2008 Woodie Awards
The Office
The Big Picture
Amy Gorczowski
Issue date: 11/8/07 Section: Features
Students looking for a laugh, chuckle or chortle need not look further than "The Office." Broadcasted Thursdays at 8 p.m. on NBC, the show offers hilarious jokes while sticking to a loose plot.
The show is based on a British show of the same name. Many earlier episodes of the U.S. show were copycats from the UK version, which lasted only two seasons.
This season marks the fourth for the U.S. Office, and the first season that it will not have any UK story lines to copy cat. Some are concerned this lack of structure and story may hurt ratings.
Kicking off the season with four one-hour long episodes, it seemed as though audience members would be disappointed by the fourth season of "The Office." Episodes seem to drag on, and while humorous, one could easily get bored.
Once the episodes were cut back to the regular half hour time slots, however, the humor and consistency picked up.
There are some noticeable changes from the previous seasons, however. Other seasons focused more on the work environment. Romantic relationships and thick plots were limited and taken lightly.
The fourth season puts a large emphasis on romantic relationships. There are at least five relationship problems going on in the season thus far and there is potential for more. While the plot remains interesting, a heavy focus on relationships seems sluggish after a while.
Another big development, three seasons in the making, is that Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) finally start dating, something that has been anticipated for quite a while. The problem now, though, will be keeping viewers interested.
Many tuned in each week solely to see developments between Jim and Pam. Now that the suspense is gone, it is hard to stay interested in specific relationships within the show.
Not to say that the show is not funny anymore. The first few episodes seemed to get off to a rough start, but that might be due in part to the length. Keeping an audience going on a few storylines for an entire hour is much harder than doing the same for a half hour.
Another aspect played up in previous seasons is the stupidity of regional manger Michael Scott (Steve Carell). However, in some recent episodes, the writers seem to play this up a bit too much.
The whole premise of the show is that a camera crew is following the characters around to make a documentary of their interactions, so it is presumed that characters will do believable things. Some stints and statements made by Scott seem, while funny, a little unbelievable.
Several changes have occurred this season, from relationships to overall storyline. However, "The Office" is still one of the best sitcoms primetime has to offer. For those who have not already, watching the previous three seasons is highly recommended.
All three seasons are available on DVD in stores, and season four episodes are available too free of charge online at nbc.com.
The show is based on a British show of the same name. Many earlier episodes of the U.S. show were copycats from the UK version, which lasted only two seasons.
This season marks the fourth for the U.S. Office, and the first season that it will not have any UK story lines to copy cat. Some are concerned this lack of structure and story may hurt ratings.
Kicking off the season with four one-hour long episodes, it seemed as though audience members would be disappointed by the fourth season of "The Office." Episodes seem to drag on, and while humorous, one could easily get bored.
Once the episodes were cut back to the regular half hour time slots, however, the humor and consistency picked up.
There are some noticeable changes from the previous seasons, however. Other seasons focused more on the work environment. Romantic relationships and thick plots were limited and taken lightly.
The fourth season puts a large emphasis on romantic relationships. There are at least five relationship problems going on in the season thus far and there is potential for more. While the plot remains interesting, a heavy focus on relationships seems sluggish after a while.
Another big development, three seasons in the making, is that Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) finally start dating, something that has been anticipated for quite a while. The problem now, though, will be keeping viewers interested.
Many tuned in each week solely to see developments between Jim and Pam. Now that the suspense is gone, it is hard to stay interested in specific relationships within the show.
Not to say that the show is not funny anymore. The first few episodes seemed to get off to a rough start, but that might be due in part to the length. Keeping an audience going on a few storylines for an entire hour is much harder than doing the same for a half hour.
Another aspect played up in previous seasons is the stupidity of regional manger Michael Scott (Steve Carell). However, in some recent episodes, the writers seem to play this up a bit too much.
The whole premise of the show is that a camera crew is following the characters around to make a documentary of their interactions, so it is presumed that characters will do believable things. Some stints and statements made by Scott seem, while funny, a little unbelievable.
Several changes have occurred this season, from relationships to overall storyline. However, "The Office" is still one of the best sitcoms primetime has to offer. For those who have not already, watching the previous three seasons is highly recommended.
All three seasons are available on DVD in stores, and season four episodes are available too free of charge online at nbc.com.
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