The Office is a recent British sitcom that is probably an easier sitcom for individuals to relate to. The series has been one of the most popular sitcoms. The show features a large cast of employees who work for a paper supply company. At the center of the company is David Brent, the ‘boss.’ As with many of the main characters in British sitcoms, he is a bit pompous. He is a slacker to say the least and often gets himself in trouble with what he says. Like previously mentioned main characters, David is out to impress his employees. He wants to be respected by all, but he often tries too hard and looks like a fool. Out of the three series, The Office, manages to take British sitcoms into uncharted waters by taking some big risks material wise. A lot of controversial material appears on the show, yet the show is widely appealing. For example, many rather graphic sexual jokes are told.
The Office presents some very questionable morals and ethics. David clearly is a man of loose morals. He constantly makes advances towards his female employees, has a bit of a drinking problem, and does nothing to resolve conflicts between employees. In a sense, the workplace is like a playground for adults in this series. In one instance, two workers, Tim and Gareth, get into a fight over a stapler, which results in Gareth chasing Tim around the office so he can get his stapler back. It appears as though not much work really does get done. Employees usually are playing jokes on one another or just gossiping. No one is ever condoned for not doing their work. Instead, David sometimes joins the ‘fun.’ Additionally, when it comes to diversity in the work place, David can be outright prejudice against others that are ‘different.’ In one instance David says, “Well, at least the handicapped fella is able-minded. Unless he's not. It's difficult to tell with them wheelchair ones” (The Office). When it comes to the disabled, David can be cruel. In one instance, a female employee who is wheelchair bound is left in the stairwell during a fire drill all alone. David does not think it is worth all the effort to bother carrying her all the way outside. With workers of other ethnicities, David tries to cover up his racism with witty remarks. The audience can clearly see that he just has to hire people other than whites to fulfill a certain quota. However, David himself is not cognizant of his own racism. At one point he states, “I haven't got a sign on the door that says white people only. I don't care if you're black, brown or yellow - you know, Orientals make very good workers” (The Office). David even lies just to try and seem like he accepts all people. He tells one black employee that his favorite actor of all time is Sidney Poitier, a clear lie.
Above all, The Office is quite different from earlier sitcoms in that it heavily relies on sexuality as part of the show’s appeal. Much humor revolves around sexual innuendos and lewdness. In one particular scene, everyone from the company goes out to a club at night and much promiscuity occurs. Earlier sitcoms would never have included such scenes. Co-workers are shown to be letting loose in ways that many people often do outside of work. Many office workers enjoy time off by going out and drinking or sitting around talking about almost anything. This is something appealing for audiences because it is very realistic. Sitcoms cannot just focus on nuclear families. Different types of families exist, whether people in them are related or not seems a bit irrelevant today. All of the members of the paper company are much like any dysfunctional family.
Women and men do not appear to be equal on The Office. Female employees are looked upon as inferior by many males on the staff, such as by David, but there are some very powerful women on the show. Jennifer, one of the higher ups, clearly instills a sense of fear in David. She is an all business woman who does not put up with David’s antics. Donna, an intern, is another powerful woman who shows that she can use her sex appeal to climb the social ladder. Unlike Jennifer, Donna clearly lacks experience, but Donna is tactful with her words and soft-spoken. There are sexual tensions between people, particularly between Dawn, the receptionist, and some male characters. Dawn is engaged yet she is constantly tempted. She never does give in to others though, for she remains faithful. In the office though, we do see numerous relationships come and go, as many do in real life.
The Office is a show that is easy to relate with. One reviewer states that “there is something profoundly raw about this workplace comedy hatched by Gervais and Merchant: it has an identifiable current that rings eerily true to our day-to-day lives, and the only reason why the show’s many awkward moments are so painful to watch is because we’ve all been in similar situations countless times before” (Sawdey). Characters willingly acknowledge the presence of cameras scattered about, making the realism heighten to an almost painful degree. This works in favor of the show’s comedic and dramatic moments in equal measure. Listening to Brent crack a joke like “My parents owned a paper shop ... until it blew away” (The Office) seems absurd, but the excruciating part is when you see an employee stare directly at the camera lens. They are often unsure whether to go along with the joke or stare ahead as if nothing is being said at all. Even though Brent’s humor is questionable, we are inclined to laugh not at his jokes, but at the realistic responses of others.
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