1922 - The Office: Christmas Special

I haven't seen this in years and since I'm re-studying the mockumentary style there's few finer examples.  This series has inspired me to no end, and I believe it's the awkward humour and the way it tickles the heart that's absolutely seeped into my own style.  There's something so admirable about the way that the British do their series, short and sweet, and never any waste.  It's surprising to think that this is over a decade old now, or around that.  I love the honest and simple closure that this gave the world and the characters we'd grown to love.  David Brent doesn't ride off into the sunset, but we see he's grown a backbone and making choices he never would have made at the beginning of the series.  It's simple and so effective.  If you haven't watch this, the original version of The Office, I don't want to ruin anything for you.  There's much debate over Jim and Pam Vs. Tim and Dawn - and while I love them both, it's hard to beat the original.
Please, if you've never see it, get on it.  There's only 14 episode of the entire series - it's a crime not to give it that 7hrs of your life, even this many years later.  Pretty please, with sugar on top, watch this!

1842 - The Office: season nine

And so it ends.  I know a lot of people that jump out of this series shortly after Steve Carell's departure.  Some people felt that the show stopped being interesting following Jim & Pam's wedding in 'Niagara'.  I'm one that believes the show had a hard time finding it's legs after Carell left, and I wasn't quite sure why - but having thought about it I think now I know.  The show's heyday was really it's first four-five seasons because of the focus on the Jim and Pam relationship - it was one of the most interesting and best told sitcom love stories - easily up there with Sam/Diane, and any other - but once they became a solid couple they had very little do what - was was left was the emptiness inside of Michael Scott to play with - that was the heart of the show after Jim & Pam - now the problem was that once Michael rode off with his true love the show had no emotional core left.  All of the cast is great, it's solid, but they are all comedic foil and so there was nothing really to ground into emotionally as far as stakes were concerned.  When Greg Daniels returned for the final season he fixed that by throwing a big wrench into the Jim & Pam relationship and giving us something to root for.  And I loved how simple and real their problems were.  It wasn't some new person for either of them to fall for - it was real life stuff - and being similar to their situation where you've got two little kids and your own personal desires - let's just say it hit home pretty deep.  My wife and I's lives have coincided with JIm & Pams in an interesting way, so it's been fun to have that and it'll be missed for sure.  

So to speak more specifically about this season - it's easily been it's strongest in a long while - although the show never quite knew what to do with Ed Helm's character despite it trying really really hard, I like where they ended up with him.  Ellie Kemper was the bright spot of the second half of the Office's life span and she brought a much needed energy to the show, and Clark Duke was a great addition into the final season - I wish he'd been there prior.  Alas.  

I like the way the show wrapped itself up, I appreciated seeing old friends in the final episode - and people moving on or staying behind felt natural and realistic.  There was some great sentiment in the closing minutes, and although I strongly believe that the show needed to end it's run, I can't say that I won't miss checking in on the employees of The Office.  It's a bit surreal that it's over - but now I can allow myself to catch up on other sitcoms I've put on the back burner.  If you've never check this series out, start from the beginning - or at least from the second season - the first season is a bit rough, if I'm being completely honest…  Goodbye Dunder Mifflin - you will be missed!

1730 - The Office: season eight

I can't think of a single person who thinks this season was anywhere even close to the kind of quality the show was so famous for merely a few seasons ago.  It's not terrible.  It's just… I don't even know.  In a weird way I didn't exactly miss Steve Carell, I think what bothers me more than anything is that they have this stock pile of great characters and they don't have a goddamn clue what to do with any of them.  The show has just gotten goofy as well.  Who knows why they hell they keep Gabe around anymore (he had such great promise).  The show probably has too many characters as well, to be honest.  To the point where many of them get little to no screen time.  Pam and Jim haven't been interesting on the show for almost two seasons now - mostly because the writers have given them zero goals, they just sit adrift inside of the office.  For a show that once had a really strong narrative and trajectory, now it seems happy to just sit still and do absolutely nothing but try to maintain the statue quo while flirting with the idea of big changes being afoot.  I loved the idea of reintroducing David Wallace at the end, and I can only hope that it means that when we come back to the new season (Yes, I will come back - god knows why) that it means a crack down will occur.  Things will get series, fast, and people will start being held accountable.  Kelly and Dwight (and perhaps Ryan)  will be departing the series soon enough, so hopefully they'll be doing some interesting things with those characters when the show returns.  To be fair, they couldn't do less interesting things… I remain hopefully - though I don't know why...

1694 - Terri

This film was a favorite at Sundance last year and it's not surprising.  It fits right into that quirky mold.  Terri tells the story of a depressed, obese, high school student who has to help take care of his mentally ill Uncle (played by The Office's Creed Bratton, surprisingly), and also who happens to wear pajamas all the time.  Why?  "Because they're comfortable."  The real reason - it's unique and looks cool on a film poster. 
What I liked about this film was that it's not your typical film about a highschool loser who learns to fit in and who people get to know and realize that he's a really great person.  And it doesn't take the Glee route where the outcasts are actually just as attractive as the cool kids.  It feels a lot more authentic than that.  People think Terri is weird and they avoid him.  John C Reilly plays a guidance councilor who has the best intentions for his student but at one point muses something to the effect of: "I wonder if I shouldn't just let you all be terrible to one another, prepare you for the real world."  And that rings pretty damn true. 
While I found that the film made a lot of choices for the sake of being non-traditional rather than honest and true to the characters, I think that there's a decent audience for a film like this.  At the same time it's the kind of film that will frustrate anyone looking for the usual character arc.  Terri isn't like that.  He's pretty much the same depressed obese kid at the end that he is at the beginning.  In fact not a lot changes for the character or the world inside of Terri - if anything it's just catching a glimpse of that world - which in and of itself makes the film watchable. 
I liked it but I didn't love it.  It's on netflix for those that are curious about it. 

1679 - Life's Too Short: season one

I think that it goes without saying that Merchant and Gervais are two of the most inspiring people working in comedy today.  Their first two series The Office and Extras are near perfect - especially their finales. I was ridiculously excited to see this new series, the title alone along with the concept was a lot of fun, and the idea that Merchant and Gervais would be playing themselves.  It's their usual awkward humour, and it's probably never more awkward than it is here.  And I know that I'm echoing this from other reviewers, but it really does feel that Warwick has been asked to turn himself into the next David Brent (which he does wonderfully).  You're never rooting for him so much as you're excited to see just how terribly he's going to mess up whatever situation he's in.  Or when something good happens, how bad it's going to become shortly thanks to karma.  I can't imagine that in real life that Davis is anything even close to the asshole he plays on the show, but he's quite terrible here, and it ultimately makes me wonder if this show isn't just about amusing the creators themselves... all you need to do is watch some one of the behind the scenes videos to see how enjoyable it is for Gervais to watch Warwick doing uncomfortable things.  And it's not unlike their reality series An Idiot Abroad, where he admits to the show being about him really like watching him put his friend in terrible situations.  Given that another season on this series has already been announced it might be far too early to write it off, but given where and how it ends I'm just not sure where it can and will go, and sadly, I'm not sure I care.  Unlike Extras and The Office there aren't any characters here who I actually like and want to root for, instead it's more like slowing down to watch a car wreck - which is fine the first time through, but hard to talk yourself into going back for a second glance.  The Huffington Post put it quite well:

There were laughs of course, and by the standards of average TV sitcoms Life's Too Short was excellent. But Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant will never be measured against the standards of average TV sitcoms - nor would they wish to be. The Office and Extras, particularly the denouements, made comedy into something stirring and beautiful and new.
In the end the disappointing thing about Life's Too Short wasn't that the falling out of cars and not reaching door bells felt like exploitation - it's that they felt like the freshest ideas on offer.

So if you love Gervais and Merchant then you'll want to give this a go, but it's far from their best work. 

1567 - The Office: season seven

When you watch a season as it plays out (as opposed to catching on after-the-fact) it's hard to review it without the review being, more-or-less, a commentary in the finale.  I'll do my best...
This is going to sound harsh, but I say it with love, The Office fucked up.  I realize that it's tough for a show to go on as long as this one has and try to keep it fresh and interesting - but The Office has not been keeping up to the challenge.  Does it do interesting and surprising things lately?  Sure!  But it also announces that it's going to do them months ahead of doing them.  Everyone knew Carrell was leaving.  Everyone knew that Ferrell had a guest spot coming up - and everyone knew who the cameos in the finale was going to be.  It would appear that NBC is so worried about not having viewers that they can't keep anything to themselves and let the audience discover it through watching the show.  Don't get me wrong - there was some really really great stuff in this season, and if you're a fan of the show, or just catching up, it's worth watching still - absolutely.  But for those who haven't watched - I'm about to go into SPOILER TERRITORY, so beware...
There is no denying that this season has been the Michael Scott Farewell Tour, and to it's success, by the time he was gone I didn't miss him from the show - not to say that I don't like Carrell or the character - but he had out-served his usefulness.  Many can and will argue that the show itself has as well.  The big question has been "Who will replace Michael?"  And we thought that the finale was going to resolve that - it didn't - and not in an awesome cliff-hanger way - more in a way that made me feel like they were just bidding their time.  And the worst part is that they're probably going to announce it prior to the first episode anyway (if they don't I'll happily eat my words).  One of my larger issues is that there is some sad character inconsistencies.  Darryl has always been a bright level headed guy, but because they don't want to have him take over all of a sudden he starts acting weird and unqualified.  It felt like a stretch.  And as much as I enjoyed how horrible Dwight did when he was filling in as manager, part of me thinks that they pushed that forward a bit too much.  I don't want Dwight to be the boss, but I'm not sure that he would have made those mistakes.  The biggest flaw with the show right now is that it's just not acting logically.  Jim is refusing the job - why?  For no reason whatsoever - and why isn't Pam in consideration?  She was essentially Michael's second for a long time.  Will I tune in next season?  Of course I will, but this show has to find something for itself to anchor to.
The Office: Season Seven 

The Office: Goodbye, Michael

I don't write reviews on individual episodes, but I want to make an exception in this case, and as such I'm going to tell you up front that this will probably be VERY SPOILER HEAVY and so if you haven't seen it and don't want it spoilt - simple - don't read.

Many people have commented that this season feels like (and quite frankly is) the Michael Scott Farewell Tour.  It was announced pretty early on that it would be the last season with the character and I wonder if that wasn't a big mistake.  I wonder if it wasn't a marketing trick to get people back to the show that had left.  Personally I would have rather seen it unfold in real time - to learn, as the other characters did, that Michael was leaving.  The whole time we would have thought that something will happen to keep him there - never being able to believe that he'd actually walk away.  I really liked this episode and I'd be lying if I didn't admit to feeling a bit weepy  during a sequence between Michael and Jim.  As the season has been extremely Michael heavy the other characters have disappeared into the background and Jim was one of them - as a character that's had some of the best moments of the entire series, this one was easily added to them. 

I think that the strongest testament to this episode and how it showed how Michael has grown as a character is having him decide to not let everyone know he's leaving a day early - deciding to not have people make a fuss about him.  The Michael from season one never would have done that.  Michael's character has always been on a quest for a family, and now that he's going to have an actual one with Holly (yippee!!!!!!) he doesn't need The Office anymore - he's out grown it.  What will happen in his place?  I have no idea - but I'll stick around.  The Office has done a really good job of finding ways to keep it fresh in the last season or so - by having the company sold to another corporation, and thereby bringing in a few new characters, bringing Daryl up to the main floor, bringing in Erin (who is a great great great addition) I think that this show has given itself new life for some time.  It'll be interesting to see how far it can go with whatever direction they're heading...

1381 - 30 Rock: season three

It's funny, it was only in this season that I realized how terrible the 'show within a show' is. I think I just didn't pay that much attention to it earlier. I really like this show and it holds it's place among very few other love-action series that have gotten away with zany characters and off the way, sometimes very dark, humour. The only other that really comes to mind is Arrested Development. I realize that this series is Tina Fey's baby, and it shows. She's fantastic both in front of and behind the camera. With Carrell's imminent departure from The Office, it's possible for that show to go on - this series would not survive her leaving - her behind the scenes work aside, her character is the glue that holds it together. It was a magical inspirational stroke that put Alec Baldwin in this role, and I daresay it gave him new life in a really good way.

I'll keep watching it as long as they keep making it.

1350 - The Office: season six

I know that Erin (Kelly 2) was introduced in season five, but she is one of the breaths of fresh air that this season so desperately needed. Now what I'm about to say, I say with love: this was the series weakest season. Now that comment is a testimony to how great the show is (when it's great). Granted, this season paid off some wonderful things, in particular with Jim & Pam - however now it feels like their story is over. Dead, really. Now they're just... that couple. There's no 'spark' to them anymore. And sometimes I find them a bit catty and... mean. Before they were playful. Now that they're all married and have a family their behavior often feels a bit juvenile. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I wouldn't be upset if their characters left Dunder-Mifflin. I love them, and the actors that play them, but they are bogging the show down just a bit.
The biggest problem that this season had was simply missed opportunities. It seemed like they were really good at setting stuff up but lousy at paying it off. Jim becoming co-manager. GREAT IDEA! And then... they didn't do a whole lot with it. And then it was over. Huh. Others they feel like they're taking their time with, which scares me into wondering if they don't have anything really great to build to anymore.
I want to make it clear that this season was still filled with great moments, I laughed A LOT, but I also found myself wanting more. It's just not as good as it's been, it's set it's own standards too high and now it's not meeting them.
They've set up a lot of interesting things for next season (which could be the last, or just the last for Michael). Let's see if they can pay them off...

1226 - The Office: season five

Finally after all these years I'm finally caught up to what is probably the best half-hour show on the air right now. Goddamn is this show good. And this season, really great. From Holly, The Michael Scott Paper Company, and the little extra surprise we learn about at the end of this season, the writers are clearly not scared of messing with the status quo and I for one am excited to see where they take us next. This is a show full of great belly-laughs and then moments of just great heart. Love it.

1214 - The Office - season four

This is some of the best comedy writing to ever come from television. It's just really smart, clever, funny writing that all comes out of the characters and situations. Not a bad episode out of this whole season. They do this fantastic thing with having a really lose on-going narrative going on, in which they can still tell these brilliant individual stories. It's beautifully layered and fairy intricate. Far better than it needs to be, and that's why I love it. I'm ashamed that I never gave it a shot right away. It's quickly becoming one of my favorite shows.

1123 - The Office: season three

This show continues to kill me. I can't get over how much it makes me laugh out loud. Each character on the show is so utterly fantastic. Dwight, Toby, Michael, Kevin, Pam, Jim, Drew, Jan, I could go on and on and on. I could list all of the moments that made me laugh out loud but I would just be summarizing most of the season. I loved the merger sub-plot and the twist on the Pam/Jim relationship. Love Jan's story arch and falling for Michael, and I love Toby. He could be one of my favorite things about the show. Can't wait to see where they take Ryan's character in the next season. Looking forward to it!

1100 - The Office: season two

I never expected this version of the show to be this good. The whole cast is stellar. And they use it to it's utmost perfect. The little roles are just so great. Fleshed out in ways the british version never could because of it's short life span. Always great bits and scenarios. And the relationship between Jim and Pam is wonderfully heartbreaking. I love the cliff-hanger that they left this series on. Can't wait to see how it plays out!!!

1075 - The Office: season one (U.S.)

OK. I'll be honest. I avoided this show. To be fair I watched the pilot episode and since it was mostly a rip-off of the British one, which I loved so much, I decided to tune out. Big mistake.

Sure the characters are just Americanized versions, but I think they're a little bit more, there's a slightly different skew to each of them and it works really really well. The stories are unique to North America dealing with health care, etc... Although a short season by U.S. standards it was beautiful. Some ridiculously funny bits. I imagine this show would be tough to cut with a lot of great material to choose from.

What I'm interested in seeing the most is how well the show can sustain itself over the course of sixty-plus episodes, and how they deal with the Tim/Pam dynamic. I'm officially a fan.