6 TV 'Comedies' That Are Ridiculously Depressing

6. The Office

The Office is a fantastic and hilarious sitcom, but thinking about its core narrative of a bunch of nobodies working a boring job with their lives going nowhere, this is quite a sad show. This tragicomic vibe is perfectly symbolized by the lead character of David Brent (Ricky Gervais).

Was there ever a more tragic comedy character than Brent? A boss who believes he's hilarious, kind and beloved when he's actually annoying and despised by his employees, a man who dreams of being a rock-star but hasn't got a chance; much of the comedy of The Office revolves around us laughing at his mistakes and self-delusion.

While insufferable, Brent isn't an entirely bad person and is largely depicted as a tragic figure, so there's plenty of sympathy for him. The other three leads - Gareth (Mackenzie Crook), Tim (Martin Freeman) and Dawn (Lucy Davis) - don't fare much better and also have lives that are going nowhere. Essentially, this is a comedy about people trapped in an endless cycle of meaningless mundanity, so The Office works as a sad commentary on daily life as well as a hilarious comedy.

In the end, Tim and Dawn finally get together and things seem to be looking up for Brent, but that's more or less the only bit of relief the characters are allowed. Sadly, the recent David Brent movie showed things never really improved for Brent and this makes the show even sadder in hindsight.