The Office running thread

I've never really been around a pregnant woman, but I'm sure at that point they do get quite insecure

 

I've seen a few shows this year. The series has had it.

 

It's just not the same show. Love Spader, but I don't like the new Pam and Jim, and Dwight is so over the top it's not that funny anymore. Yelling at the old man in the drug store and feeling up Jim's crotch? Really? And where the hell is Creed?

 

Creed is doing what he's always done: One quick gag an episode. That's what keeps his character funny.

My only real character problem right now is Gabe. It seems like they just write a new personality for him every few episodes.

 

I actually thought this ep was a bit of a comeback from the one before it. The open was tremendous. And Spader is better just playing the harmonica than trying to do comedic acting.

 

You might be right. I don't even remember the previous episode -- which isn't a good sign, and may well prove your point.

 

I have more or less decided to view Goodbye, Michael as the series finale. That way the current version cannot sully my memories of the old show.

Your Mileage may vary, in which case I suggest viewing Niagra as the series finale.

 

When Smasher has given up on the show, it's over. And that's to say I really respect his opinion on it.

 

Gracias. I've hung in there, but now it's really gone off the tracks. They're doing more things outside the office, Dwight is a complete cartoon, some of the characters have been almost abandoned, and they've lost any sense of nuance. It happens. After so many episodes, you run out of ideas, even with new cast members. It's not unwatchable, but it's a shadow of what it used to be.

 

I think these days, a six or seven year run for a great show is the equivalent of a 10 year run back in the 80s and 90s.

I thought Seinfeld was awful its final three seasons after Larry David left. But the level of scrutiny wasn't nearly as high. Imagine a world where every single episode of Cheers was exhaustively reviewed by a hundred bloggers. We watch TV differently now. It's ok to feel bad about The Office. They've run out of stories to tell and it has nothing to do with Jim and Pam getting together. Too many of the best writers left. And it set a standard that it couldn't maintain.

 

With Seinfeld, it's weird. I wanted to think the last season was awful, but when I go back and watch on DVD, some of the funnier episodes were in seasons 8 and 9. Now the back half of Season 9 was a wreck, and the finale was embarrassing. But it wasn't all doom and gloom after David left.

Personally, I thought the season that dealt with the pilot (Season 4?) was the least entertaining.

 

I think a major flaw, built into the premise, is the setting. And "Parks and Recreation" may run into this, as well. It's difficult to keep that many people together in a single office for all these years while still having them progress in their lives. To me, family shows have a longer potential shelf life because people can progress in their professional and personal lives, but stay close to the cast. Or a show like "Friends" or "Seinfeld" or "Cheers" where you are focusing on a group of friends that don't work together. It is tough to string out a work sitcom without too many contrivances.

I'll give poster Bydesign credit, though. He is going to go down this ship, no matter what it takes. That's loyalty.