Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Take This Job And Shove It
As promised, I did watch the premiere of NBC's "The Office" last Thursday and am here to present my review.
It sucks.
Okay, okay, I'll elaborate. Actually, it doesn't entirely suck. As a matter of fact, it's probably 10 times better than most of the dreck that passes for comedy on television these days. Unfortunately, the level of comedy being presented nowadays is so low, 10 times more than that is still not a lot.
I may have found the show a lot better if I wasn't comparing it to the original BBC series on which it is based, but as such a huge fan of the original, it obviously can not be helped. The biggest problem I have with the new show is the portrayal of the shows main character, hapless office manager Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell (in the original, the character was called David Brent, played by series co-creator Ricky Gervais). I am actually a fan of Carell, formerly of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," and most recently seen in "Anchorman: The Legend of Run Burgundy," but his performance here left me with a bad after taste. It took me a while to figure out exactly what was bothering me, but I finally figured it out. Originally, Gervais brilliantly played Brent to be a complete ass, but there was always a slight touch of sweetness bubbling under the surface that made you realize that the guy really didn't mean any harm; he just honestly didn't always know how to act. Carell didn't leave me with that feeling, and as a result the character has absolutely no likeability, and it's tough to watch a show when you just plain don't like the main character.
The bottom line is this: the show just didn't make me laugh. Not once. I know I said it last time, but it bears repeating: the original series of "The Office" ran 12 episodes, plus a 2 part Christmas special, and is available on DVD. Check it out, because it is an absolute classic, and skip the tired NBC retread.
It sucks.
Okay, okay, I'll elaborate. Actually, it doesn't entirely suck. As a matter of fact, it's probably 10 times better than most of the dreck that passes for comedy on television these days. Unfortunately, the level of comedy being presented nowadays is so low, 10 times more than that is still not a lot.
I may have found the show a lot better if I wasn't comparing it to the original BBC series on which it is based, but as such a huge fan of the original, it obviously can not be helped. The biggest problem I have with the new show is the portrayal of the shows main character, hapless office manager Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell (in the original, the character was called David Brent, played by series co-creator Ricky Gervais). I am actually a fan of Carell, formerly of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," and most recently seen in "Anchorman: The Legend of Run Burgundy," but his performance here left me with a bad after taste. It took me a while to figure out exactly what was bothering me, but I finally figured it out. Originally, Gervais brilliantly played Brent to be a complete ass, but there was always a slight touch of sweetness bubbling under the surface that made you realize that the guy really didn't mean any harm; he just honestly didn't always know how to act. Carell didn't leave me with that feeling, and as a result the character has absolutely no likeability, and it's tough to watch a show when you just plain don't like the main character.
The bottom line is this: the show just didn't make me laugh. Not once. I know I said it last time, but it bears repeating: the original series of "The Office" ran 12 episodes, plus a 2 part Christmas special, and is available on DVD. Check it out, because it is an absolute classic, and skip the tired NBC retread.
