Preface

• So guys, movies are my primary thing, but every now and again there’s a TV show that I check out for the first time, binge watch, and then REALLY want to talk about.
• And over the past month or so, I watched The Office, which aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013.
• And I swear to God, this is one of the best comedy series I have ever seen.

Premise

• The Office!
• Spoiler-Free!
• Everyone gets so worried about spoilers on TV nowadays, but don’t worry, if you haven’t seen this show, I won’t ruin it for you.
• So The Office is a comedy that basically focuses on this one branch of a paper company called Dunder Mifflin.
• The Scranton Branch of Dunder Mifflin is exactly what you would expect it to be, it’s pretty mundane and your average American workplace.
• But the show does a really cool thing.
• It picks a super boring setting, like a paper company in Scranton, and it establishes characters that you feel like you know.
• All of the characters in this show feel familiar to you.
• For example, you’ve probably had a boss at some point that has said something really wacky and you’re just thinking, “that’s weird.”
• So in this show, the boss is the shining example of someone who says wacky and weird things.
• Enter Steve Carell as Michael Scott.
• Steve Carell is awesome in this role.
• Michael Scott is irreverent, he’s rude, he’s kinda racist, and he can be annoying at times.
• And when you hear that description, you may immediately think that he’s a cartoon.
• But the show gives plenty of episodes to flesh him out as a human being too, and you really see that he has a heart of gold.
• So Michael is the Regional Manager, then there’s the assistant to the regional manager, aka Dwight Schrute.
• Dwight is that one weird co-worker that you have.
• He’s a beet farmer who’s also like an apocalypse planner and he LOVES his job.
• Then you’ve got my favorite character, Jim Halpert, who’s like the laid-back salesman that pranks all of the other employees.
• And since the show needs a romance, enter Pam the receptionist.
• A romance in this show could feel extremely shoe-horned in, but John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer have such great chemistry.
• And their characters are written SO well with one another, that the Jim and Pam relationship winds up being the highlight of the entire show.
• These two are cute to the tenth degree, I can’t even describe it. you need to see it for yourself.
• So those are like the main four players when the show gets started, but there are PLENTY of other characters that come into play too.
• You’ve got Ryan, who’s the temp and is a complete jerk. They set him up with Kelly Kapoor the gossipy customer service girl, and those two are great together.
• You’ve got Stanley and Kevin, the two overweight tired guys.
• Toby, the annoying hr guy.
• The show does a really great job of bringing in new characters too, like Ed Helms from The Hangover comes in as Andy Bernard at the beginning of Season 3.
• Andy was great in the show.
• You’ve got Rashida Jones from Parks and Rec in there for a few seasons.
• The show really has more than a dozen great characters and each of them has a chance to shine.
• They introduce a few characters towards the end of the show, like Gabe and Nellie.
• And I didn’t love those two, but the fact that there are so many other characters that I did love make up for the annoying ones.
• And the character mix is one of the highlights of this show.
• One of my few complaints with the show is that at the end of Season 7, one of the main characters completely leaves the show.
• And that really changes up the entire dynamic of what’s going on.
• Season 8, right after that character leaves, is still okay, but they introduced those new characters, who I said just didn’t work, and the writing felt a little less genuine.
• Season 9, though, you feel like they learned from their mistakes and they really knew how to send the show out on a high note.
• But other than Season 8 and a little bit of Season 9… This show has VERY few problems.

• The show’s a comedy, so we should talk about the humor.
• The Office is a HILARIOUS show if you ask me.
• When you’ve got characters like Michael Scott, a lot of the humor is kind of awkward or even uncomfortable.
• It’s like a wildfire, where you want to look away but you can’t.
• And the show is smart in the weirdest way possible.
• There’s pranks, there’s inside jokes, there’s inside jokes that are carried deeper into further inside jokes.
• But episodes don’t just stand alone, either.
• Each season feels like it has a definitive arc to cover, and by the end of the show, you have a completed story of every character and of this company.
• Each episode tells its story, makes you laugh, but also develops these characters in really subtle ways.
• I’ve already said a few of the characters are kind of ridiculous, but they all feel realistic because of how in-depth the writers go in each episode, in each season, and over the course of the entire show.

• The show is kind of sentimental too.
• Ultimately, it did what Community did.
• The show Community, you know it started at a community college, but ultimately grew into the story of these characters.
• The Office isn’t always a physical office, it’s just wherever they’re all together.
• So appreciate your friends!
• That, and it had a really nice commentary on the normal things.
• The Office is a very normal show in a very normal setting with a few characters that are kind of absurd.
• But for the most part, everything is pretty mundane, and that’s what made the show appealing to me.
• It keeps you interested in these characters, the majority of whom are normal people, working for a paper company in Scranton Pennsylvania!
• The very last line of the show emphasizes that point, and kind of ties it all together.

• But like I’ve already said, AMAZING characters who work great with one another.
• Possibly the cutest romance I’ve ever seen on television in the form of Jim and Pam.
• Awkward humor that never gets too awkward, smart writing about contemporary social issues.
• Hilarious pranks, thorough development of storylines and every single character.
• Not all comedies have broad appeal, and I’ll say that this one definitely isn’t for everyone.
• But get through Season 1, it’s only 6 episodes, then once you’re into Season 2 you’ll know for sure if this is for you or not.

• Even though Season 8 was disappointing, there still wasn’t a single BAD season of The Office.
• Every season had countless things to like about it.
• Or love about it.
• Because I LOVED this show.
• And I’m gonna The Office an A.
• Great re-watchability too.
• After I upload this, there’s like 15 episodes I already know I want to watch again.

• But guys, those are just my thoughts on The Office, be sure to leave yours in the comments down below! And let me know which character from the show you’re most like. For me, it’s Oscar. I’m not Latino or gay, but I’m Oscar…
• You guys can see more posts from me over on youtube.com/MyMovieThoughts , follow me on Twitter @johnmhayeck, and subscribe to this channel because I’ll have like 5 new videos in the next week or so!
• And as always, thanks for reading guys.