Does anyone still watch the office?

[crepesack]

I'm not sure if people still watch this show. I just watched the latest iteration and wow. The new writer for the show has really out done herself. All the characters are finally growing up and coming to terms with their flaws. Jim- just always did what he wanted to do without thinking about himself. Pam- she's become so accustomed to her surroundings she's scared to change even if it's for the good for her family. Dwight and Angela finally realize all they have is each other. Andy- His family is in ruins and he's about to lose everything. The office isn't a playground anymore. Everyone's finally drifting apart. And with the fact Michael Scott is never making a return is really imo just icing on the cake- people move away and drift apart. Lives aren't always so interconnected.

This probably sounds like rabid fanboyism but finally, the series is getting the conclusion 10 years in the making.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

I'm happy for the way Season 9 has turned out.

I nearly stopped watching the series altogether after the disastrous Season 8. My biggest complain was Nelly and Robert California. They were artificially added into the series to serve as two halfs of Michael Scott's whole, adding nothing but shock value and pointless drama for the existing cast. Season 8 tried to prove that The Office can go on without Michael and it failed. Season 9 has done the series justice and I'm glad that it is wrapping up the way it is.

Here's hoping to a satisfying conclusion to a hilarious series.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I actually stopped watching at the end of Season 8. It wasn't a particularly conscious decision, at some point I just realized "Hey! Season 9 is on!" and didn't care enough to catch up on it. It's sad when you think about it, all these years eagerly following the same blokes and to end it all so unceremoniously. Michael's departure killed the show, let's face it. If you were to ask anyone back in the first four/five seasons and they told you Michael leaves eventually, would you believe them? That the show can exist without him? Neither do I. I watched the whole Nelly/Robert schtick with great pain. I winced at the way they tried to amp Dwight to main protagonist. Now I wince when I hear there're two blokes supposed to be "the new Dwight and Jim"? What happened with Dwight and Jim to begin with? Aren't they still on the show? Why do we need some crappy comedy duo rip-off? The series was braindead enough without Mike, but displacing Dwight and Jim in such a way is too much.

 

[King of Asgaard]

I think I'm one of the few that REALLY dislikes the Office.
The jokes fell flat, the characters were uninteresting and clichéd, and the episodes focussed on situations we've seen many times before.
I honestly cannot fathom how it garnered such acclaim, and nine damned seasons.

 

[hazabaza1]

I actually watched the UK version recently. Funny and fucking depressing all at once.
After watching the pilot of the US one I haven't watched an episode since. I hear it gets better later.

 

[AnarchistFish]

I haven't seen either the UK or the US version. Might try it out, but I'd definitely start with the UK version if I did.

 

[Durzo_Blint]

I actually watched the UK version recently. Funny and fucking depressing all at once.
After watching the pilot of the US one I haven't watched an episode since. I hear it gets better later.

I did the exact same thing, HUGE fan of the UK Office and couldn't bear the US series, but once you get past the first 6 episodes it stops being such a carbon copy of the UK version and starts being a funny, clever and heartwarming show in its own right.

 

[Rednog]

The new season has been dreadful for me, Toby not being the strangler was such a wasted opportunity. Andy basically suffers from multiple personality disorders because his character has basically been completely changed every other season. Erin/Pete/Andy love triangle is supposed to bring back fond memories of Jim/Pam love chase from the early seasons...except for the fact that Erin is just like Andy, her character is completely inconsistent. Over and over she's been portrayed as a complete air head, and now that she's found her true love that suddenly goes away, remind me why am I rooting for this character? And don't get me started on the whole camera crew reveal, sure it was a great moment when the boom guy went and comforted Pam after the call, but the whole implied love thing was honestly pointless.
It's not as bad as the later Michael Scott seasons / youtube/parody seasons, for me it just doesn't capture the magic of the early seasons.

 

[Woodsey]

... Not sure if you're taking the piss.

The first half of season 9 was alright, they toned it down from the utter stupidity of season 8. But now all this crap with the sound guy smacks of terrible writing. Just because he's apparently been a part of the film crew for 9 years doesn't mean you can just fucking introduce him now and expect us to believe he's a perfectly natural addition. The stuff with Jim and Pam would work far, far fucking better without that shit.

Andy, meanwhile, has simply gone back to being a massive prick, only now he doesn't even have the benefit of being funny when someone winds him up. I'm doubly irritated by all the fucking time they spent trying to make him and Erin the new Jim and Pam in season 8, when Erin was a fucking idiot and Andy unbearably annoying, only for them to now go, "nah, fuck that."

Oscar is now a 'stupid one' instead of being a straight man (pun unintended, but accepted). Dwight almost feels as if he's gone meta, become aware of how crap it's all getting and is slowly removing himself from it.

I like the two new guys, although I have no idea what their names are.

I watch out of the feeling that I've gone this far, may as well see it croak its last breath.

Now I wince when I hear there're two blokes supposed to be "the new Dwight and Jim"?

That's just a joke within the show since the characters can't remember their names either. New Dwight isn't like Dwight in the slightest, and New Jim is only like Jim in that he's a nice guy. They're not actually set up to replace them.

 

[CityofTreez]

I actually watched the UK version recently. Funny and fucking depressing all at once.
After watching the pilot of the US one I haven't watched an episode since. I hear it gets better later.

Jump into season 2-4. Great television.

OT: Yes, I do. No it's not as fun as it used to be, it's the last season and I'll be damned if I'm not going to see it through the very end.

 

[Goofguy]

I've been enjoying season 9 well enough in its maturing of the characters and storylines in anticipation of the finale. Yes, it doesn't have as many laughs as previous seasons but that's better than trying to force the humour from silly situations up until the last episode and then have a "oh crap, time to be sincere for the finale" moment.

I did get a huge kick out of Bob Odenkirk's appearance in the most recent episode. He sold it as Philadelphia's Michael Scott.

 

[KeyMaster45]

Ehh, I never really watched it in the first place. I don't like reality television on the best of days, so mock-reality tv shows like The Office and Reno 911 just grate my nerves. Heck, even Modern Family made my shit list at first simply because it's shot in a reality TV format, with confessionals thrown in for some reason. I absolutely love the show now (only because there was a point where it aired before The Middle on the lineup), and while I feel I should give The Office another chance I really don't want to at this point. Frankly I was under the impression it had gone off the air years ago.

 

[The Selkie]

Office nice guy, Jim/Pete falls for office receptionist, Pam/Erin who is in a relationship with a man who sort of neglects her. Eventually she realises this and leaves him for office nice guy Jim/Pete. This all feels somewhat familiar...

While I agree that new Dwight hasn't really taken over Dwight's role, that's largely because Dwight is still about. With Jim playing an ever shrinking role New Jim seems to be taking his spot as the nice, normal guy that the audience is supposed to relate to.

Although I have (and still do) enjoyed it, part of me wishes they wrapped up the story arcs and finished the series on a more sombre note when Michael left.

 

[Belaam]

I put on occasional episodes on hulu if I am doing something else and want some background noise.

Kinda just watching to see if they let Pam be her own person and not dependent on whatever guy is crushing on her. Quite positive they won't do that with Erin.

Number of laughs per episode are way down. At this point, I'm hoping Pam becomes a single mom, Creed is arrested as the Scranton Strangler, and it dies quickly.