4. The Office: An American Workplace
How much material could this documentary possibly need? When word first broke that there was going to be an American remake of The Office the backlash was immediate. Nobody gave it a chance as most assumed it would fail due to the original being so quintessentially British. After a rough start in the first season which directly translated the British scripts it seemed like this might be true, but thankfully with the spectre of the original behind them the remake found its footing in the second season and crafted an identity of its own. Michael Scott was not David Brent, he wasn't as cruel and seemed to genuinely like his co-workers even if they did not feel the same way and the difference in his character represents the spilt between the two shows. Much like the original the true heart of the series comes from the love story between Jim and Pam and the longer run of this show gave the writers the chance to develop their relationship to an extent that the original could not. This longer run is the problem and you do not need to be an expert to realise it. From the minute the show became a success virtually everybody knew that this would eventually become an issue. As Two and a Half Men shows as long as a series is financially viable and gets relatively good ratings then it will continue to be made. The Office having a longer run than the original is not necessarily a bad thing, for a number of years the quality of the show justified its continued existence, but as with most things the quality has dropped in recent years and as such the show if falling short of the high standards that it set for itself. The departure of Steve Carrell was the point at which it was clear that The Office wasn't very funny anymore. All of the storytelling opportunities that the mockumentary format provides have been used up which now leaves us wondering why anybody is bothering to film these people anymore. The departure of Michael Scott was the perfect time for The Office to end as now Dunder Mifflin is as soulless as the show itself.