Britcoms vs. Sh*tcoms

If you’re just counting the days until the Friends folks vacate the premises (and if we’re really lucky, the planet), you be happy to know that you now can catch several amazing examples of why British TV comedy is so much better than anything we spew out over here. First up, BBC America is running The Office, a faux cinema-verite expose of the goings-on at a small paper supply company. It was a big critical and popular hit over there across the pond, winning a slew of awards and making its star and creator Ricky Gervais the toast of the comedy world in 2002. The show had a slow warm-up when it was first unveiled in 2001, but eventually the snowball of praise and audience support created a real sensation. Despite the cries for more, Gervais has so far nixed a third season, meaning that fans of The Office will have to make do with just twelve – yes, twelve – episodes. Even the worst of our comedies over here usually makes thirteen, but without the greedy hothouse environment of the U.S. television business the rules are a little different over there.


In any case, The Office is an often uncomfortable, completely awkward, and utterly spot on skewering of workplace behavior, starting from the top down with Gervais’ jaw-dropping portrayal of boss David Brent. He’s a top-drawer jackass, a pathetic jolly wannabe with delusions of camaraderie, a character so totally lacking in self-knowledge that you pray for a bolt of lightning to put him out of his misery. The documentary format allows for on-camera soliloquies that only add to his boorishness, and if you’ve ever had a clueless higher-up, then you know there’s nothing quite so wretched to behold. If this were real life you’d be tempted to extend him some mercy, but since this is television, good manners be damned and let the humor fall where it may.

If you like your comedy where the jokes are telegraphed from miles away and the overpaid artistes wait expectantly for the laughs that never fail to arrive, you’re probably not going to like The Office. It’s defiantly low-key, bitterly droll, more than a little cruel and definitely derives its power to amuse straight from the deadly environment that is the modern office. Unlike many U.S. comedies where evidently viewers are supposed to want to spend time with the characters or think of them as, well...friends, on The Office you’re more than relieved to be able to remain a fly on the wall and watch from afar.

Stay tuned here for tips on more great comedies to catch.

The Office runs on BBC America Thursday nights at 10:20pm, 1:20am and 5:20a, and Sunday nights at 10:40pm and 1:40am.

 
Kimmel Himmel


Sorry for the gap in coverage here, but I was on a little trip to Nova Scotia, and wouldn’t you know it, because I live in Atlanta I had to go all the way to Canada to get a look at Jimmy Kimmel’s new talk show, Jimmy Kimmel Live. Our local ABC affiliate still hasn’t managed to get a clue and put it on the schedule, all in the name of giving us more Entertainment Tonight and a repeat of their flabby local news. It’s beyond pathetic, this local market idiocy, and somebody at ABC central should kick some Atlanta ass and soon. Mercy!

Anyway, I caught a couple of Kimmel episodes and, to not much surprise here, I liked them a lot. JK still displays the everyman quality that made The Man Show so very likeable when it could easily have been otherwise. In a field where Letterman is a snide curmudgeon, Mr. Leno as predictable as a birthday party clown, and Conan O resides in an absurd world of his own genius, Jimmy Kimmel inhabits some kind of achievable suburb of comedic satisfaction. Neither too clever nor too numbingly middle-ground, he’s got his finger on the pulse of a certain kind of viewer. He, more than anybody else in late-night, is Mr. Joe Average, if Mr. Average had a multi-million dollar contract for a talk show, that is. There’s something approachable and comfortable about his presence, and part of it is that he seems to be sitting so much closer to his studio audience than the rest of the guys. The interaction there is fast and direct, and being close enough to see the whites of their eyes (definitely not bloodshot now that the beer doesn’t flow in the lobby before the show) allows him to establish a relationship unlike the other hosts who, while often involving the audience, do it without much sense of actual camaraderie.

Kimmel seems to be a guy who likes beer, sports and pop culture, and as such his credentials are impeccable. His involvement in the creation and production of Comedy Central hits The Man Show and Crank Yankers are evidence to his deep understanding of what tickles some folks, and while it’s not exactly Moliere that he’s doing up there, it’s damned funny nonetheless. Kimmel’s a fast thinker with a jolly self-deprecating demeanor that puts his guests at ease. One thing I really like is that he’s not hesitant to show his enthusiasm for some of his guests; when still-diminutive Gary Coleman guested, Kimmel was so delighted by his just plain adorable voice and personality that he gave him a big impulsive kiss on the top of his head. It may sound lame, but it was a hilarious moment and somewhat sweet, too, which is a quality that for some reason Kimmel also exudes, despite all odds. Basically he seems likeable, and though I’m not naïve enough to expect or even want celebrities to be decent human beings, I do like seeing it on the screen by somebody who can pull it off convincingly, even if it’s just an act.

Another thing that works on Jimmy Kimmel Live is the rotating guest cohort gimmick, where a different celebrity comes on for a week and plays the Ed McMahon role. It adds another element of potential into the mix, and though every choice may not soar, it’s a neat idea and kudos to Kimmel for bringing us some variety. From Don King to Janeane Garafolo, the faces will change weekly and just imagine the possibilities if something really clicks. Kimmel’s choice to be broadcast live also adds a frisson of authenticity to the proceedings, and certainly there’s always the chance for something really spontaneous and cool to occur. Not, of course, that I’ll get the opportunity to see it, thanks to WSB-TV, natch, damn their eyes!

With Comedy Central replaying Conan O’ Brien every evening at 7pm (and repeated during the day, too), this is a great time for savoring late-night comedy. Watch Kimmel at midnight, then catch Conan on Comedy the next day. It doesn’t get much better than that!

Jimmy Kimmel Live airs Monday - Friday at 12:05am on ABC...unless you live in Atlanta, of course.