Hey,
Great question as ever.
Yes I think in general TV shows do benefit from a specific end date. I think any story feels more satisfying when it has a clear beginning, middle and end. The very nature of commercial American TV shows means that producers are sometimes at the mercy of networks as to when they get to finish. One of the things that fascinates me is how producers cope with those financial restrictions on their creativity. In an ideal world I guess TV shows would just have a premise, tell their story and end. But those imperfections fascinate me a lot.
As for "The Office." Well I was brought up on Friends, Frasier, Spin City, Men Behaving Badly, Red Dwarf, Blackadder and so on. So when I first saw "The Office" I thought it was awful. There were so few jokes and seeing a character get repeatedly humiliated really turned me off. And the acclaim heaped on it didn't help me enjoy it either.
I was still in that mindset when I saw the American Office and couldn't believe that it was getting huge plaudits for its half sit com and half Office copy that it seemed to be. As with many things it took me talking to other people and rewatching both for me to appreciate either.
I certainly think the UK version maintained its integrity better by sticking to the documentary format. It's something which I hold against the American version at least when I have my critics hat on.
I do think Ricky Gervais' performance was superb and some of the moments in the UK version were wonderful observations of behaviour. As with many things which stick to that reality based format, when a moment gets you, it can often get you deeper than a more scripted line. In the very last episdoe when David admits to an overweight lady that he is relieved she isn't his blind date and then looks at the camera I laughed out loud very hard. Not just the joke but how exposed his character was in that moment. He couldn't think of any words to spin that to make him look good.
As for the US version, I think it has taken the writers a long time to change it and make it a more traditional sit com. And the more it becomes a traditional sit com, the more I enjoy it. Last week's episode "Mafia" was pretty poor I thought. It showed the show becoming a very traditional American comedy, where a bunch of stupid characters get together and make mistakes and have misunderstandings.
I think my final word for now is about quality versus quantity. Yes the UK version maintained its quality by restricting itself to a small run of episodes. But that doesn't keep me entertained for six months of the year like the American version. For me one of the joys of American shows is that I can get to know and bond with characters over several years. They may be maddeningly inconsistent but often those shows find a place in my heart which shorter British shows sometimes don't.
I'd be interested to know what got you into the critics business yourself and what shows and movies influenced you?
Robin
