Why You Should Watch "Peep Show" and Give Up on "The Office"

By Spence Blazak

            Its that terrible time of year again: the wind blows a little harder and sugar doesn’t taste quite as sweet…all because The Office is back for another season. Speaking on behalf of fans of the Michael Scott-era of the show, watching the new episodes will slowly destroy you on the inside (Dwight brought a knife to the office? Really?) Yet, it is so hard to turn away, and move on. Much like a parent that refuses to acknowledge that their child is now 33 and should move out of the garage, you still keep metaphorically doing their laundry by watching the new Office episodes.

            This is where the good news comes: there is hope. The Office isn’t the end all, be all of awkward comedy. There is a place where the show is but a spring board to bigger and better things. A place called Great Britain.

            Enter Peep Show, one of the hidden gems on instant Netflix. It is notorious for being Ricky Gervais’s (the creator of The Office) favorite show, and for pushing the awkward comedy bar even more so than the over the top Curb Your Enthusiasm.

            Peep Show follows the day-to-day lives of Mark Corrigan and Jez Usbourne, roommates in South London. The hedonistic, sporadically motivated Jez has just come off a relationship and has decided to move in with his up tight, loan managing former college roommate Mark. Not a setup that is too out of the ordinary for a sitcom, but the delivery and execution is where it sets itself apart.

            The show is shot from a first person perspective, depicting everything from a standard breakfast conversation to Mark going to the restroom to Jez making love, and also features the thoughts of Mark and Jez to serve as a narration.

            Also at play is the cast of characters that includes Jez’s many female conquests, such as: a Russian drug dealer, an American hippie, and his neighbor who is separated, but still living with, her husband. On Mark’s side, there is Sophie, the object of his desires, and Jeff, Mark’s rival in achieving Sophie’s eye. Last but not least, there is Super Hans, the drug abusing best friend of Jez, who makes up half of their fame-seeking techno band.

            Unlike the prototypical model of modern sitcoms, such as Two and a Half Men, Peep Show is serialized. Each season (or series, as they call them across the pond) has 6 episodes, all with cohesive plots and character development building on each other. So far there have been 7 series, and an 8^th will be showed this fall. Like the show on Facebook to keep tabs on when this will actually be.

            Still not convinced that you can trade in The Office for Peep Show just yet? In the pilot, Jez brings a girl back to his room, and just before leaving with her from a party, Mark tells him that he should be careful considering the girl has cancer. This leads to a phenomenal, cringe-worthy scene of Jez being afraid to seal the deal because he thinks he will catch her cancer. Of course, Mark was mistaken and she is perfectly healthy.

            Enjoy.

This article was featured in the September 27, 2012 issue of The Daily Targum.