Wed, March 23, 2005
The Office (U.S.)—10:10 PM
The promos keep pouring in for NBC's import of the BBC comedy hit The Office. (And the online ads! Sheesh!) It begs the question: are they holding any footage to air during the show itself?
One thing these clips have in common: "Entertainment Weekly" went easy on the American version of the show – it doesn't just lack the poignancy of the original, it also lacks the subtlety. Which you'd have to expect: NBC doesn't trust audiences to find their own jokes, especially without a laugh track to guide them. They're going to want to put a nice, healthy beat after every humorous moment, to make it clear as day. And that will kill The Office. The core of the show's success isn't the product they sell, or the arrangement of the desks, or the handheld camera – all of which NBC has mimicked faithfully – it's the style of the humor, played absolutely straight.
I love Steve Carell to death. He's amazing. But he's not playing it straight the way he should be. He's punching the funny lines, he's mugging at the camera, he's too "on." The great thing about the British Office is that the characters were never aware of the camera when they most needed to be, and all too aware of it when they shouldn't have been.
Don't get me wrong: I'm hopeful. I'll be tuning in this time on Thursday with as much anticipation as anyone. I truly hate to see a network rewarded for churning out a copy, but I'd still love for The Office to be good – for Carell's sake, for TV's sake, for our sake. And I understand that it can be different from Ricky Gervais's masterwork and still be excellent in its own way. Hopefully it will be – but I'm not optimistic. It pains me to say it, but this may well go down as one of the worst programming decisions in NBC's history (and keep in mind, that history includes Daddio).
Meanwhile, Ron Silver has gone right ahead and spelled out what The West Wing wants its mission statement to be for next season. (And no, it's not: "His father is the DISTRICT ATTORNEY!") I, for one, am on board. I'd gladly reach across the aisle to vote for Arnie Vinick.
"Otm Shank" — Thu, 3/24/05 10:06am
Got to agree with you there. As I wrote here http://spook.squarespace.com/action-of-the-infinite-mind/the-office.html, the US version sucks. Infact, they have an episode on myspace.com/theoffice. It is funny at times but overall, it looks pathetic. Wonder why Ricky Gervais signed on for this as a producer?
Brandon — Thu, 3/24/05 9:28pm
I'd gladly reach across the aisle to vote for Arnie Vinick.
Me too! Do you really think they're going with Alda instead of Smits? I wasn't sure if Alda was interested in locking himself into a TV series at his age. I'd love it if he's up for it though - Vinnick would be a fantastic career bookend to Hawkeye Pierce.
"MIke Wagner" — Fri, 3/25/05 8:25am
Yeah, I think The West Wing is doing a good job of making you like both candidates as they get ready to decide which one they'll go with next year after the "November elections."
My gut is with Vinnick because then they could hire a whole new cast, saving a great deal of money. Though maybe they think they can keep the old audience and generate a new one with Smits too...
Also, it seems like the producers of The West Wing would get to make some of the political arguments that the Sorkin years did.
I think the argument that the producers are trying to make is the following: wouldn't it be great if this is how the nation started to think about Republicans? Anti-God, pro-choice, and steadfast in their convictions? I mean, there is just no way a guy like Vinnick could ever actually dominate a Republican primary season, but wouldn't it be great if it was possible?
Which isn't to say that bad people necessarily win Republican primaries...it is just that pro-choice, actively anti-religious candidates would be dead in the water.
But I hope he wins on the show, I love Alan Alda.
"Holly" — Fri, 3/25/05 11:49am
I watched Wednesday's West Wing and felt weirdly torn, because I, too, really liked the Vinick character (and Alan Alda) – but I didn't WANT to like him. I was dismayed to find myself reacting that way, because I really think I'm more open-minded than to support a fictional TV character simply because he's a Democrat. I finally realized that I would be perfectly happy to see Vinick in charge. The problem is, I would be sad to lose C.J., Toby, Josh, and the gang. My favorite aspect of The West Wing has always been the characters who aren't the president. I'm invested in these people and I want them to stay around.
Maybe Vinick will win and, in a spirit of bipartisanship, retain the entire Bartlet staff!! that'd be realistic.
Bee Boy — Fri, 3/25/05 12:18pm
I kind of assumed that once Bartlet left, his staff would go, too. That's why you want Santos or Russell to win – then you at least get Josh or Donna (or both; presumably either candidate might hire the other, since NBC will be burned in effigy by housewives everywhere – and me – if they don't pay off the Josh/Donna unrequited romance story). As much as you'd miss the current ensemble, I think the enforced turnover is a nice idea. It keeps fresh talent coming in; and it beats watching Noah Wyle grow from a teenager to a stooped museum docent over the course of ER.
I get the impression that's why Vinick's staff is already packed with heavy-hitters: awesome character actors like Patricia Richardson and Stephen Root, who will slide in as regulars after he wins. Which I bet he will (although I haven't read any spoiler-laden secret back-channel gossip), since he's already in the credits for crying out loud.
Also because Bruno's speech about reunifying the country sounds like the sort of thing The West Wing would want to do next season. The show debuted with Clinton in office, and celebrated the exciting opportunities of having a popular Democratic president who just wanted to make things better. Now that we're into Bush's second term, I think they'll use it as a referendum on what a good Republican president could have been – even what this Republican president could have been, if he were sincerely a "uniter not a divider" and a "compassionate conservative".
And because, goddammit, I'd vote for him. I agree with Vinick on practically everything, and I like that he's willing to stand up against the moronic, ingrained parts of the political process and the dance with the media but – unlike Santos – he doesn't do it constantly, just to do it. He really reminds me a lot of Bartlet. Of course, if Santos wins, we get cutesy Playboy harlot and Sorkin collectible Teri Polo as the first lady. So, I'm understandably torn.
(Also, on topic, The Office was worse than it should have been, much worse than its namesake, but not entirely unwatchable. I'm trying hard to see it as its own series without comparing it to the British version; it's difficult because the ways in which it's worse than it should have been are exactly the ways in which it's unlike the original. I'll give it two more episodes, though, before deciding whether it gets a Season Pass or a Thumbs Down.)
Brandon — Fri, 3/25/05 2:35pm
a stooped museum docent
This is quickly becoming THE site for museum docent references...
And Jameson's got the spelling right, it is Vinick with one "n," not two. Damn your fact-checking, Bee Boy! You win this round, grumble grumble...
Bee Boy — Fri, 3/25/05 2:50pm
I just look at the giant banners behind him on TV. Same as I do with the real president. That's how I know: Mission Accomplished!
Wooo!
"Holly" — Fri, 3/25/05 4:19pm
It's definitely a mystery (who will win the election, not how to spell Vinick – thanks to those banners). Jimmy Smit's in the opening credits too, don't forget.
I like your theory about why they'll pick Vinick (now there's a campaign slogan – "Pick Vinick!" almost as good as Eisenhower's). I just don't wanna lose C.J. I really don't. There's a lot of other people I'd rather not lose, too, but she stands out. So I'm hoping that, as long as they don't mind writing a story about a Republican candidate who (as someone here pointed out) couldn't possibly have won in the primaries, maybe they won't mind being equally as unrealistic when it comes to which staff members a new administration might retain from an old one.
Also, I was ready to support the ultra-conservative preacher who was Vinick's opponant in the primaries, by the way. Why, you ask? Because he's Scully's father, good ol' William "Ahab" Scully, and I therefore trust him implicitly any time he shows up in any role, for some reason.
"Otm Shank" — Sat, 3/26/05 8:45am
Actually, I thought that Dana Scully was called "Ahab" by her father because he was a fan of Moby Dick.