Unpopular Entertainment Opinions • Page 73

I don’t think the Office should be considered one of “Schur’s shows”. Obviously he was influential but he was not the creator and never the show runner.

Also the idea that it started getting bad in season 2 is absolute nonsense. My god.

 

As I am in the middle of rewatching season 5 right now, I can pretty definitively say that season 5 is when the show starts to seriously tank. Episodes like when Jim & Pam get lunch with Jim's brothers are cringey to watch, and not in a good way.

 

It's just hard to watch a show sometimes where everyone besides Oscar and Phyllis sucks, even Steve said Michael wouldn't fly today

 

or the episode where the B-story was a debate over Hillary Swank's physical appearance.

 

Oof. yeah.

 

Also Andy is the worst character, followed closely by Ryan and Kevin. All three started out great in the early seasons and then became insane caricatures of themselves later on.

 

What does he mean he wouldn’t fly today? Michael’s whole character was a recognition that he was wildly inappropriate and wrong. Saying Michael wouldn’t fly today makes it sound like he has no idea what people were laughing at the whole time

 

I've been rewatching the whole series over the past couple of months and I've become waaaaay more critical of seasons 5-7. I used to feel like any season with Michael was quality, but that's not true. 6 and 7 are pretty bad, save for a few really good episodes sprinkled throughout.

 

years after he officially left the show. “Because The Office is on Netflix and replaying, a lot more people have seen it recently,” Carell told Esquire. “And I think because of that there’s been a resurgence in interest in the show, and talk about bringing it back. But apart from the fact that I just don’t think that’s a good idea," he continued, "it might be impossible to do that show today and have people accept it the way it was accepted ten years ago."
comedy, something Carell is very aware of. "The climate’s different," he said. "I mean, the whole idea of that character, Michael Scott, so much of it was predicated on inappropriate behavior. I mean, he’s certainly not a model boss. A lot of what is depicted on that show is completely wrong-minded. That’s the point, you know? But I just don’t know how that would fly now."


It took me so long to find the quote, I don't know if the show calls Michael out on his bullshit because Toby and Jan aren't fun because they make him face consequences

 

Yeah I think it's obvious that there would be certain dynamics or plot points that would be changed today since the general perception of certain story tropes have really soured over the past 10ish years. But at the same time it's pretty hilarious that he thinks The Office of all shows pushes it a little too far lol

 

I mean he's not completely wrong. The diversity training episode would probably not be as well received today as it was in 2005.

 

I can't go back and watch it right now, but why? Isn't the whole joke that Michael is inappropriately racist and everyone is brutally aware but unable to do anything about it? The only way that shouldn't fly would be if the humor was the racism, which was never what The Office was. It's Always Sunny is still going strong -- it probably has a bigger cult following than ever before -- and they push that line much more than The Office.

Overall it seems like it would be pretty easy to retool the show to simply make Michael a less sympathetic/redeemable character (isn't that what they did with the UK version?) -- that it isn't the humor that's the problem, but the character's inevitable acceptance and love for him despite it.

 

Michael is very accurately written to the type of character hes supposed to be, I just dont get why that's funny. Like, it's not funny in real life so I'm not sure what makes it funny with a camera in front of it. Cringe humor has always mostly fallen flat to me though.

 

You’ve come to the correct thread

 

But, like, the vast majority of comedic things wouldn’t be funny in real life lol. Looney Tunes would be animal abuse. The fact that it’s not real and has no real stakes is what allows the audience to put their guard down and laugh at it

 

The cringe humor from Michael makes me laugh because it reminds me of idiots that I know and it’s like, “Dudes like this are the worst!” and you get to laugh at them, not with them.

 

Good point. I haven't seen the episode in a long time, but I just remember Michael doing different accents and racial stereotypes, but you're right, the joke was that he was unaware, while everyone else was very aware.

 

It reminds me of debates about the different eras of Seinfeld. There are people who really enjoy the last few seasons, after Larry David left, but it loses all of the realism of the original show and the characters become caricatures of themselves.

 

I definitely enjoy the last two of Seinfeld. Those moments were always there, they just occurred more often.

 

Giddy up!

 

Most comedies that stick around long enough follow that same trajectory.

 

The last two of Seinfeld are still better than the majority of other sitcoms.

 

6 seasons and a movie!

 

There are so many bad moments in those last couple seasons of "The Office" and weird loose ends like Phyllis possibly being Erin's mom, the whole "Scranton Strangler" thing, Nellie's introduction, the over reliance on Dwight and Erin and Andy's relationship where he's super toxic and still we were supposed to root for them even when Andy was cheating on his girlfriend. It's tough to watch.