The Office
The Office is awesome. I was a little bored in Peoria so I rented the first two seasons, and I enjoyed it a lot. Not to flatter myself, but I think there's more than a passing resemblance between me and Michael.
I wouldn't say the show is revolutionary or cutting-edge, it's just very well done. It has much more respect for its audience than most sit-coms.
I was listening to some commentary, and the creators were talking about how the Pam character is suprisingly popular among males, considering that the actress plays down her looks. I don't think this is actually surprising. First of all, she's pretty anyway. What sets her apart, though, is that she seems human and vulnerable. A lot of "hot" TV characters are one-dimensional and unrealistic. The best ones aren't necessarily realistic in everything they do, but they display a certain self-awareness and lack of poise. This is also what I like about Elliot on Scrubs, for instance.
Also, why are so many entertainment ideas imported from the UK? My theory is that the UK has three things going for it:
1. Common language. If anything, Americans think that British English is more sophisticated and desirable. More importantly, though, our corporations can appreciate British culture. And then import it desperately and voraciously.
2. Size. I'm guessing the UK has about 60,000,000 people. That's a lot.
3. Multi-tiered reward system. To "make it" in the US means to become nationally recognizable, etc. If you don't make it, your fallback position is a poorly compensated, humiliating B-list, if that. In the UK you can make it by becoming popular in the UK, and there's always the possibility of making a move to the US. This increases the incentives to pursue a career in entertainment in the UK, and draws more talent into the business.
Oh, and I mean, another thing that boosts your fallback position is universalized healthcare, which means that if you end up without much income you still maintain a certain level of dignity and security. Still, Canada has that, and we don't seem to import too much of their culture. I'm guessing they fail on the size factor.
I wouldn't say the show is revolutionary or cutting-edge, it's just very well done. It has much more respect for its audience than most sit-coms.
I was listening to some commentary, and the creators were talking about how the Pam character is suprisingly popular among males, considering that the actress plays down her looks. I don't think this is actually surprising. First of all, she's pretty anyway. What sets her apart, though, is that she seems human and vulnerable. A lot of "hot" TV characters are one-dimensional and unrealistic. The best ones aren't necessarily realistic in everything they do, but they display a certain self-awareness and lack of poise. This is also what I like about Elliot on Scrubs, for instance.
Also, why are so many entertainment ideas imported from the UK? My theory is that the UK has three things going for it:
1. Common language. If anything, Americans think that British English is more sophisticated and desirable. More importantly, though, our corporations can appreciate British culture. And then import it desperately and voraciously.
2. Size. I'm guessing the UK has about 60,000,000 people. That's a lot.
3. Multi-tiered reward system. To "make it" in the US means to become nationally recognizable, etc. If you don't make it, your fallback position is a poorly compensated, humiliating B-list, if that. In the UK you can make it by becoming popular in the UK, and there's always the possibility of making a move to the US. This increases the incentives to pursue a career in entertainment in the UK, and draws more talent into the business.
Oh, and I mean, another thing that boosts your fallback position is universalized healthcare, which means that if you end up without much income you still maintain a certain level of dignity and security. Still, Canada has that, and we don't seem to import too much of their culture. I'm guessing they fail on the size factor.
posted by James | 4:23 PM
1 Comments:
You're thinking too hard. Replace "Japan" with some of those and it still fits.
Post a Comment
<< Home