NBC
Nobody saw The Office sticking around for too long. The first season in 2005 was, if not a failure, then certainly a disappointment. The mockumentary about a paper company’s Scranton, Pennsylvania branch was based on the British series of the same name, but replicating its tone was a gamble for the show’s creator, Greg Daniels. Nobody does British humor better than the British, and mercilessly dark comedy proved to be a tough sell for mainstream network American audiences.
Over time, though, the show grew into its own skin, bringing heart to its humor. Soon, you weren’t just laughing at the characters and their workplace foibles; you were rooting for them, too.
Regional manager Michael Scott, played so perfectly by Steve Carell, is the comic—and often emotional—center of the show. (It’s no coincidence that the show’s final two seasons, filmed sans Carell, were a bit of a letdown.) An incompetent, offensive, but ultimately good-natured paper pro, Michael constantly seeks out new ways to entertain and motivate (usually in that order) his employees.
There are his many alter egos, including Date Mike (“Hi, I’m Date Mike, nice to meet me”), secret agent Michael Scarn, Blind-guy Mcsqueezy, who does pretty much what you’d expect him to, and Ping, Michael’s incredibly offensive take on an Asian. But better than his shenanigans is his sheer, unrelenting stupidity, which somehow crosses the line into charming. When he says things like, “Tell him to call me as asap as possible,” or “It’s incalcucable,” you can’t help but root for the guy. And I don’t know who actually invented the “that’s what she said” punch line, but I know Michael Scott gave the joke its teeth.
And then there’s the Jim and Pam saga. The spark between the goofy salesman and the suppressed receptionist was obvious from the pilot episode. But The Office was wise not to rush things, to let the characters explore other relationships (remember Rashida Jones’ criminally underrated Karen?) stand on their own two feet. In the end, it’s tough to think of a more realistic romance in television. From their awkward flirting to their surprise pregnancy, even their eventual marital rough patch, it all comes off as incredibly authentic.
But the great characters don’t stop there: there’s beet-farming quasi-Amish survivalist Dwight; oversized dolt Kevin; uptalker Kelly; weird old Creed, who might also be a serial killer. And the list goes on—the show’s greatest strength lay in its ensemble.
Even as the show fell off the last few seasons, it still retained its fascination with the mundane. Because ultimately, The Office is a show about the relationships we forge with those around us. It proves that sometimes, with only a conference room and a culturally tone-deaf boss, magic can happen. And somehow, against, the odds, they made magic in Scranton, PA.
The Office
Number of Seasons: 9 (201 episodes)
Time Requirements: Okay, 200 episodes is a lot. Even at four eps a night and 10 on the weekends, that’s still a solid week. You’re gonna want to save this one for the holidays; maybe start it over Thanksgiving, then hit the rest between Christmas and going back to work?
Where to Get Your Fix: Netflix, Amazon, Google Play
Best Character to Follow: It’s got to be Michael Scott. Yeah, Jim and Pam are great, and a case could certainly be made for a few other characters. But Michael wins out because, on a pure binge-watching level, he’s consistently funny and thus the most fun to watch. This is a guy who thought that you could literally declare bankruptcy. He also takes improv classes, dry-cleans his jeans, and wrote a memoir called Somehow I Manage.
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