I think the Office is funnier, but Parks and Rec actually had a continuous plot whereas the Office certainly did not.
Finished with season 3 last night, kind of weird that Jim/Karen broke up off screen. But probably the best bit of acting on the entire show was when Jenna (Pam) sees Jim come into the interview room and she immediately swells up and smiles. She's too fucking adorable it makes me sick.
Jesus Christ I forgot about her in season 2, haha. She was too much like Pam in the looks department. I watched the season 4 premier before bed last night and I'll try to get through the season in the next couple of days. My wife is nagging me about watching it since I just put it on at random last week and we already did a play through of the entire season a little over a year ago. I'm trying to remember what the "best" seasons of The Office were. I think it was 3-5 or something like that, right?
Wow Scott left at the end of season 7? I thought it was the season before the final one...but yea I HATED Andy as the boss, and I just don't like his character in the least bit. Looking up the seasons I realized just how shitty the artwork is, especially season 8's cover. I do remember enjoying the Michael Scott Paper Co. side plot, along with Ryan's post corporate arc. Ryan has been one of my favorites since the beginning because out of all characters, he's probably the most realistic, especially in the first few seasons.
Ryan is my least favorite character through the whole run. He was fine as the temp who couldn't stand the place, as almost a viewer proxy, but everything from the ridiculous promotion to corporate followed by whatever the hell happened afterwards...they just turned him into a douche with no redeeming qualities who wanted to be cool, or something? Hated every second he was on screen. Total cartoon character. I like BJ Novak, too. He's not a strong actor, that could have something to do with it.
Working in an office for so long, there is always the dude who is just there to make a paycheck, but does care about what he's doing. Jim is somewhat like this, but he's too goofy and doesn't like doing what he does, and doesn't care about what he does...yet he's good at it. There is always a "Ryan" who flies under the radar, though I have no clue how he got promoted at the end of season 3.
I've worked the same office job for 10 years. I'm similar to Jim as you described him. Guys like Ryan don't last long - certainly not 9 years, and certainly not after defrauding the company.
I'm like a mix between Jim and Creed. I don't have a goofy/weird personality like them, but I'm good at my job yet I have Creed's mentality towards work.
Oh yea, I remember the CFO (forgot his name) saying "it'll be nice working with a fellow MBA" or something along those lines when he was on the phone with Ryan.
Ryan was a fantastic character IMO. He's not there to be liked as a person but as a character, I think he worked brilliantly from beginning to end. Probably one of the few that the writers never really messed up on at any point.
i very much disagree. his random hipster phase and "woof" app contribution ruined the character for me. seasons 1-3 were perfect though.
yep. not sure how much / how often or if it picked up or slacked off as the seasons went on, but he was like an executive producer (i think), writer, director during the shows run.
have you ever worked with one of the archetypes portrayed on the show? I don't think a Dwight even exists, right?
I've worked in an office setting for 8 years now. There are various forms of Dwight's and all the other characters. The show is quite realistic in the portrayals. For those who don't work in an office setting they see the show as outlandish or "impossible" (i've heard people say) but it's so fucking on point it's scary. Example 1: One was Angela but with beagles instead of cats. Has their pictures all over her office - including one of them with Santa that she has framed (well, they're all framed) that is on display year round. She feeds them ice cream on weekends and talks about them constantly. Example 2: When the CEO of the previous company I worked for had heart issues in his office and 911 was called, the fucking switchboard operator made a big stink to his family (family owned company so they all very much knew each other after 40+ years of seeing her every day as they entered the building) that no one told her what was going on, so when the paramedics showed up she started sobbing because she "was't able to help at all and didn't know what they wanted". Mind you another member of management was at the front doors to receive the paramedics when they arrived. She was essentially unhappy that no one bothered to tell the poor old switchboard operator that the CEO was almost dead before calling for help.
The one character that wasn't represented was the uber conservative, because we all have that type in the office. MAYBE Angela could have been this character due to her anti-gay remarks, but then again that was her hardcore Christian beliefs. My last job I worked with a dude that had the "come and take it" (regarding the second amendment) attitude. Most of my days were filled with anti-left wing talk and me and him going back and forth on various political views and happenings in the news. Not sure why there wasn't a character like this.
you could say Dwight was kind of a "come and take it" kind of guy with all his office weaponry. just in the form of karate weapons, haha. i suppose they could have turned Meredith, Stanley and / or Phyllis into an uber conservative or some political proxy, but i'm glad they didn't. probably feel that way because everything / character seems perfect as is. except for Gabe. fuck Gabe.