Category: The Office (Page 11 of 17)

Major shakeup in latest edition of Bullz-Eye’s TV Power Rankings

February 25, 2007 /

Power Rankings

Since the dawn of creation — well, the creation of this feature, anyway — Jack Bauer sat atop Bullz-Eye.com’s TV Power Rankings, owning the #1 slot for better than a year and a half. Some would say it was only a matter of time, but now that it’s finally happened, the sudden fall from grace of Fox’s hit show “24” is actually a lot more embarrassing than it is depressing. But the real-time thriller isn’t the only major shakeup in the winter 2007 edition of the rankings. HBO’s “The Wire” makes its grand (and, forgive us, long overdue) debut, while NBC experienced a big surge thanks to its fresh fall lineup. Of course, HBO still came out the big winner with five shows emerging in the Top 10 (four in the first six), proving once again that it pays to, well, pay for quality television.

Here are a few entries from our list:

11. Scrubs (NBC): It shouldn’t surprise anyone to see that “Scrubs” has dropped so low in the rankings. Coming off one of the best years since its debut, expectations for the show were certainly higher than usual – especially when it was called up to the big leagues and given a spot in NBC’s highly coveted Must See TV lineup – but no one could have guessed that the sixth season would start out on such a sour note. Whether it was the accelerated progression of J.D. into adulthood (he’s got a baby on the way, with guest star Elizabeth Banks, no less) or Carla’s all-too-brief post-partum depression (a subplot added to accommodate Judy Reyes’ real-life hip injury), the first five episodes of the new season were particularly somber. Things were looking so bleak, in fact, that fans of the show were preparing to concede that the medical comedy was finally showing signs of wear, but with the much-publicized musical episode creatively rejuvenating everyone involved with the show, things are finally getting back on track. And as long as things remain this kooky and fresh (read: Kelso getting his own episode, or the Janitor using a stuffed rabbit as a salt and pepper shaker), we don’t see any reason why “Scrubs” won’t being making a triumphant return to the Top 5 in the very near future. ~Jason Zingale

17. Deadwood (HBO): Well, despite all the rumors, “Deadwood” isn’t quite dead…yet. Last year, HBO decided not to extend the options of the terrific ensemble cast, making a fourth full season unlikely, but the network and series creator David Milch agreed to produce two two-hour telefilms to wrap up the show’s loose ends. Season Three contained a myriad of intertwining storylines, but focused on the growing influence of businessman/asshole George Hearst, which put former adversaries Al Swearengen and Sheriff Seth Bullock in an unlikely alliance. “Deadwood” features stronger language than any other HBO show, and with “The Sopranos” and “The Wire” on the network’s roster, that’s saying a lot. The truth is that everything about the show – the language, the acting, the story, the sets and the costumes – is colorful, and whether or not HBO wants to admit it, they’re going to miss “Deadwood” once it’s gone for good. ~John Paulsen

Check out the full list here.

24, Battlestar Galactica, Deadwood, Entourage, External Entertainment, External TV, Heroes, Lost, My Name Is Earl, Prison Break, Rome, South Park, The Office, The Shield, The Sopranos, The Wire, TV

The Office: “Cocktails”

February 23, 2007 /

Anytime “The Office” adds alcohol to the situation, there are always some fireworks. Roy…um…overreacted to the news that Pam and Jim kissed while she was still engaged, but the best part was how Roy’s brother, without even knowing what’s going on between Roy and Pam, picks up a stool and tosses it over the bar because he was pissed off about taking “a bath on some jet skis.” That is just so hilariously messed up.

One thing’s for sure – Roy has it out for Jim.

Meanwhile, things seem to be going pretty well between Jim and Karen. For a second there, it seemed like she might be the company tramp, but it turned out she was just screwing with him, which just makes her all the more attractive. The writers have done a nice job of making Karen a lot like Pam, only a little bit hotter.

I’ll admit, I was wrong with my prediction that Karen and Jim would split once Roy and Pam were back together. It seems like that relationship is done for good. So does the “new Pam” tell Jim how she really feels? It seems like we’re headed in that direction, and considering we’re already 18 episodes into the season, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that’s the season 3 cliffhanger.

Jan’s rant outside the cocktail party was pretty funny: “What’s the downside? I date Michael Scott publicly and collapse into myself like a dying star. Why is this so hard? That’s what she said. Oh my God, what am I saying?”

Jan is pretty messed up. I just don’t see things working out the way Michael hopes they will, with “the picket fence, ketchup fights, tickling and giggling.” Ketchup fights?

Dwight didn’t have many good lines tonight, but I did like his first comment when he was in the kid’s rocking chair: “Good, you’re up.”

External TV, The Office, TV, TV Comedies

Introducing…”Halfway Home”

February 21, 2007 /

Comedy Central’s original series have a tendency to be wildly uneven. With “The Sarah Silverman Program,” however, it looked like the network’s fortunes had changed…but, now, we have “Halfway Home,” and we’re somewhere between the two poles.

It seems like a great idea: an improvised show about five ex-cons living in a residential rehab facility. (Y’get it? A halfway house…?) Improvised comedy generally tends to result in big laughs, but if you’re expecting something akin to “Curb Your Enthusiasm” or one of Christopher Guest’s flicks, you’re expecting a little too much; in this case, the cast tends to fall back on lowbrow comedy way too often. Example: the second episode revolves almost entirely around the guys in the house attempting to get erections…and it ends with them all taking horse viagra by mistake. Of the three episodes made available for preview, however, two of them contain quite a lot of laughs…and, okay, there’s at least one hilarious line in that erection episode, when Jordan Black, in his quest to rise to the occasion, says, “I’m gonna handle my junk like Fred Sanford.”

Undoubtedly, the big selling point among comedy fans will prove to be the inclusion of this man in the cast:

Oscar Nunez

Given that Oscar Nunez produced the pilot for “Halfway Home” and sold it to Comedy Central, you can’t accuse him of accidentally falling into typecasting, but is it really all that wise to follow up his role as Oscar the gay accountant on “The Office” with this role as a gay male prostitute? Sure, it’s nice to have that funny-gay-guy niche locked up, but, really, Oscar, how about some variety in your resume? It’s not like you’re actually gay. (At least, he says he isn’t in this interview.)

Anyway, it looks like “Halfway Home” is two-thirds of the way to being consistently funny…but let’s see how the rest of the season goes.

External TV, News, Reviews, The Office, TV, TV Comedies

The Office: “Business School”

February 16, 2007 /

O Michael, when will you learn? This was another “Michael-makes-an-ass-of-himself-in-front-of-a-group-of-strangers” episode, and while it wasn’t quite as cringe worthy as his unwanted marriage proposal a few weeks ago, there were some brutally great moments. From the music playing as he entered (which went into someone else’s speech) to inappropriately ripping the pages from Napoleon Dynamite’s textbook to whipping candy around the room, Michael certainly ran the gamut of presentation no-no’s. When one of the students revealed that Ryan calculated that Dunder-Mifflin would be defunct in 5-10 years, Michael lost it, and I’m not sure it’s because he felt betrayed by Ryan or thinks that he may be right. Who knows, maybe it’s a combination of the two.

Back at the office, Jim was seriously messing with Dwight when he claimed that the bat bit him. Jim touched on all the vampire lore – the blinding crucifix, the “white hot” garlic, the vampire fangs – but the best moments happened at the end. First, he quietly stands behind Dwight, then flips his collar and looks over his shoulder as he leaves. Outside, knowing that Dwight is probably watching him, he drapes his jacket over his head to block out the sun as he walks to his car. That’s some terrific stuff.

Pam had her first art show and she was pretty disappointed with the turnout. Roy did come to the show with his brother, but totally put his foot in his mouth when he said, “I show up with my brother and no one from work is here. Pretty cool, eh?” It seems like Pam is starting to realize that Roy hasn’t changed all that much. Later, she overheard Oscar and his boyfriend talk about her work, and Oscar said that “[courage] isn’t one of her strong points.” That was when her night really went south. But then Michael arrived, and said all the right things. (For once.)

It looks like much of next week’s episode takes place at cocktail hour, so we could be in for some fireworks.

External TV, The Office, TV, TV Comedies

The Office: “Phyllis’ Wedding”

February 9, 2007 /

Jim’s Pavlov-esque experiment that opened the episode was terrific. It’s amazing how the show can consistently come up with hilarious one-minute bits. Of course, whenever you have Jim messing with Dwight, it’s a recipe for success.

I think I’ve realized something about Michael and his antics. When he makes a complete ass of himself in front of his employees, it’s funny, but when he makes a complete ass of himself in front of a bunch of strangers, it’s just uncomfortable. That was the case tonight when he kept trying to inject himself into Phyllis’ wedding, creating a number of his patented “cover your eyes” moments.

Kevin’s transition from “…[Uncle Al] has dementia and his family is very concerned. This is a very serious situation,” into his horrible rendition of “Roxanne” was one of the best moments of the episode. It’s always great to catch a glimpse of Scrantonicity.

Did you catch Ryan coming in and batting the bouquet away from Kelly? I doubt he’ll ever extract himself from that relationship, though that would make for a great episode. On a side note – nice work, Toby!

It looks like my not-so-hard-to-predict prediction is going to come true. Pam was so beat down, first by Phyllis stealing all of her wedding ideas and then by seeing Jim dancing with Karen, that she succumbed (out of loneliness) to Roy’s subtle moves. They’re going to get back together before Jim realizes he still wants her.

But who knows, maybe one of them will have the balls to tell the other how they really feel. I think it’s Pam’s turn, but it doesn’t look like she wants to put herself on the line like that (or betray Karen). The only problem with a Pam/Jim romance is that I like Karen and I don’t want her character to leave Scranton.

Here are a couple of great quotes from tonight’s episode:

Dwight: (to Angela) “You look as beautiful as the Queen of England.” (What??)

Angela: (to Phyllis) “Your dress is very white. It’s so white my eyes are burning.”

External TV, The Office, TV Comedies

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