Given that it's an eight year old show running Friday evenings on a late-night cable block, there probably aren't too many people watching, hence the lack of activity in this thread.
I enjoy the show. I find the characters endearing and their interactions amuse me. David Brent's social ineptitude, such as his miscalculation of the humor coming from the monkey on the coat rack, is awkward in a way a lot of people are awkward with each other. I feel like he's a real person desperately trying to be liked, but hindered by his misunderstanding of how other people will react.
I find that kind of character texturing more engaging than the caricatured personas that populate most sitcoms. It's funny because the characters' personalities, warts and all, are exposed in the show's peculiar instances.
I suppose it is dry, but going for a non-deadpan appraoch would break the illusion. I like its subtle style. It allows the character traits to emerge without distracting instances of loud, over-the-top grabs for audience attention.
I understand that's not to everyone's liking. I'm not trying to change anyone's opinion. However, I assure you, the appeal exists. To respond to your wonderment, yes the show has fans. I'm one of them.
As far as fitting [adult swim] goes, I agree it differs from the strange, snarky, often animated, and sometimes crude comedy that frequents the block. Even so, I still think The Office can carve out its own niche in the way [adult swim] has allowed shows to in the past. It used to be that there were no live action shows, British imports, or cartoons with sophisticated animation on the block at all. As [adult swim] has expanded over the years, it has come to incorporate these things. The Office is another step in its evolution. I don't know how [adult swim] plans to package itself in the future, but as long as it has programs that I enjoy, it has my interest.
AdultSwim.com is part of Turner Entertainment Digital which is part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network.
