I don’t usually watch a lot of TV, but lately I can’t seem to get enough of The Office on NBC. It’s a comedy that’s filmed as a ‘documentary’ about the office workers of a fictitious paper supply company (Dunder Mifflin) located in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
The writers do a nice job of portraying stereotypical characters found in Corporate America, along with the inane activities (e.g. team building, agenda-less meetings, performance reviews) that collectively make up a dysfunctional culture.
The documentary perspective of the show, gives you the impression that you’re in the room with the office workers looking through the camera lense….like you’re the cameraman. You’ll find the characters occasionally looking directly into the camera during awkward moments so you know exactly what that person is thinking or feeling. Sometimes the ackwardness is so intense that I have to look the other way, while still laughing. It’s like when someone says or does something stupid in the office and you glance over at another co-worker to facially express the stupidity….we’ve all done it.
For anyone that’s worked in Corporate America, you’ll recognize the cast of characters….most likely as your co-workers!
Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) – Michael’s the idiot boss that makes you question how he ever landed his job….we’ve all had to report to a Michael at least once in our career.
Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) – Jim’s the bright office worker that performs well beneath his capabilities because anything more would threaten his boss.
Pam Beesley (Jenna Fischer) – She’s the sweet receptionist that let’s everyone walk all over her.
Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) – He’s the die-hard, loyal employee that will do anything for the company….and I mean anything!
Meridith Palmer (Kate Flannery) – Meridith brings her personal problems into the office and at times shares a little too much about her personal life….too much information please.
Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) – Stanley’s just biding his time until he can retire, so he’s very removed from company activities and friendships. He spends most of his day trying to ignore his co-workers and boss.
Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) – Angela minds everyone’s business but her own. She’s always reminding you that you took 5 extra minutes on your lunch break.
Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling) – Kelly’s always trying to initiate an office romance….even when no one’s interested.
Ryan Howard (B.J. Novak) – Be careful of Ryan, he’ll go behind everyone’s back (including his boss) to move up the corporate ladder….he’s very sneaky!
Holly Ryan (Amy Ryan) – Holly’s the naive human resource professional that thinks she was hired to uphold corporate policies, like ethical behavior. She soon finds out that the written policies are for perception only and realizes that she has to look the other way if she wants to stay employed….I can relate to Holly!
Andy Benard (Ed helms) – Andy’s the back stabbing employee that tries to make others look bad so that he looks better by default.
Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) – For no good reason, the boss has decided that he just doesn’t like Toby and treats him differently than other employees….I know how Toby feels!
You should really consider tuning into the show once a week. At the very least, it’ll give you the chance to watch NBC take jabs at American corporate culture and keep you laughing for 30 minutes. And for anyone (like me) that missed the first few seasons and would like to catch up, TBS has a three hour marathon every Tuesday night….enjoy!
