The Office - It's Back Baby!

Things are looking up for the Titan household! Not that they were really looking down. After a couple of days focusing on things most certainly not pop culture related (sprinkler system repair, a job that actually pays cash money, and general out-doorsy things) we finally get to get back to the things we love.

The Office came back last week, the new Kooks album came out yesterday, and you all get a special guest post tomorrow. Things couldn't be better!

I might have mentioned this before, but I am mentioning it again here and now. The Office is the best show on TV right now (well, maybe in a tie with How I Met Your Mother and Lost). Anyway, it may be the most real and cringe inducing. Just how awkward can things get on that show? That's a rhetorical question, they can get pretty darn awkward. Did you see last week's episode "The Dinner Party"? It was one of the most uncomfortable things I have ever seen on TV (unless you count Curb Your Enthusiam). It was also one of the funniest and most real.

You see, the Office, and the original British series, thrives on awkward and uncomfortable situations. Michael Scott (Steve Carell), as the manager a small New Jersey branch of a paper company, can say some of the most offensive, stupid, and annoying things. However, he usually comes off as real. I could see a desperate and/or pathetic manager doing most of the things Michael does. He is desperate for attention, friends, and love, and will do whatever it takes to get those things. Just look at how Jan treats him. Yet, he still puts up with it, because it's "love."

All of the characters on the Office come off as flawed and genuine. While this can lead to uncomfortable and awkward moments, they are also very real, and in my mind, this makes the best comedy. I would rather watch realistic situations with realistic characters over some of the weird and stupid spoof movies any day.

Now, I think you need to watch this show if you haven't. I know, I know, I say this all the time, but come on, don't you want to see the great things that pop culture has to offer, and not just whatever is easiest to see. I value my free time, away from the sprinkler systems and jobs, away from the things that we all have to do in this life just to get by. Why would I waste my spare time on junk like According to Jim or by flipping through the channels for hours on end? Why should you?

Check out the Office on DVD to catch up, on NBC Thursday nights for new episodes, or, if you are cheap and still not sold on the show, check out hulu.com and watch full episodes, including the episode from last week "The Dinner Party". Yes, these are full episodes that you can watch for free, with minor and unobtrusive commercial breaks. And the best part is, it's legal! Have fun and don't forget to come back tomorrow, remember, we have a very special guest post!