6. The Office [U.K. vs. U.S.] (World's Self-Appointed Best Boss, Two-Fold)

“You know, a lot of these people, this is the only family they have. So, as far as I’m concerned, this says, 'World’s Best Dad.'”

-Michael Scott, picking up the World's Best Boss mug he no doubt bought himself; 
"The Merger" (U.S. version, Season 3, Episode 8)

Run time: 9 July 2001 – 27 December 2003 [UK] / March 24, 2005 – present [US]

Created by: Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant

Adapted by: Greg Daniels

Broadcast via: BBC / NBC

While Curb Your Enthusiasm may have been ahead of the comedic curve, it certainly was not ever really the apex of it. That distinction goes to two separate shows, both of which happen to be called The Office. It originally started as a British mockumentary that lasted two seasons and spawned two Christmas specials, and then it was adapted for American audiences to critical acclaim and mass appeal. Both feature some of the most harrowing and hilarious portraits of sadsacks and doldrums ever televised, led by perhaps the most self-delusional man to ever hold a managerial position (at least in their respective continents).

Initially created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (who would go on to make the excellent HBO series Extras), The Office is set up as series about the day-to-day drudgeries of a branch of office employees. In their version, Gervais and Merchant created the fictitious Wernham Hogg Paper Company and stuck it in Slough (a borough of Berkshire county in merry old England), then let the social trivialities and defects of human character shine within the claustrophobic space of an a suburban office complex. Gervais played David Brent, the general manager of the Slough branch who sees himself as a fun-loving and free-spirited Renaissance man who just so happens to be a boss as well as a friend. Despite seeming friendly, aloof and popular, he is boorish, pretentious and a walking calamity. And his coworkers’ misery is our entertainment, which earned The Office Britain’s first Golden Globe ever in 2004 when it beat out the all-too-American Arrested Development, Monk, Sex and the City and Will & Grace. That’s right: in 2004, Monk and Will & Grace were considered killer comedy. It was a landmark show that influenced a wide variety of comedies to come on both sides of pond, and it was one of those shows that was quick, brilliant and gone before the world could truly recognize how lucky it was to have it.

I grew up with the belief that the Brits excel at awkward comedy. They invented both acting and politeness, so it’s no surprise that they have such masterful control of subverting social situations into completely inappropriate “behaviour” for our amusement. But knowing this could not prepare me for what I was about to get when I met the Slough branch, and especially their manager. I fell in love right away, and told other people that it was one of the funniest shows I had seen. I had a hard time believing I’d find one better (granted, this was before I had seen Arrested Development), which got me a little defensive when I heard that Hollywood had gotten their hands on the property.

A couple years after the sun set of the British king of comedies, Greg Daniels (who previously wrote for Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons and King Of The Hill) decided to turn it into an American thing, which could have been disastrous as most American remakes of imported stories tend to be. I first believed that I wouldn’t like the American version nearly as much as those silly Brits had already done with their original. But Daniels assembled a top-notch crew of writers and cast of players, turning The Office into a successful American enterprise that has so far produced seven hilarious seasons. While there may be an eighth, the news that Steve Carell (as the multi-award-winning Dunder-Mifflin Scranton branch boss Michael Scott) will not be returning for another has many unsure just what to make of The Office’s future. While there are many great characters to keep the vehicle going, a rudderless ship simply won’t make for quirky office shenanigans.

Of course, the American version is not the only spin-off. Series have popped up in France, Germany, Israel, Quebec, and even Chile. But the American has become iconic, perhaps even more so than the British original (Much like America itself? Just kidding, Brits!). And it has roused more out of us emotionally for its ongoing story arcs and multitude of mundanely funny characters (though many are now contending that the show hasn’t been the same since Pam and Jim got married). I can’t decide, in all honesty, which is the technically better show. But both are fantastic forays into the world of character-based awkward sessions that make the viewer cringe and cry laughing at the same time. If you’re averse to British accents, go with the American version; if you prefer things fresh and OG, give the Brits a chance.

BEGINNING & END CREDIT SCORE: 3/4

A good, simple score for each series (the cheerful, affable British theme or the rousing yet funereal American version both perfectly set up the madness of the world we are about to enter) opens with not too much lag, but not too much alteration. Also, I was disappointed that the glowing supporting cast didn’t get its proper due in the opening of the U.S. version (there was an episode or two where they are shown and credited, but this mysteriously is not the norm).

BEST CHARACTER: Creed Bratton (played by Creed Bratton)

There is no question who the boss is in either series, and both Gareth Keenan and Dwight Schrute deserve their own spin-offs (or alternate universes where they are the boss). But line-for-line, the single most consistently funny player in both of these worlds is Creed Bratton, the senior resident played by Creed Bratton who has seen it all, and is now coasting by doing as little as possible (so little that he doesn’t even remember what his job title is). Always around to offer an extra dose of comedic creepiness (except for when he’s concerned about being caught for wrongdoing), Creed it an actual office mate’s worst nightmare. But safely removed, in the comforting confines of our home viewing environment, Creed is the best Office mate around.

BEST SEASON: 2 [for U.K.] / 3 [for U.S.]

The second British series kept chugging along as it explored more deeply the then-pioneering art of office discomfort and malapropisms. And it ended the show on a completely brilliant and high note (though there were those two aforementioned Christmas specials). The American version, meanwhile, took a little longer to get going at full speed. My favorite is season five, but season three was the game changer. Finally firing on all cylinders, the third season gave us even more for the highly quotable supporting players, as well as introduced us to the wonder that is a cappella aficionado Andrew Bernard (played by the now mega-famous Ed Helms).

BEST EPISODE: “Training” (Series 1, Episode 4) [U.K.] / “Weight Loss” (Season 5, Episode 1)

The training day from hell will not feature Denzel Washington or PCP, as it turns out. It will feature David Brent interrupting the meeting's facilitator at every chance and eventually breaking into song (he strums a guitar and sings his own compositions, including the classic “Free Love Freeway”), with Tim realizing that he is living in his own worst hell (he does try to break free, the first of many failed attempts). And on the American side of The Atlantic, the fifth season started with a tremendous bang. Pam and Jim became engaged (as she's away at art school, hailing the return of former-temp-former-CEO Ryan), Michael and Holly were the cutest onscreen couple ever (check this out if you don't believe me), Andy was somehow engaged to Angela (and oblivious to the fact that she’s still sleeping with Dwight), and the entire staff was trying to lose more weight than the other Dunder-Mifflin branches (to varying degrees of success). Holly also found out that Kevin is not, in fact, retarded (not clinically speaking, anyhow).

BEST MOMENT: The kiss (“Gay Witch Hunt,” Season 3, Episode 1)

When Michael accidentally outs gay accountant Oscar, he attempts to cover his tracks by staging a sensitivity training session about homosexuality. It ends up (like all of Mr. Scott’s bungling attempts) a big mess, especially when the boss tries to kiss the embarrassed Oscar. In an ordinarily tightly scripted show, this bit of improv proved just how gifted and committed Steve Carell was. Ricky Gervais may have created the character, but Steve Carell showed us just how far he could stretch that role. And all of this lead to my favorite Oscar line (after he is awarded paid vacation time in lieu of suing Dunder-Mifflin), “Kids, sometimes it pays to be gay.”

SPECIAL CATEGORY

BEST “THAT’S WHAT SHE SAID” UTTERANCE: “It squeaks when you bang it…” (“Crime Aid,” Season 5, Episode 4)

The show boasts many fine moments that spark Michael Scott’s desire to rebut with “That’s what she said,” and a fair amount of them are actually appropriate to the situation (if not appropriate to office etiquette). In the fifth season, the office is broken into, so the branch holds an auction to raise money for new supplies. Having been supplied with a toy gavel that makes a noise on even the slightest impact, Michael Scott’s surprised reaction is a thinking-out-loud moment (“It squeaks when you bang it. That’s what she said.”) so nonchalant you might not hear it the first time.

4. Lost (Everything That Rises Must Converge)

JACK: "I don’t believe in destiny."

LOCKE: "Yes, you do. You just don’t know it yet."

-John Locke, always the mentor;

"Exodus Pt. 3" (Season 1, Episode 25)

Run time: September 22, 2004 – May 23, 2010

Created by: Jeffrey Lieber & J.J. Abrams & Damon Lindelof

Broadcast via: ABC

Oh, Lost. No show quite incites either loving devotion or dubious dislike like Lost. So let’s just get this out of the way: Lost is a good show. A really fucking good show. Any hate thrown towards it is based on personal bias more than actual lacking for craft. Okay, there are things about Lost that are less than cool (I’ll get to that later). But as I’ve already stated about my favorite show, no series is perfect. If you’re still not with me on the “Lost is good” talk, let me say that I understand there are plenty of reasons to hate Lost; I too used to be a proud member on the Fuck Lost bandwagon. But just because something has faults doesn’t mean it can’t also be good or beyond loving. The fact that Lost is ultimately about that last sentence I just wrote only further ascertains it as one of the defining shows of pop culture, not to mention one of the best mysteries and interactive puzzle games ever created.

I should even note that I am not the biggest fan of the first and second season. While I do find them to be very entertaining and full of intrigue, they just don’t grab me to the same degree that the best of the best have (although the “We’re gonna have to take the boy” moment and “The Other 48 Days” episode were knockout brilliant). Get passed that though, and you will be justy rewarded with four solid seasons that take Lost from what everyone initially thought it was going to be into mind-bending new territory that truly had not been explored on TV before.

Lost is one of those shows that is immediately rewatcahble, endlesly absorbing because every scene, seemingly every frame is filled with more than just what the scene itself suggests. Subtext is a big name of the game for Lost, and following the threads during each episode means leaving nothing to chance (or excusing any detail from utmost scrutiny). Such thinking never really got anyone any closer to the answers, but the fun of discovery along the way makes for a huge part of Lost's drawing power. It's like a crazy religious tome, each chapter unfolding another layer in the mystery of everything. The storytelling is wild and all-encompassing, and in the end is merely a blueprint for something much bigger than itself by itself. Which is why Lost became the pop culture phenomenon it did while it was on the air (and audiences were forced to wait season-to-season, week-to-week and unravel the mystery collectively) and the cult uber-show it has already became in the home viewing market.

Lost is perhaps most notable for being the first show created and aired in the 21^st century that became a cult-canon series on par with both Star franchises (Trek and Wars, both of which cast a wide influence on the show). Yes, The Sopranos was the most successful cable television series ever, and The Wire has an extremely articulate and passionate fanbase, but this does not compare to going to ComiCon and seeing Losties mix in with the Trekkers (and I’m not quite sure what you call diehard Star Wars fans, but probably not “Warsies”). This is an especially big feat since most noteworthy programming these days is coming from cable. Yet lo and behold, Lost came from ABC, the most basic of basic networks. And despite it’s network limitations (or sometimes, like Arrested Development, because of it), it has thrived; I should mention that I heard when they wrote their scripts they laced the dialogue with plenty of profanity (this was obviously edited out by the end of post production, but it was done to establish and maintain intensity during scenes). For seeming like a silly network show, Lost is well known (and loved) for provoking ideas, hinting at symbolism and literature and thousands of other pieces of pop culture, messing with your conception of time and principality (are you a person of science or faith, and is there really a difference?), and creating a new realm of pop mythology. It combined many religious views, philosophical queries, scientific theories, superhero sagas and ancient mythologies (along with name checks to many of the best in each of those fields), turning them all into something else. Something modern, yet something classic. And it got a lot of people thinking. Any show that inspires people to read so many different books and study science or philosophy and create art the way Lost has must be deemed a success.

Watching it for the first time, Lost can be quite overwhelming, especially if you focus on some of Lost’s tackier idiosyncrasies. Things go by in the blink of an eye, yet obviously huge amounts of details are poured into several significant scenes. The production quality is astonishing; the sets especially are something to be marveled at. And being filmed primarily in Hawaii gives each exterior scene a gorgeous hue.  I could mention all the dazzling characters that pop in and out of this chronicle - and holy crap, are there myriad mesmerizing men and women and smoke monsters in this fantastic voyage to and from one crazy island . But same as Baltimore is to The Wire (and again, that mansion is to The Shining), The Island is the real star of the show. Like the mansion, it remains shrouded in mystery, yet such an entrancing and mythic place. In the end, it was something people fought over, something that gave life and took it all the same, filled with beauty and horror, as well as things that made life make sense (and things that confused the fuck out of people).


Being made by people, no show can be perfect, including Lost. Being on a network helped Lost in gaining a wide mainstream audience as soon as it started, avoiding the dreaded poor-ratings-means-cancelation-means-obscurity debacle. I will also state that many shows benefit from being limited by the censors (The Office, Arrested Development and Always Sunny are three that immediately come to mind), though I don't know if Lost might have done better at a cable network or not. Being on a network did force showrunners Damon Lindeloff and Carlton Cuse to do some pretty silly things, like force source music down our ears, rely on stock story structures for the pointless stuff that had to fill up mandated episode counts, and tone down its potential for some serious scenes and manic moments of unfettered cinema because, hey, kids could be watching. Most of these mistakes and missteps were rectified by the end of the third season, however. ABC agreed to give Lost a definitive end date, and from that point forward, it was game time, with Lost having enough cache that the creators could start getting away with more risky (and rewarded) measures. The two-headed mythmakers Darlton went full speed ahead and engaged us in some of the most epic storytelling this side of The Chronicles Of Narnia (the books, not the movies), Back To The Future or the first three Indiana Jones movies (the last one I'm not counting).

Despite this epicality, the weaknesses may seem prominent at first to the uninitiated, but they erode over the course of the first three seasons. As already mentioned, the stories get better once the cast and crew knew what they were working toward with an actual ending in mind. The acting seemed to rise with it, and everyone's performances consistently got more and more involved (and involving). I’m not usually a fan of incidental (or source) music, especially in television. Usually, it’s contrived and artificial and reminds me that I’m being told to feel something (even if it’s already abundantly clear). Lost starts out very much this way, or so it seems. Perhaps this ties to my not-as-embracing views of the first two seasons (which, again, are good), but the music seems to fit with my bitter views on source cues (at least initially). Again, give it time. Any nonbeliever will start to realize that the leitmotifs and fanfare are actually thematic. You must respect the attention to detail and care that went into crafting this story of a group of plane crash survivors who will never be the same again. It affirms that the writers knew what they wanted to do from the beginning, but had to contend with the demands of the moneymen before being allowed to put the final acts into effect.

Again, there are plenty of seemingly reasonable excuses to hate Lost. But most do not hold up under debate. If it’s not your cup of tea, so be it, but that it your choice, and not directly reflective of any shortcoming on the creators’ part. If you wanna poke holes in Lost, you can, but these guys covered their asses pretty well, and they’ve already called themselves out on anything you may find stupid long before you have a chance to come up with your snappy one-liner. Really, the simple fact is that anyone can find reasons to hate anything. But just as true, you can take something on its own terms and not feel slighted if it sometimes conflicts with your idea of what something is supposed to be.

Lost deals a lot with time. The series starts off relying of flashbacks to different times in our characters’ pasts, revealing how they got to where they were before they ended up in the infamous Oceanic Flight 815. But by the end of it, we’ve flashed backwards and forwards and sideways and there’s even some time travelling involved (if you have to ask, don’t; just wait until you get there). Yet strangely enough, for a show so centered on time, it ended up caring very little for it. In the end, “now” is all that matters, and the people who were with you during those “now is what counts” moments are the ones that matter most, because whether you know if or not (whether you like it or not), they define us by helping us to think and feel and even act for ourselves. Take the journey to The Island (not the Michael Bay movie) and you’ll never be the same. And you’ll never forget what it’s like to go back.

BEGINNING & END CREDITS SCORE: 4/5

I love that the opening title credits are simply a black screen with a white-lettered LOST logo coming into focus before moving on. No need for another theme song about being which characters are stranded on an island (thankyouverymuch, Gilligan’s Island). The end credit music (the same song every time) are sort of tribal and mysterious, a respite from the reeling your mind has inevitably been through during whatever episode you’ve just watched. A very fitting end for any visit to The Island.

BEST CHARACTER: John Locke (played by Terry O’Quinn)

Named after the seventeenth century philosopher, Locke is a hero so bad-ass that he eventually got promoted to villain. He was always the most intriguing main character in a constantly evolving main cast, and his first flashback story (in "Walkabout") set the standard for all future flashback episodes. His started as the story of utter tragedy, but his faith and determination ended up being a part of the true heart of the show. Locke was the first person who learned how to embrace The Island and accept letting go (even if he never could quite get the hang of moving on, Locke was an important spiritual guru for the first few seasons of Lost). Very few actors could pull off the range of emotions and events that John Locke goes through; Terry O’Quinn not only pulled it off but succeeded in making all Lost fans true believers, even in those moments of great doubt.

BEST SEASON: 5 (of 6 total)

Each season upped the game laid out by the previous, but season five raised the stakes in so many ways, turning Lost into a nonstop thrill ride. It also skewed traditional on-island narration with focused non-island flashbacks/forwards, instead opting to go forwards, backwards... really all over time and place, in the span on a single episode – anything but linear storytelling, trusting the audience to trust it. The ride never got quite as wild as season five, culminating in our meeting Jacob and the Main In Black, as well as unveiling The Incident that caused pretty much everything that came before and after.

BEST EPISODE: “The Constant” (Season 4, Episode 5)

Just about any season finale could have taken this spot (especially season three’s “Through The Looking Glass”), but in all honesty, the best single episode experience you could have goes to “The Constant.” Even if you’ve never seen an episode of Lost, it would be hard to not get sucked in, not just because of the crazy science-fiction-mixing-with-island-action, but also for the emotional weight. Any Desmond-centric epsode is bound to pull at the heart strings, as Des is a man torn away from the woman he loves, wanting to stop at nothing to have her back (this is in a endearing way, not a creepy one). This episode best sums up a bit of everything that makes Lost what it is. It starts out typically jarring, throws some cool sci fi-esque and romance plots together, threading them with into the ensemble island drama and turnsingit into majestic pulp pop gold. And like other Des-heavy episodes, a new layer of the show’s overall philosophy and mandate is revealed.

BEST MOMENT: “We Have To Go Back!” (“Through The Looking Glass Pt. 2,” Season 3, Episode 23)

Jackface! You gotta give it up to the writers on this one: What a way to mess with your audience and reward them at the same time after three frustrating and fascinating seasons about a group of strangers meeting and making memories on The Island. From this point forward, everything changes, and it’s one of the best “beginning of the end” moments in all of fiction. This moment defined what Lost means the most, a fragile moment of dramatic humanity mixed with twist-storytelling and a narrative device that defied our expectations while setting up all new ones.


CHECK OUT MORE:
-Pop Candy published my Top Five Self-Contained Lost eps