Ricky Gervais became an overnight household name with his 2001 hit show The Office, an hysterically funny mockumentary set in the office of a lowly paper merchant in Slough, England. Following in the footsteps of Mike Judge's brilliant office satire Office Space (which Gervais has himself admitted, and even referenced on the show), The Office savagely picks apart the crushing truth that pretty much anyone who has worked in an office will agree with: the job can be boring as hell, and other people just make it worse. Gervais doesn't just write and direct, of course, he stars as branch manager David Brent, an embarrassingly arrogant, awkward boss whose frequent pranks and mean-spirited demeanour become exasperating to everyone around him who isn't brown-nosing employee Gareth (Mackenzie Crook). Ultimately, for many, the main draw was in seeing how the burgeoning romance between Tim (Martin Freeman) and Dawn (Lucy Davis) would pan out. This led to one of the most acclaimed series finales of all time, as The Office Christmas Special saw Dawn finally bin off her slacker fiancee Lee and kiss Tim, which was certainly one of the most emotionally gratifying moments in TV history.
10. Curb Your Enthusiasm
Trust Larry David to top his monumental creation Seinfeld with an improvised comedy show which revolves around an (apparently) fictionalised version of himself, as he sees himself navigating the difficulties of human interaction. David spends the majority of the episodes nit-picking the absurdities of other people's behaviour, and though we as viewers might often agree with his assessments, David frequently finds himself chided by other characters for failing to adhere to social conventions, ridiculous as they might be. David's dour, incredulous demeanour clashes hilariously with the more normative attitudes of almost everyone around him, frequently leading to an ironic or darkly funny climax, backed of course by the show's ironically upbeat theme music. What's more, Seinfeld fans are in for a treat, as that show's cast make infrequent appearances, and one of Curb's best subplots revolves around David's attempts to get a reunion show made.
Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes).
General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.
