show’s ability to connect with audiences even across all generations in a deep way is why it’s been so successful. Jokes fade, and they get old, but an introspective look at the human experience and daily life of normal people never does. I think Pam says it best in the final lines of the show when she describes why any one would make a documentary about the office: “There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things,” she muses. The Office sounds like a classic to me.

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