10 Great TV Shows That Are Ugly On Purpose
2. The Office
Mockumentaries are designed to replicate reality as much as possible. So, what could be uglier than the stuffy inside of an office in Slough?
The Office was a series that revolutionised what you could do with sitcoms and T.V. in general. It was one of the first shows to popularise the faux-documentary comedy format, paving the way for others like Parks & Recreation and Modern Family. Still, to this day, no other show has captured mundanity quite like this Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant classic.
Offices are ugly, and that's at the forefront of this show. Taking a walk through Wernham Hogg brings beige furnishings and the muted colours of office attire. The show was also full of big, bright windows letting tonnes of overexposed natural light in, casting heavy shadows and giving the whole thing an authentic vibe.
Plus, don't forget the efforts of that documentary crew, with hand-held cameras and basic shots setting the stage for a deliberately amateur and gritty depiction of everyday life.
Of course, the U.S. remake of this show started with the same M.O. but eventually turned into something far more colourful and visually pleasing. In the end, both were great, but for entirely different reasons.