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                                                                                                              Works Cited

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Chastain, Elaina. “How 'The Office' Uses Characters and Comedy to Impart Life Lessons.” The Artifice, The Artifice, 13 Apr. 2013,
www.the-artifice.com/the-office-characters-comedy-life-lessons/.

Craft, Kevin. “The Thing That Made The Office Great Is the Same Thing That Killed It.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 16 May 2013,
www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/05/the-thing-that-made-i-the-office-i-great-is-the-same-thing-that-killed-it/275883/.

Metz, Nina. “'The Office' Is Netflix's Most Popular Show, Even Though It Was Made for and Originally Aired on an Old-School Broadcast Network. Oh, the
Irony.” Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 3 July 2019,
www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-mov-netflix-the-office-0705-20190703-fjlo4pkt5jb7llpo2aixl7o2pe-story.html.

O'Donnell, Victoria. Television Criticism. Third ed., SAGR, 2017.

The Office. Directed by Randall Einhorn, Deedle-Dee Productions, 2005. Netflix.

“THE OFFICE (U.S.) - TIE.” WGAW, Writers Guild of America West, www.wga.org/writers-room/101-best-lists/101-best-written-tv-series/the-office-us.

“Production and Writing Staff of ‘The Office’ Talk Comedy, Careers.” The Stanford Daily, The Stanford Daily Publishing Corporation, 15 Nov. 2010,
www.stanforddaily.com/2010/11/15/production-and-writing-staff-of-the-office-talk-comedy-careers/.

Stanley, Alessandra. “An American-Style 'Office' With a Boss From Heck.” The New York Times, The New York Times Company, 24 Mar. 2005,
www.nytimes.com/2005/03/24/arts/television/an-americanstyle-office-with-a-boss-from-heck.html.

Weprin, Alex. “'The Office': THR's 2005 Review.” THR, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Jan. 2019,
www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/office-first-episode-thrs-2005-784023.

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Situation Comedy has been a staple of television throughout all of its years because it is what allows the viewers to identify themselves with the characters and laugh and grow with them. The Office fulfills the criteria of being a successful situation comedy as outlined in the guidelines of critical application from the textbook Television Criticism by Victoria O’Donnell. When examining the television series’ demographics, context, and a look at the program and its codes it is evident that the program provides relatability and laughter to the viewers. Without the character development of the main characters and the talents of the actors and actresses portraying them The Office would have ended just as quickly as the United Kingdom version.

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What the Critics Think

For the most part, critics tend to agree with the analysis that the characters and the actors portraying them are the reason for the success of The Office.

In a New York Times television review,  titled “An American-Style 'Office' With a Boss From Heck”, critic Alessandra Stanley praises the dry, dead-pan humor provided by the performance of the cast and their delivery of the dialogue. She describes the characters as not the kind of lovable oddballs that populate traditional sitcoms. They are almost uniformly unattractive, wan and dull -- the kinds of people who go unnoticed or avoided in airport lounges and block parties,” (Stanley, 2015). She explains how the cast is playing characters that are unconventionally uninteresting, which is arguably more difficult to portray. Stanley believes that Michael began as the face of the show for his outlandish personality that is complemented by the dull, caustic attitudes of the other office workers. It is not until later in the series that the other characters develop more lively personalities that allow them to become more prominent in the series.

Elaina Chastain, a critic for The Artifice,  states in her review, “How ‘The Office’ Uses Characters and Comedy to Impart Life Lessons” that she believes the characters of the television series not enhance the comedy of the show, but also provide life lessons for the audience in the uncomfortable, but hilarious situations they get themselves into. She states, “Steve Carrell, among many other talented actors and actresses, portrays life’s most awkward situations not only to make his audience laugh but to also deliver small dosages of life lessons,” (Chastain, 2014). She further explains her point by examining season four, episode 13 of the series, “The Dinner Party”. In her examination of the episode, she determines that Michael is a round character while Jan, his former boss and girlfriend, is a flat character. Chastain believes that the contrasting personalities of Michael and Jan are what makes the awkward arguments the two get into so funny. She further explains that the comedic arguments between the two teach the life lesson of “not forcing something that clearly is not working out,” (Chastain, 2015). Chastain, overall, explains that the talents of the actors and actresses in that episode and the series are what made it so hilariously uncomfortable all while teaching the audience a good life lesson.

In another review, “‘The Office': THR's 2005 Review”, the THR staff praise the cast for their skills in improvisation. They believe that those skills are key to the comedy and success of the show. Throughout the review, they compare The Office with the United Kingdom version of the television series, The Office: An American Workplace. In the review, they state, “The new Office incorporates significant changes in the pilot and new scripts for subsequent episodes. Even so, it still captures the universally dispiriting experience of office life,” (THR 2015). They on to explain how the show does so through the acting skills of the cast. They believe that the improvised lines and actions that the actors add to the script. Without those improvisations and acting skills of the cast, the show would fail in comparison to the United Kingdom version.

While most critics tend to agree with the analysis, there are some who observe the opposite.  In the television review from the magazine The Atlantic, “The Thing That Made The Office Great Is the Same Thing That Killed It” critic Kevin Craft states his belief that “The Office” was originally so successful and hilarious because of the dullness of the characters. He explains that the characters’ lack of personality creates a theme of the workplace is a boring, lifeless place which is hilarious because it makes the show. In the review, he states the show “ flipped the TV-as-a-distraction-from-real-life paradigm by setting the action in precisely the type of workplace many people long to escape. The gambit worked brilliantly, and proved that a weekly television show could be the perfect medium to tell stories about contemporary work culture—for a while,” (Craft 2013). Craft believes that the show pulled this theme off by keeping the cast dry and morbid while the boss flipped on the other side of the spectrum. He explains that as the characters developed and began to display bigger and more outlandish personalities the show began to lose its humor.

While Craft and the other critics agree that the talents and skills of the actors playing the characters in The Office are what makes the show such a hit, Craft disagrees with the character development of those characters. It is important to view the different opinions of critics when examining a show in order to get the full scope of an audience’s reaction. According to the textbook Television Criticism, “Television criticism can bring about a fuller and richer understanding of people’s reactions to a television program,” (O’Donnell 25). It is not possible to make an informed analysis without examing different reviews that may contradict each other. With that being said, judging by the majority of reviews and the success of the show in its later season, most critics believe that the character development accommodated by the acting skills of the cast is what made The Office such a hit.

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The actors who play the main characters are the primary reason behind the success of The Office. The context of the show can be absolutely brilliant, but it is the portrayal of the context that truly allows a situational comedy to flourish. There are no laugh tracks or studio audience to provoke laughter from the viewers. The comedy of the series relies completely on the characters and the comedic skills of the cast. The actors consume the audience into believing they are actually the parts that they are playing adding a whole new level to the relatability of the actors and the emotional connection they establish with the audience.

The characters provide a sense of relatability with the audience which allows them to create a positive identification. Even the not so charming characters have a positive identification because, in some way or another, the audience can connect with them. In the first few seasons, the characters only display a few characteristics but later begin to really form their own identities adding depth and appeal to them. The actors had to transform flat-characters into round-characters in order to make them likable to the audience, which would not have been possible without the talents and skills of the cast.

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It is not just the demographics of the characters that the audience is able to relate to. It is also the events that occur within the program that reflect real people and real-life events. The Office is based on everyday people working in an ordinary workspace. The show is set up to be relatable to an audience because it gives insight into not only their workday drama but also their lives which are very often intertwined.

For example, one of the major subplots within the series is the relationship between Jim and Pam. In the first season, the audience sees harmless flirting between the two as Jim works up the courage to tell Pam how he feels. Throughout the seasons we see their romance blossom and develop with all the sweet moments, awkwardness, and challenges that real-life people experience in their relationships. The audience also can relate to the failing relationships within The Office, such as the toxicity between Kelly and Ryan, the divorce between Stanely and his ex-wife, and Angela cheating on Andy.

While the relationships of the characters within The Office are a key element of its context, they are not the only personal issues and attributes that are recognizable and relatable. The characters reflect other real-life issues, such as being an outcast, family drama, racial issues, sexism, and money concerns. Michael is erratic causing him to social issues and feel lonely, at times. Darrell is in an on-again,off-again relationship with his ex-wife while fighting for the attention of his daughter. All of the office workers have to deal with Michael’s ignorance of their race, gender,  and sexual orientation. These real-life issues allow the audience to connect to the characters on an emotional level making the show more popular.

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Being an extremely popular series, The Office has a widely diverse audience because it appeals to a large range of demographic groups. However, according to TV By Numbers, the television series is most popular with adults, aged 18-49, living in homes with $100,000-plus incomes. The characters within the series are a mix of young adults, middle-aged adults, and seniors who are either single or are married with families but are all within the upper-middle class. I believe the demographic similarity between the audience and the characters of the show is a major contribution to the show’s success. The audience is able to relate to the characters because they are also adults from an assortment of ages, ethnic backgrounds, and family dynamics, who have one major thing in common: working in the middle-class, which is really what the show is all about.

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I chose the following questions for analysis from the guidelines of critical application from the textbook Television Criticism by Victoria O’Donnell. I then collected the questions into threw headlines: Demographics, Context, and The Look of the Program and Its Codes. It is important to realize that there are many other ways to analyze but these questions were imperative when considering the entire series of The Office.

1. Demographics

1.  To what demographic group is the subject of the program likely to appeal?

2. Are the characters and the actors who portray them young adults, children, middle-aged, or seniors? Are the characters supposed to be single, members of families, lower, middle, or upper class?

2. Context

1. How do the characters and events in the program reflect real people and events?

The show is based on everyday people working in an ordinary workspace. The show is set up to be relatable to the target audience whether it be work or personal-related.

1. What ordinary personal issues and attributes are recognizable?

Some examples from the show are relationships, being an outcast, work drama, family drama, racial issues, sexism, and money concerns.

1. The Look of the Program and Its Codes

1.  Do the actors who were cast for the parts seem right for the characters they play? What personal and physical attributes of the actors contribute to the personalities of their characters on the program?

2. The actors are perfect for the characters that the play. They all consume the audience into believing they are actually the parts that they are playing. I will go into a further analysis of each character and their skills and relatability while playing the part.

3. Do the characters have depth or just a few characteristics? Are there repetitive characteristics that reinforce a character’s personality? Are any of the characters social types (easily recognizable people such as hippies, hillbillies, etc?

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The Office was adapted from the United Kingdom comedy The Office: An American Workplace by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, and Greg Daniels. They brought together B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, and Paul Lieberstein to write for the show and play a few of the primary characters. After the fourth season, Greg Daniels and writer Michael Schur stepped down as the shows primary showrunners after co-creating the series Parks and Recreation and  Paul Lieberstein and Jennifer Celotta became the new showrunners for the series.

The Office is produced by Deedle-Dee Productions and aired on NBC on March 24, 2005. The series lasted a total of nine seasons until its final episode was aired on May 16, 2013. The television series has also aired on other stations, such as TBS, Nick at Nite, Cozi TV, Paramount Network, and Comedy Central. However, as of July 3, 2019, The Office is the most streamed show on Netflix (Metz, 2019).

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Netflix describes the situational comedy as, “the foibles of disgruntled office workers -- led by deluded boss Michael Scott -- at the Dunder Mifflin paper company” (2019).

Steve Carell plays Michael Scott, the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Michael believes he is an exceptionally successful boss who can handle any workplace issues with an elaborate, over-the-top, and sometimes inappropriate conference room meeting. His naivety and ignorance usually wind him up in some sort of work-related or personal life issues of his own. Later in the series, Michael finds a woman who compliments his personality and moves out to Colorado to marry her, leaving behind the office.

Rainn Wilson plays Dwight Schrute, a self-named “ assistant (to the) regional manager at Dunder Mifflin”. He is an extremely talented salesman and is passionate about his job, but is constantly trying to obtain reassurance from Michael. What Dwight makes up for with his work ethic, he lacks in social skills. He was raised on his remote family beet farm that set him apart from society and kept him inside his own world.

John Krasinski plays Jim, another salesman who is constantly at war with Dwight because of his contrasting laid-back mindset and likable personality. He spends a great amount of his workday playing silly pranks on Dwight in order to pass the time. Throughout the series, Jim has a blossoming romantic relationship with Pam Beasley, which inspires him to become a better salesman.

Jenna Fischer plays Pamela Beasley, the receptionist at Dunder Mifflin who is always attempting to keep Michael centered and focused on his work. In the first few seasons, Pam is ignorant of Jim’s feelings for her as she is engaged to another man. By the end of the series, she is the workplace supervisor of the office and has a family with Jim.

These four main characters and their relationships with the other office workers are the centers of the show. Throughout the series, the audience gets a behind-the-scenes tour of the workers’ lives inside and outside of the office. There are other reoccurring characters and guest actors, but these characters are the foundation of the show.

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Situation comedy has been a staple of television since the dawn of television shows. While the writing of the shows has been essential to the success of the most popular situation comedies, it is the characters and the skill of the actors and actresses playing those characters that truly allow a series to thrive. The Office is often described as a mockumentary on a group of ordinary office workers who are led by a frivolous boss. It is apparent that the show is based on the personalities and relationships of all of the main characters but it was originally a hit due to the character of Michael Scott. In the first few seasons, Michael is one of the only characters that appear to have depth and personality. It is not until later in the series that the characters transform and obtain personalities of their own. The humor of the series revolves around the main characters’ different personalities and the situations and relationships those eccentric personalities form. The purpose of this analysis is to critically examine the television series The Office for its demographics, context, a look at the program and its code how character development and the skills of the cast playing those characters that made the series such a comedic masterpiece. In addition, I will provide production information as background for the analysis and evidence of its success.