Carter, B. (2019). One Last Cringe for ‘The Office’ Finale. Retrieved 11 November 2019, from             https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/05/arts/television/the-office-finale.html

 

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/.

Clyman, Jeremy. "The Office: Why We Laugh". Psychology Today, 2019,   https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/reel-therapy/200904/the-office-why-we-           laugh. Accessed 12 Dec 2019.

Hudson, Laura. “The Office (U.S.).” The New York Times, The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/watching/recommendations/the-office-us.

Rao, Sonia. “'The Office' Was Always Popular. But Netflix Made It a Phenomenon.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 26 June 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2019/06/26/office-was-always-popular-netflix-made-it-phenomenon/.

"The Office (TV Series 2005–2013) - Imdb". Imdb, 2019,    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386676/.

 

 

Odiase, Izey. "Netflix User Demographics: Comparing Behavior And Characteristics". Izey            Victoria Odiase, 2019, https://izeyodiase.com/netflix-user-demographics-comparing-            behavior-and-characteristics/). Accessed 12 Dec 2019.

 

O’Donnell, Victoria. Television Criticism. 3rd ed. Los Angeles: Sage, 2017.

 

            Looking at genre, The Office focuses heavily on comedy. When people tune into a comedy, they have certain expectations. As explained in the textbook, TV Criticism, when people watch comedies they can expect the following, “Provokes laughter through jokes, humor in dialogue, and a dilemma or test is solved by the end of the show” (O’Donnell, 105). While The Office does have all these aspects in this particular episode, it is different from other comedies by the type of comedy used. As explained in Psychology Today, there are two types of humor, the one where we laugh because its humorous and makes us smile. There then is the type of funny that is a defense mechanism (Clymen, The Office: Why We Laugh). The office is a defense mechanism for anyone who works in an office and deals with different kinds of people. When people tune into The Office they expect over the top content that is relatable but also humorous. In this episode, it is normal to laugh at the way Michael treats sexual harassment as if it is a bother to him. It is excepted of his character. He goes so far as to hire his OWN lawyer because he thinks he is in trouble. But similar to the way O’Donell talks about comedy, in the end there is a resolution. The moral of the episode is that Michael is not in trouble for sexual harassment at all and he was just over dramatizing. The New York Times writes, it clearly paved the way for a style of filmed comedy — smart, multilayered and subtle, sometimes so much so that a portion of viewers never understood its humor. The genre has since been embodied by other highly regarded comedies like “30 Rock,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Community” and “The Mindy Project”  (Hudson, The Office (U.S.) Therefore, it’s clear to see The Offices kind of comedy has for sure altered what people expect when watching comedy. There also is the idea of breaking down the wall between audiences and the characters, which will be talked more about in section on Analysis. The Office has a balance of ending with a cliffhanger and just ending. For example, in this episode Michael reaches his resolution and there is no cliff hanger needed. For example, the show is made to be just “another day at work” format, therefore having an ending that is left opened ended does not really fit their theme. 

            The next category that will be looked at is the structure of the program as a whole. Like many sitcoms, there is a beginning, middle, and end. The structure of The Office is made to be a work place documentary. One thing that is very common in comedies is intertextual references. They play a huge role in the shows structure. Another topic that plays a big role in the structure is the interpersonal relationships and stories among the characters. To start off, we can look at how the intertextual references add to the plot and structure. For example, in this episode, Michael talks about how everyone in The Office is a character from the show Friends. Another one is how they mention ToysRUs, and reference to song “Drop it Like It Hot.” Its these kinds of references according to O’Donnell allow for the audience feel they are a part of an inside joke. (O’Donnell, 88). These kinds of references allow for humor and also audience engagement throughout the structure of the show. One of the shows main structures is using intertextual references. Second way to look at the structure would be the way they use interpersonal stories. This is a common element of sitcoms.  The Atlantic says, “So The Office's characters developed, and their individual stories gradually outshone the show's focus on survival in a corporate setting.” (Craft, The Thing That Made The Office Great Is the Same Thing That Killed It). Each episode has at least two stories being told. In this particular episode, the first story is Michael and how he feels his life is over because of the sexual harassment presentation. Throughout the episode, his story has a beginning, a middle, and end. First, he finds out about it and feels he needs to stop the presentation, then he tries to come up with ways to win over The Office, and finally he reaches a conclusion that he wasn’t in trouble and he can still be who he is. While this is happening, we also have Pam telling a story as well. Pam and Jim’s romance is seen throughout every season. While it doesn’t have to do with office life, it is still an interpersonal relationship that helps move the episode along. In this episode, Pam’s mom is coming and she doesn’t want everyone acting like fools. At the end, we can overhear Pam and her mom talking about her liking Jim. While typical, The Office really focuses heavily on these interpersonal relationships. An interesting thing to note comes from the Atlantic as well. The Atlantic talks about how The Office was originally so funny because of its dry, and unique humor. In order for it to stay funny, there had to be no growth and stay just about office life. While the audience may love interpersonal relationships and stories in The Office, according to the Atlantic it is what killed the show (Craft, The Thing That Made The Office Great Is the Same Thing That Killed It). This is an interesting point because if the shows production team stuck to its original script and plot, The Office may have stayed the same level of funny all the way to the end. 

            As shown in the picture, we can see Pam and Jim getting married. This was a huge part of The Office even though it didn’t have anything to do with the main plot. The show, in its early seasons, always ended on just a light note. As the show grew, the ending started to change to more open ended. 

            The next section the analysis will plan to look at is Demographics. The target audience changed over the years. For example, when The Office first came out on NBC, the main audience was adults who had office jobs. Being The Office was relatable to that lifestyle, that’s what many of the audience members were. Something important to note was when it was on NBC the show was on once a week. Therefore, it was an escape for people to watch while they weren’t working. Its adult jokes is what really targets the audience. For example, Modern Family is geared for families, while the office is for adults. Now, the audience has recently changed since Netflix has come out.  Netflix main demographics are 24% of Netflix subscribers are between the ages of 18-24 (Odiase, Netflix User Demographic). With this being said, the new audience is more Gen z and millennials. In a Washington Post article, it talks about how Netflix altered The Offices popularity. The article says, “A good chunk of millennials and Gen Zers, the oldest of whom would have been in grade school when the sitcom premiered in 2005, quote it on Instagram, on Twitter and even on dating apps, where heterosexual men are often “just a Jim looking for their Pam.” (Rao, 'The Office' Was Always Popular. But Netflix Made It a Phenomenon). This just shows the power of Netflix among the audience and viewers of the audience.  People such as singer Billie Eyelish even talk about The Office. Needless to say the once adult/older generational show has become a hit for younger viewers thanks to Netflix. Another thing to note is the audience has to be people who aren’t offended easily. This is why I believe it may be so popular among teenagers now as well. For example, most TV shows now have to be politically correct where The Office never was. It is a shock to many and many cannot turn away. It’s interesting to see how it is liked among so many different audiences and demographic depending on its time on Television and its time on Netflix. As for the lifestyle and advertisements, this is also different based on its time on television and Netflix. During its time on Television, advertisements were supposed to be geared towards middle aged and older people. Things such as glasses, department stores, or even work supplies. This changed when it came to Netflix. Now there are no commercials, so the show is more targeted for the binge watcher. The Office has for sure done a great job at being a able to create a show into a brand. As pictures show below, there are many The Office brands. Such as T-Shirts, Mugs, and even posters. Needless to say, The Office has cashed out on its brand.           

 

Finally, its important to look at an analysis of the program. The Offices relatability is truly what allows the audience to place themselves inside the show. One thing The Office does really well is getting rid of the barrier and allowing them to know there are cameras on them. Even in the beginning of this episode, we see Michael give a nod to the camera, which is like interacting with the audience. By doing this, the audience feels they are a part of the show. It also allows for the setting to not change as much and for the plot to be a little less clear than normal.  For example, if they are driving somewhere, we will get a close up shot of Michael saying where he is going. It also allows for the audience to feel like they are in on a secret. For example, when Pam talks about how she likes Jim to the cameras but not the other characters, it allows the audience to feel she is being truthful to them and sharing a secret. One issue with this is that the show is supposed to be reality, so talking to cameras doesn’t really work in the context, yet that is what makes it so funny. It’s more a documentary of a work place that is poorly run. Also, the idea of having an office setting and not the best bosses really allows people to feel connected. Even the types of shots they use allow the audience to feel like they are a part of it. Such as close up and long shots for setting. By doing this the audience can feel they are more than just viewers but friends of the characters. One emotional appeal I noticed this particular episode is the unspoken subject of sexual harassment in a work place. For example, Michael talks about blondes being stupid, women not being smart, and many other offensive jokes throughout the episode. This is shown in the clip below. While it is meant to be funny, it for sure sparks emotional appeal to some people, and maybe a negative feeling. The culture is an office, therefore if you work in an office or work with crazy people, this is the show for that viewer. Below, you can see the up-close shots that are discussed. They allow for empathy. Finally, The Office uses emotion such as Michael Scott calling The Office a “family” and also the love they all have for each other. This really allows the audience to feel this emotional appeal with them. Same thing for Jim and Pam’s relationship. Being they show so much love for each other, it’s easy for the audience to also feel that emotion. 

            Questions and Categories 

·      Story and Genre: 

·       What are the audience’s expectation of that practical genre? 

·      What is the narrative purpose/ outline. Describe the events.

·      Is their closure or delay until the next episode? Why is that presented?

 

-       Does the show have a beginning, middle, and an end?
 When the show comes to an end, is there closure or is the plot left open for viewers to predict what will happen next episode?

 

Demographics: 

-       Who does the show target? What kind of audience? 

-       Are the characters older, younger, etc. Why? Does this change who the show attracts and aims to attract?

-       What lifestyle do the commercials or sponsorships represent? 

 

-Could the viewer place themselves inside the image and relate to it? If so, what does the viewer get out of this?

- What emotional appeals are presented? How are values communicated? 

- Is there a certain culture being presented? 

 

Throughout the show, we have Michael Scott, the manager of the company who is, very obviously, not capable of running a company, adding a comical effect to the show. While the show mostly focuses on Michael and how he treats and runs his company, the show ties in friendship, love, and funny moments to promote a relationship between the characters and their audience. Although Michael is not the world’s best boss by any means, his quirky and caring personality brings the work place together. Along with the comedy of the show, the interpersonal relationships among the characters add a sense of endearment and caring elements. In particular, the paper will focus on season two, an episode called, Sexual Harassment. The paper and research will focus on the employee’s roles, their audience engagements techniques through breaking the fourth wall of television and genre, and the shows tone as a whole.