The Philosophical Teachings of The Office and Other Sitcoms

By Spence Blazak

Sitcoms get a bad rap. When the word comes up, the first thing that comes to mind is the laugh track, Jennifer Anniston's haircut on Friends, or the 11 year old comedy stylings of Scrubs. Yet I am here to show you the way of the Lord. Sitcoms have entered a Golden Age. With the death of canned laughter, we have been blessed with the hallowed inner circle of sitcom nirvana: U.K. and U.S. versions of The Office, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Extras, Flight of the Conchords, Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia. For years, I've been the kind of guy who says, "Yeah. I like TV, but I don't watch it that much," just after he had watched the complete 2nd Season of the British version of The Office. Now, I have nothing to hide. Not only are these shows great, but they are educational! I've learned more from the pantheon of excellent sitcoms than I did from my anger management class in 8th grade!

Arrested Development

-My personal favorite show. It is the tale of Michael Bluth, the new CEO of his family's company. The Bluth Corporation was under the guidance of his father for years. He laundered money and invested company money with Saddam Hussein among other things. Now the company is going under, his father is in jail, and Michael is trying to bring the company back to its prime. Also, he and his extensive family all live in one of the company's model homes until they start to make real money again. I've never seen a funnier show. The existence of the show itself is what taught me the first lesson. It ran for a mere 3 seasons because no one watched it. The plus side of this is that it never ran stale. No episodes are bad, and it was one of the few good series finales in television history. The lesson: the show is the greatest judge of someone's sense of humor that there is. The problem with The Office is that everyone likes it. I'm not just being a hipster d-bag here. If you watch Arrested Development it means that you made a conscious effort to seek it out. It is relatively easy to access, but not to the extent of The Office. I have never met a fan of Arrested Development that I didn't love. A Development fan is never without a friend in the company of someone else who likes the show.

Curb Your Enthusiasm

-Larry David stars as Larry David. LD is the co-creator of Seinfeld, and it follows his adventures as a man with more money than God looking for things to do. He is cheap, grouchy, misanthropic, sees the worst in most people, and fears awkwardness like a sailor fears a Kraken. For anyone who knows me, it is a common fact that there are two or three different Spences, and the character I have just described is one of them. It takes a slightly different view on the "people suck" theme that is prominent in The Office, and it is the only other "real" world show that is on the list. While Jim Halpert passively laughs at all of the office's absurdities and often interjects cynical remarks to say sane, Larry attacks the insanity with full force while wielding a mallet of justice. The world is out to get him…..unless he gets it first. The show's lesson is that you don't always have to be a Jim….sometimes, when the world is being a particularly big dick to you, act like a Larry.

Its Always Sunny In Philadelphia

-The tale of a few friends who own the worst bar in Philadelphia. The lesson it taught me is one of hope for the future: political incorrectness is still as strong as ever. The world these days is a sad place. Everything is prim, proper, and absurdity is becoming a thing of the past. Sunny shows me other wise. For instance, the Halloween episode was spent trying to figure out who got Dee pregnant….and two of the suspects were her father and twin brother. It is so unbelievably offensive and vile, that it makes lesser off color shows like South Park look like Phineas and Ferb. It is very reassuring to know there is somebody out there keeping filthiness alive.

30 Rock

-Centers around the writers and producers of a Mad TV type show and their surrealistic misadventures. Its lesson is that its cool to reference things that no one might understand. The main point of contention on this blog is that we reference too many things that aren't exactly "relevant". 30 Rock showed me that if I stopped making absurd references, it would be crazier than Captain von Rauffenstein's monocle in the French film La Grande Illusion! Am I right?!?!

Flight of the Conchords

-Two satirical folk singers from New Zealand live a miserable existence in NYC. At its core, it is truly the most depressing show ever shot, and yet, it gives hope for anybody in the lower middle class. In one episode, Jemaine buys a cup that puts the duo into bankruptcy, forcing them to become male prostitutes. It's so sad, that it is hilarious. It shows that no matter how poor and miserable you are, there is always something hilarious going on. More importantly, it shows how misfortune might be one of the funniest things of all.

Extras

-Andy Millman is a struggling actor who is paying his dues as a film extra, and in each episode, he meets a celebrity or two.

I think the lesson here is that celebrities deserve to be put in their place. Andy meets David Bowie and Samuel L. Jackson, without being even the slightest bit phased. He lets people have whats coming to them. I took this to heart when I met Chris Rock. He signed my Playbill, and I said "I loved you in Rush Hour 3!" Game, Set, Spence.

The Office

-One of the most important life lessons in the whole world, and you have to look no further than TBS at 11:30 PM to find it. The lesson is simple: there is no way to survive in the world unless you can be on the side of the camera crew. I'll explain. For the two people reading this who have never seen the show, it is set in an office at a paper company in Pennsylvania, and it is made like a documentary. Almost everyone is crazy, except for the main character Jim and his lady friend Pam. Whenever something particularly off color happens, one or the both of them will stare directly into the camera, breaking the fourth wall. Our world is the same as theirs. There are very few Jims, and we all must stick together. The problem is that Jims are scattered throughout the world, so it is possible you could never meet one. This is why you need the camera crew. You need to know that someone else recognizes the complete absurdity in the Dwights and the Angelas of the world even though they may not show it. "The camera crew" is the ability to separate yourself from all situations and look at everything as inspiration for your future novel.