Mal ,'The Train Job'
This thread is part of an experiment to determine Buffistas' interest in television discussion. It will close on June 1st, 2007, after which there will be a brief skirmish to sort out what we want to do next. This thread is for discussion of all comedy, regardless of airing station. [NAFDA]
I keep wanting to try The Office, but it's been on so long, and I'm too lazy to catch up on who's who and all that.
We just started watching within the last couple of months. About the only thing you should know going in is that Jim and Pam have unrequited feelings for each other. The rest is easily picked up as you go along, without any loss of enjoyment.
It's Gary Shandling's Show
That was some great tv. I've often wondered how it would hold up.
I've watched S1 of the US Office and like the show a lot, but haven't had time to keep up with it. I loved the UK version like crazy. In fact, after watching S2 of the UK version in one fell swoop, I decided to quit the job I had at the time. I couldn't bear the idea of going into work the next day, so I called in sick and spent the day applying for a new job. Anyway, at a recent wedding, I told this story to a British friend of mine, who dropped that he knows Stephen Merchant, but they always have awkward interactions because they don't know each other well enough to have anything to talk about and are too British to break the ice. He said that now he'll have something to talk with Merchant about, and I've had a little bit of a thrill imagining that interaction (which, of course, isn't really that interesting, basically being a story about some American calling in sick so he could look for work elsewhere, but in my mind, it's a hell of a story).
This is the theme to Gary's show
This is the theme to Gary's show
Gary wrote me a letter and asked if I could write his theme song...
BWAH! Sean, I was thinking the SAME THING!
Possibly my favorite theme song ever.
BWAH! Sean, I was thinking the SAME THING!
Me too!!
I went there and to the Butthole Surfers' "Revolution Part 2" for the chant of Garry Shandling! Garry Shandling! Garry! Garry! Garry Shandling!
I'd never been a big fan of Garry Shandling as a standup until I saw the (kind of ridiculous) HBO special where they gave an award to Jerry Seinfeld. In a panel consisting of Seinfeld, Shandling, Chris Rock, Robert Klein and Anderson Cooper, Shandling was the star-- and his admission that he doesn't actually hone his material, changing his delivery from night to night, made his sloppy-seeming standup performances make so much sense. But conversationally he was hilarious.
Colbert was adorable last night with Paulina Poreskova
Oh, I just saw that! So cute.
These days I can't think "Ric Ocasek" without appending "(Friend of the show)"
I really enjoyed that Comedian Award thing as a symposium on the craft of comedy. Interesting AND funny, how 'bout that?
You guys, I love The Office so much and I'm so excited to talk about it with you all! I'm another recent convert, and I will just say, it is SUPER easy to catch up on this show. The first season is only six episodes, and the second is 22, but they're only about 20-22 minutes each. You'll be done with it in no time!
I am also not a big fan of humiliation comedy, but I think if you can get through the first season, the second and third are a little softer and rely on the humiliation a little less. One thing that The Office does really well is to humanize all of its characters, so they all get to trade off being jerks and being decent people and having socially awkward moments and being clueless and being awesome -- all of which goes a long way toward mitigating the humiliation stuff, for me, because everyone gets their share of being on both sides of the joke at one time or another.
edit: This is just the US version that I'm talking about; I haven't seen more than about half an episode of the British version. Though the British version has Martin Freeman! So clearly I will have to watch it before long.