Point/Counterpoint
The Office
Danielle Valente
Issue date: 3/11/09 Section: Op Ed
Thursday nights at 9:00, NBC is usually on full blast in the 2nd floor Chrysostom Lounge, and rightfully so. Those who even attempt to breathe too loudly will be kicked out of the lounge by Dunder Mifflin fanatics who cannot fathom the idea of missing one single second of The Office. If you want to make chit-chat, wait a half hour for 30 Rock.
The Office combines comedy, romance, drama and excitement better than any other show on television. It is simply blasphemous to go one week without Michael Scott's ridiculous, absurd comments, Dwight's insane actions, Jim and Pam's love life and Stanley's standoffish and unconcerned attitude.
I have laughed too many times to count, whether it'd be the time when Michael and Dwight's car plummeted to the bottom of a river, when Ryan created an insane recollection of his cousin Mufasa's trip to Africa or when Meredith caught her hair on fire at the Christmas party. I cried when Jim and Pam were apart. I was ready to erupt every time Miss Karen Fillipelli walked into the room (the idea that Little Miss Stamford Branch kept Jim and Pam apart made me want to rip my hair out.) I sat on pins-and-needles waiting for Phyllis to burst about Dwight and Angela's secret love affair. Could 30 Rock make you do all that? Doubtful.
The characters of The Office are much more compelling than those of 30 Rock. Now, do not get me wrong, I love Tina Fey, but would a show continually bring in guest stars like Oprah and Jennifer Aniston if the main characters were so funny? Is there really a need for a new guest every week? The Scranton Branch of Dunder Mifflin keeps me entertained enough, thank you very much.
Not only is The Office funnier and filled with better comedians, but it is easier for people to relate to. Not everyone, like those of 30 Rock, are New Yorkers. The wild, out-of-control Dunder Mifflin office could entertain anyone. According to New York Magazine, this is the reason why "The Office has grown into a hit while 30 Rock remains that kind of fragile suckling that critics coddle but that America never quite warms up to."
The 2nd Floor Lounge girls never get excited about 30 Rock the way they do about The Office. It is just not the same. The more compelling and hysterical half hour sitcom will always be the one in the 9:00 slot, The Office. The show is really a sensation. In the words of Michael Scott, "That's what she said."
The Office combines comedy, romance, drama and excitement better than any other show on television. It is simply blasphemous to go one week without Michael Scott's ridiculous, absurd comments, Dwight's insane actions, Jim and Pam's love life and Stanley's standoffish and unconcerned attitude.
I have laughed too many times to count, whether it'd be the time when Michael and Dwight's car plummeted to the bottom of a river, when Ryan created an insane recollection of his cousin Mufasa's trip to Africa or when Meredith caught her hair on fire at the Christmas party. I cried when Jim and Pam were apart. I was ready to erupt every time Miss Karen Fillipelli walked into the room (the idea that Little Miss Stamford Branch kept Jim and Pam apart made me want to rip my hair out.) I sat on pins-and-needles waiting for Phyllis to burst about Dwight and Angela's secret love affair. Could 30 Rock make you do all that? Doubtful.
The characters of The Office are much more compelling than those of 30 Rock. Now, do not get me wrong, I love Tina Fey, but would a show continually bring in guest stars like Oprah and Jennifer Aniston if the main characters were so funny? Is there really a need for a new guest every week? The Scranton Branch of Dunder Mifflin keeps me entertained enough, thank you very much.
Not only is The Office funnier and filled with better comedians, but it is easier for people to relate to. Not everyone, like those of 30 Rock, are New Yorkers. The wild, out-of-control Dunder Mifflin office could entertain anyone. According to New York Magazine, this is the reason why "The Office has grown into a hit while 30 Rock remains that kind of fragile suckling that critics coddle but that America never quite warms up to."
The 2nd Floor Lounge girls never get excited about 30 Rock the way they do about The Office. It is just not the same. The more compelling and hysterical half hour sitcom will always be the one in the 9:00 slot, The Office. The show is really a sensation. In the words of Michael Scott, "That's what she said."