Has NBC's The Office Jumped the Shark?
I've enjoyed the subsequent seasons, too, but I've had some nagging concerns over the last couple of episodes of the third season, and I'm afraid that when The Office returns this fall, we may be treated to a significantly less innovative and gradually more annoying sitcom.
The Jim & Pam relationship is one of the show's biggest draws--at least to the TV viewers who appreciate a bit of depth in their sitcoms. The back-and-forth, unrequited love has been a central theme, but it's getting old. How many episodes do we need with one of them looking despondently away from the camera?
And now that they're together, we'll almost unavoidably see Jim and Pam fighting in the new season, with more interviews painfully detailing their already obvious inner conflicts. But the real draw was the whole unrequited-factor, and they can't get that back (though they'll probably try by making the characters break up in a cliffhanging season-ending episode). Expect a lot of silly plot lines as an attempt to compensate for the loss of the show's biggest emotional punch.
Office boss Steve Carrell has been gradually gone from a stupid but lovable character to almost a caricature of what he once was; no more do we see subtle misguided speeches like in the classic sexual harassment episode or the pathetic but warm moments of humanity (as in the end of the Halloween episode, where a lonely Carrell takes immense joy in handing out candy to trick or treaters after being shunned by his entire staff), but rather we're subjected to hyperbolic comic situations that are far too surreal to be timelessly entertaining(Carrell unwittingly threatening to commit suicide from the top of his building). Much like Homer Simpson, who became more of a joke on himself than a complex character after about season 8 of the Simpsons, Michael Scott is becoming sadly overdone--a great disservice to the acting skills of Steve Carrell, and the audience that has grown to enjoy his role on the show.
There's also something to be said for the inevitable aging of the uncomfortable silences that frequent the show, too. The awkward moments are getting too predictable, less funny, and more uncomfortable; the writers seem willing to sacrifice the dignity of characters for these cheap, trendy laughs, and it's very wearing on an audience.
Ultimately, I'm speaking a little too soon; time will tell if The Office can keep up its winning streak. But as a guy who watches too much TV, I can say that all the signs are there, and The Office appears to be headed downhill.
Published by Phil Dotree - Featured Contributor in Arts & Entertainment and Technology
Phil Dotree has written copy for numerous websites and news sites for five years. His articles have appeared on the Howard Stern Show, Fark, Digg.com, and more. Phil is currently working on a book about fr... View profile
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7 Comments
Post a CommentDid you see the jack black episode? this show has most definitely jumped the shark
This show is getting more bizarre and lame by the week. It is now season 5, and they need to get back to the way the show was the first three and a half seasons. That's what made it great. They don't understand that in sitcoms, success is maintained when things change the least. MASH jumped the shark when Alan Alda took over, and now just look at the never ending producer credits. It's a sitcom-by-committee. Lame. I miss The Office.
I get the feeling they are killing off THAT relationship by end of episode 2. WHY!? It was perfect as the weird little secret it was in season 3!
Problem 3: Pam is no longer Pam. She walks on hot coals and suddenly she's "alternate personality" Pam. Sorry, but I don't like it. I don't care if she had a burst of confidence in the season finale... most people don't "stay changed" through experiences like that. Pam as a character worked because of the mousey introvert she was.
Mainly, I think they should stick to 30 minutes episodes as obviously they just don't know how to fill an hour. Most of last night's episode was stuff that belongs in the DVD "deleted scenes" category.
Phil, you missed the mark on a few of your points ( I actually love that Michael Scott takes things too far - he's the main source of comedy for the show, while everyone else around him are "the straight man" just there to work and get their day over as fast as possible (except Dwight of course)). BUT! You got it right somehow... (Mr Psychic!). The show jumped the shark last night with its 1 hr season 4 premiere.
Putting Pam and Jim together was... OK it wasn't as much the mistake we think it is. It would have been an interesting plot device for those two to keep it a secret during the entire season. But no, instead we are given "happy jim" and "happy pam" as a "happy couple". :-/
Next problem is the same thing, but with Dwight and Angela. Their little "secret relationship" that was shown to us only in little glimpses, was amusing and shocking at the same time. But now they were all blatant about it, with some stupid storyline about a sick cat. WHO CARES!? argh.... I get the fe
I am in full agreement here. I was a fan of the US Office since day one, but this season premiere did not make me feel hopeful about the coming season. And with NBC asking them to make 30 episodes, I think the comedy well is going to run dry before season's end.
It's just you. HA HA But I do think that the season premiere last night was a bit of a let down
Interesting Thank You fer sharin'. ;-}}>