Prime Time Television - Thursday
The Office, Parks and Recreation, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
It is no secret that Thursday night comedy has been synonymous with NBC since the days of Seinfeld and Friends. For a while, however, after those two shows had run there course and ceased to exist, Thursday nights on NBC just didn't have the pull that it once did. That was the case until 2005, and the series premiere of The Office.
The Office, originally created for the BBC by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, was developed into an American show by Greg Daniels and premiered on NBC in 2005. Since then it has become one of the top touted programs on television. The Office, starring Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasiniski and Rainn Wilson, sets the standard for any comedy shows like it. The Office is shot with a single camera in a "mockumentary" format (i.e. a mock documentary), all about the comedy of discomfort that can be found in the monotony of small-town office life. Steve Carell plays dimwitted boss Michael Scott, who leads an ensemble of characters all playing off of each other, relying on expert timing, and well executed situational humor. The Office Season Six - Thursday nights at 9:00pm on NBC.
Prior to the sixth season premiere of The Office, is the season two premiere of Parks and Recreation. Parks and Recreation, starring Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones and Aziz Ansari, is a show created by Greg Daniels (Developer of The Office). Parks and Recreation first premiered in February of 2009, and since its premiere has received a sort of mixed reception. The similarities between The Office and Parks and Recreation are too close to ignore. Both shows are shot in single camera "mockumentary" style. Both shows feature an ensemble cast of characters who work in mid-level office settings, The Office takes place in a mid-level, Scranton, Pennsylvania based paper company; Parks and Recreation is takes place in the world of small-town government in Pawnee, Indiana. Both of the shows lack a laugh track, and play on situational humor, rather than punchlines. And finally, both ensemble casts of characters are led by clueless and inept bosses, Steve Carell in The Office and Amy Poehler in Parks and Recreation. With all of these similarities, Parks and Recreation seems to come off as an attempted spin-off of The Office, because of this, Parks and Recreation may not be getting the respect that it deserves.
Though it is obvious that both Parks and Recreation and The Office are similar, Parks and Recreation provides its own blend of comic forces that are actually quite charming and even comforting to watch. Rather than looking at Parks and Recreation as a poorly executed spin-off of the Office, look at it as the perfect prelude to an episode of The Office, consider it a good opening act, and allow the similarities to be comforting rather than irritating. Season two of Parks and Recreation premieres tonight at 8:30pm on NBC
NBC Invites You to Join a New Community
Capping off the Thursday night lineup on NBC is the premiere of the brand new series Community starring E! Network: The Soup star Joel McHale, and comedy legend Chevy Chase. Community centers around the misfits of a community college, seeking higher education--higher education with lower standards--that is. This show has promise, there are a lot of directions that it can go in, as well as opportunities for a wide range of characters from the slacker students, to the eccentric teachers that will no doubt be prevalent throughout the series. If nothing else, this show is the new home of Chevy Chase, giving him another chance to show off his comic prowess on prime time television. Community premieres tonight at 9:30 after The Office, on NBC
The "Sunny-er" Side of Thursday Night
At the conclusion of NBC's Thursday night comedy line-up, pick up the remote and flip the channel over to the FX Network for the season five premiere of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. If ever there were a Cinderella story of television comedies, it would be the story of how It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia came into existence. That is of course if a story involving morally inept alcoholics and hair-brained schemes could be considered Cinderella-esque. Creators/actors/writers Rob McEhlenny, Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day, put together a rough cut episode about three friends with ridiculous dialogue, all centered around a bar run down, dive bar that the three of them owned in East Philadelphia, and began shopping it around the top American networks. The Fox Broadcasting Company purchased the rights to the show, and because of its edginess, decided to put it on late nights on the FX network. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia premiered in August 2005, immediately developing a cult following and eventually national recognition.
The season two premiere introduced Danny DeVito to the cast, which, prior to, featured Rob McEhlenny, Glenn Howerton, Charlie Day and Kaitlin Olson. These five actors have developed the characters Mac, Dennis, Charlie, Frank and Dee, and the characters have now grown together in a way that makes each episode funnier, and crazier than the one before it. Like The Office and Parks and Recreation, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia does not use a laugh track, but unlike the other two shows, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia relies less on awkward situational humor and more on unbelievable schemes, and hilarious punchlines. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is arguably the funniest show on television. The interaction between the characters, combined with the complete and utter lack of moral fortitude between the five of them is something that can be considered the Seinfeld of a younger generation because like Seinfeld, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia focuses on a cast of characters that are selfish, rude, abrasive, and all around bad people that audiences just can't seem to get enough of. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season five premieres tonight at 10:00pm on FX.
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