The origins of the Office are traced back to the British’s BBC version, which starred Ricky Gervais. There is no one else who deserves more credit than Greg Daniels: writer and producer. He gained experience working for shows like The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live. Daniels took a risk to develop this show, but his decision paid off.
The actors on the screen are impressive, but the genius is truly in the writing, as most TV producers know. Famed shows like Seinfeld or Breaking Bad had ten or more writers on staff to work on each script. When talented writers get paired with an equally talented actor, success is inevitable, as seen with the Office.
The most memorable aspect of the show were the characters. The cast members knew their characters inside and out. The interactions on screen seemed natural and unstaged. The diversity within the cast also gave writers endless directions to take. The relationships between Dwight and Jim, Dwight and Angela, Michael and Dwight, Pam and Jim, Oscar and Angela, and Michael and Toby all kept viewers laughing.
The peak of the show was definitely the “Stress” episode, which premiered after the Super Bowl. Stanley, the overweight, old, insubordinate African-American character, has a heart attack because of a fire drill gone wrong. Dwight Schrute decides that he should simulate fire conditions because he gave a fire safety chat that no one listened to. So, as a form of revenge, he lights a legitimate fire to teach his co-workers a lesson. Stanley collapses with a stroke, while smoke fills the room. The manager Michael decides to jump on top of the downed Stanley and give him mouth to mouth (not the remedy for someone who has had a stroke). While on top of Stanley’s chest, Michael screams “Don’t die Stanley. The president is black Stanley. You are black Stanley. Barack is black.” This episode shows the situational humor that these diverse characters can create. The survivalist Dwight clashes with the overweight Stanley, and the end result is Stanley suffering from a stroke.
There is no doubt that the show severely dipped in terms of humor and story after that episode. The relationship between Jim and Pam became over romanticized, Dwight’s goal of becoming a manager was overdone, Toby’s boringness was made clear time and time again, and irrelevant characters cluttered the screen.
It’s hard to blame the cast and producers for continuing season after season because they were trying to squeeze every dollar out of the show that they could, but, as a viewer, I was upset with the decline in the show. Overall, the Office was definitely in the top ten 21st century shows, but the show should have ended earlier than it did.
For me, the Office offers a good show that I can watch over and over again. I get a sense of happiness and safety from watching the same episodes often. On a sick day or a bad day, the Office has the profound ability to cheer me up in a way that nothing else can.
The origins of the Office are traced back to the British’s BBC version, which starred Ricky Gervais. There is no one else who deserves more credit than Greg Daniels: writer and producer. He gained experience working for shows like The Simpsons and Saturday Night Live. Daniels took a risk to develop this show, but his decision paid off.
The actors on the screen are impressive, but the genius is truly in the writing, as most TV producers know. Famed shows like Seinfeld or Breaking Bad had ten or more writers on staff to work on each script. When talented writers get paired with an equally talented actor, success is inevitable, as seen with the Office.
The most memorable aspect of the show were the characters. The cast members knew their characters inside and out. The interactions on screen seemed natural and unstaged. The diversity within the cast also gave writers endless directions to take. The relationships between Dwight and Jim, Dwight and Angela, Michael and Dwight, Pam and Jim, Oscar and Angela, and Michael and Toby all kept viewers laughing.
The peak of the show was definitely the “Stress” episode, which premiered after the Super Bowl. Stanley, the overweight, old, insubordinate African-American character, has a heart attack because of a fire drill gone wrong. Dwight Schrute decides that he should simulate fire conditions because he gave a fire safety chat that no one listened to. So, as a form of revenge, he lights a legitimate fire to teach his co-workers a lesson. Stanley collapses with a stroke, while smoke fills the room. The manager Michael decides to jump on top of the downed Stanley and give him mouth to mouth (not the remedy for someone who has had a stroke). While on top of Stanley’s chest, Michael screams “Don’t die Stanley. The president is black Stanley. You are black Stanley. Barack is black.” This episode shows the situational humor that these diverse characters can create. The survivalist Dwight clashes with the overweight Stanley, and the end result is Stanley suffering from a stroke.
There is no doubt that the show severely dipped in terms of humor and story after that episode. The relationship between Jim and Pam became over romanticized, Dwight’s goal of becoming a manager was overdone, Toby’s boringness was made clear time and time again, and irrelevant characters cluttered the screen.
It’s hard to blame the cast and producers for continuing season after season because they were trying to squeeze every dollar out of the show that they could, but, as a viewer, I was upset with the decline in the show. Overall, the Office was definitely in the top ten 21st century shows, but the show should have ended earlier than it did.
For me, the Office offers a good show that I can watch over and over again. I get a sense of happiness and safety from watching the same episodes often. On a sick day or a bad day, the Office has the profound ability to cheer me up in a way that nothing else can.
