The Office Finale

[Angie]

You don't get to be called the best of any era with only 3 seasons.

False. The British version of The Office was far superior to the American version, and there were only, what, 14 episodes? I really liked the first five seasons or so of the American version, but Arrested Development was always funny in ways that The Office couldn't even aspire to. They took the same sort of genre with the documentary, and just made it clever. Stuff from season 1 foreshadowed the last season, etc. - The Office never had that kind of vision or cleverness.

 

[Rhoadhoused]

The whole plot with andy was just confusing. They made the audience pull for him to get Erin, and then turned him into this idiot jerk who just disappears for months (to accomodate Ed Helms' movie schedule). He wasnt bad until they just destroyed his character this season.

Robert California couldve been so good. I loved Spader in Boston Legal, but the character they wrote for him was a complete waste of his talents.




Yeah, though thankfully they had a good resolution to that. I still think she shouldve told him to take that few month road gig for the new company... after all they did invest a ton of money into it.


I cant blame NBC for that. Its one of only a couple shows giving NBC halfway decent ratings. Theyve cancelled better stuff in the last 5 years that is better than the crap they have on most of their lineup now(though theyve now cancelled most of that too).

I agree on everything except that Pam story arc should've been about 3 episodes long not 2 seasons.

 

[Rhoadhoused]

How can a comedy be "ahead of it's time?" Especially if there is no storyline? And why didn't anyone want to watch it if it was so great?

The Office
Comedy- 10
Storyline-9
Longevity-10

AD
Comedy- 10
Storyline-2
Longevity-5

I am getting too worked up about this haha.

 

[DistrictCyclone]

You have obviously never watched The Office. I just finished watching through AD waiting for the new season. It just isn't close. I tell everyone who will listen how funny AD is, but you are just plain wrong. AD couldn't go as long as The Office did at the level it did.

You seem to not understand how hard it is to keep a sitcom going for that long, and AD couldn't even manage a 4th season on television. As great as it was, it got old and people got tired of it because nothing was new and there was no storyline. It was just a kid awkwardly coming on to his cousin and a bunch of unemployed idiots. Which makes for a great season or two of comedy, but doesn't get you anywhere big picture.

I like The Office, a lot. It's a very good show and I watched the first 5-6 seasons religiously. It is very funny. But it doesn't hold a candle to AD.

Longevity doesn't mean **** to me. Case in point: The Simpsons. That show has been garbage for over a decade, even though the first 6-7 seasons were arguably better than AD.

And AD IS getting a 4th season. People realized how dumb Fox was for canceling it that they're bringing it back a whole decade later because it was that good.

This isn't a zero sum game; they can BOTH be good series. I just think that AD is much better.

 

[CyArob]

How can a comedy be "ahead of it's time?" Especially if there is no storyline? And why didn't anyone want to watch it if it was so great?

The Office
Comedy- 10
Storyline-9
Longevity-10

AD
Comedy- 10
Storyline-2
Longevity-5

I am getting too worked up about this haha.

If The Office gets a 10 for comedy, AD should get a 20.

 

[Angie]

How can a comedy be "ahead of it's time?" Especially if there is no storyline? And why didn't anyone want to watch it if it was so great?

The Office
Comedy- 10
Storyline-9
Longevity-10

AD
Comedy- 10
Storyline-2
Longevity-5

There was absolutely a storyline. The whole overarching point was Michael trying to work against his family to hold them together. There was the Iraqi storyline, and then there were about a billion subplots - Maebe and her irresponsibility, George Michael and his weird cousin lust, GOB wanting to be Michael but not wanting to be, Michael wanting to grow beyond his family and to move on from Tracy's death, but being too attached to George Michael, etc., etc., etc. That's how a sitcom works - one overarching theme, and then supporting subplots.

I can throw out arbitrary numbers, too, but I fail to see how "longevity" is at all an indicator of greatness. Freaks and Geeks was one of the best shows I've ever seen, and made it for a season. Conversely, somehow Two and a Half Men is still on. The overall poor taste of our population really isn't their fault.

 

[DistrictCyclone]

And another thing, AD did have a storyline. The patriarch went to prison for shady business practices. His son tried everything to keep the company afloat. He had to deal with a domineering mother and 3 deadbeat siblings in order to do so (and a pot-smoking uncle, ****ed up attorneys, and a whole cast of other great characters). The storyline was a PERFECT depiction of how a dysfunctional family would operate in a crisis.

 

[Rhoadhoused]

I like The Office, a lot. It's a very good show and I watched the first 5-6 seasons religiously. It is very funny. But it doesn't hold a candle to AD.

Longevity doesn't mean **** to me. Case in point: The Simpsons. That show has been garbage for over a decade, even though the first 6-7 seasons were arguably better than AD.

And AD IS getting a 4th season. People realized how dumb Fox was for canceling it that they're bringing it back a whole decade later because it was that good.

This isn't a zero sum game; they can BOTH be good series. I just think that AD is much better.

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. AD got a cult following after it was cancelled and now that it has been gone for so long people wanted more badly, including me. It was funny and had some clever humor but wasn't bound by any type of actual reality or direction, which is it's own thing, but for me that makes what the Office did more impressive. They did it working around reality and a plot, which I appreciate more.

 

[DistrictCyclone]

God I love you, Angie (don't tell Janny).

 

[Rhoadhoused]

And another thing, AD did have a storyline. The patriarch went to prison for shady business practices. His son tried everything to keep the company afloat. He had to deal with a domineering mother and 3 deadbeat siblings in order to do so (and a pot-smoking uncle, ****ed up attorneys, and a whole cast of other great characters). The storyline was a PERFECT depiction of how a dysfunctional family would operate in a crisis.

It is a pretty outrageous caricature of that situation.

I'd say 75% of the show could never happen under any circumstances in real life.

 

[DistrictCyclone]

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. AD got a cult following after it was cancelled and now that it has been gone for so long people wanted more badly, including me. It was funny and had some clever humor but wasn't bound by any type of actual reality or direction, which is it's own thing, but for me that makes what the Office did more impressive. They did it working around reality and a plot, which I appreciate more.

The Office is bound by reality? Sure, everyone has Michael Scott as a boss and Dwight Schrute as a coworker. :rollseyes:

 

[Gonzo]

You have obviously never watched The Office. I just finished watching through AD waiting for the new season. It just isn't close. I tell everyone who will listen how funny AD is, but you are just plain wrong. AD couldn't go as long as The Office did at the level it did.

You seem to not understand how hard it is to keep a sitcom going for that long, and AD couldn't even manage a 4th season on television. As great as it was, it got old and people got tired of it because nothing was new and there was no storyline. It was just a kid awkwardly coming on to his cousin and a bunch of unemployed idiots. Which makes for a great season or two of comedy, but doesn't get you anywhere big picture.

 

[Angie]

I guess we will just have to agree to disagree. AD got a cult following after it was cancelled and now that it has been gone for so long people wanted more badly, including me. It was funny and had some clever humor but wasn't bound by any type of actual reality or direction, which is it's own thing, but for me that makes what the Office did more impressive. They did it working around reality and a plot, which I appreciate more.

I disagree, but that aside - do you like Seinfeld? That's arguably the most successful comedy in the history of television, and it managed almost a decade with no reality or direction.

 

[Angie]

God I love you, Angie (don't tell Janny).

And I you (also don't tell Janny). You have magnificent taste.

 

[Rhoadhoused]

There was absolutely a storyline. The whole overarching point was Michael trying to work against his family to hold them together. There was the Iraqi storyline, and then there were about a billion subplots - Maebe and her irresponsibility, George Michael and his weird cousin lust, GOB wanting to be Michael but not wanting to be, Michael wanting to grow beyond his family and to move on from Tracy's death, but being too attached to George Michael, etc., etc., etc. That's how a sitcom works - one overarching theme, and then supporting subplots.

I can throw out arbitrary numbers, too, but I fail to see how "longevity" is at all an indicator of greatness. Freaks and Geeks was one of the best shows I've ever seen, and made it for a season. Conversely, somehow Two and a Half Men is still on. The overall poor taste of our population really isn't their fault.

But those storylines aren't presented in a realistic way at all and that isn't the focus of the show. They aren't seriously considered and they can be dropped at any point. The show is about the ridiculous situations they are in on a per episode basis, maybe a couple episodes have a them when strung together, but there is no plot that they are bound and nothing that is actually compelling moreso than the quirkiness of the characters.

 

[DistrictCyclone]

I disagree, but that aside - do you like Seinfeld? That's arguably the most successful comedy in the history of television, and it managed almost a decade with no reality or direction.

Boom. "show about nothing" was how it was described, and it's still hilarious (and dating very well, unlike almost every other sitcom from the 90s). Same is true for Curb Your Enthusiasm.

 

[Angie]

But those storylines aren't presented in a realistic way at all and that isn't the focus of the show. They aren't seriously considered and they can be dropped at any point. The show is about the ridiculous situations they are in on a per episode basis, maybe a couple episodes have a them when strung together, but there is no plot that they are bound and nothing that is actually compelling moreso than the quirkiness of the characters.

Again, I disagree about there being no realism - it was obviously farcical at points, but that's beside the point. When did realism ever become a measure of a great comedy? I again submit Seinfeld.

 

[Rhoadhoused]

I disagree, but that aside - do you like Seinfeld? That's arguably the most successful comedy in the history of television, and it managed almost a decade with no reality or direction.

I would never argue against Seinfeld, but that was the whole point of the TV show and it was on for a decade, unlike AD. Seinfeld's plot was real life. Real stupid little things that everyone experienced. Not an uncle who always wears jean shorts or teenage kid trying to get with his cousin or a banana stand burning down.

Seinfeld is on another level that even The Office can't touch, I can say that.

 

[Al_4_State]

What long term story line exists in the Office? Jim and Pam?

The Office was brilliant for 4 seasons, but then the Jim/Pam storyline overtook things, and they lost Steve Carrell. Should have ended after 5 seasons.

I won't hold the last 4 seasons against the show, but they seem like a lame attempt at distilling money from a deservedly strong brand.

 

[DistrictCyclone]

But those storylines aren't presented in a realistic way at all and that isn't the focus of the show. They aren't seriously considered and they can be dropped at any point. The show is about the ridiculous situations they are in on a per episode basis, maybe a couple episodes have a them when strung together, but there is no plot that they are bound and nothing that is actually compelling moreso than the quirkiness of the characters.

What is realistic about a beet-farming, former-pilot, karate master paper salesman who collects cat poop? If you're honestly trying to claim that the office is more "realistic" than AD, then I want some of what you're smoking.