TV Notes - The Office

Based on its pilot, NBC's rendition of the BBC comedy "The Office" might have trouble taking off with American audiences.

First, the good. It is well-written and very well-acted. The casting is good. The execution is clever. Unlike most American sitcoms, rather than relying on jokes, it is truly a situation comedy. Several of the setups yield genuine, if uncomfortable, laughs. The setting of the show is more believable than that of most American TV dramas. It looks and feels exactly like the sort of place so many Americans spend the majority of their waking hours.

Now, the bad. The show looks and feels exactly like the sort of place so many Americans spend the majority of their waking hours. It drags on and on, not unlike the typical workday. By the end, I felt like I had been watching for an hour. I don't recall ever having that reaction to "Arrested Development" or "The Simpsons." By the time "24" counts down to zero, I'm thinking, "what, that's all?"

The show's biggest problem is its central character. Michael Scott, as portrayed by Steve Carell, has no redeeming or even endearing qualities. He is just a jerk. And, unlike the Larry David character's shenanigans on "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the laugher he generates is always of the of the squirming, uncomfortable variety. A scene in which Scott pretends to fire his receptionist for a trumped up charge of stealing is brilliant, particularly in the way that it lingers on the agony of the young woman. But, the scene feels like it lasts for fifteen minutes. I was screaming, "make it stop!"

None of this makes "The Office" a bad program. You have to admire NBC's willingness to break out of the tired sitcom mold. And, compared to the stars of "Three and a Half Men," Carell is the second coming of Chaplin. As good as he is, however, I can't imagine coming back week after week to see him turn every human interaction into a trainwreck. I can get that at work.

NBC and the producers of "The Office" get an A for effort and a B-plus for execution. Only this kind of boldness will rescue scripted comedy (and drama) from the reality TV wasteland. I hope the network gives the show time to find an audience. It took Seinfeld several years to really take hold. "The Office" deserves the same chance, but this comedie verite will have more success with a little less verite.