Named For: Seinfeld (NBC) 1990-98
Awarded To: The best comedy series of the year
2009 Winner: The Office (NBC)
2010 Winner: Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
Place. Series (Network) Points (My Vote)
10. Sonny With a Chance (Disney) 0 points
9. Perfect Couples (NBC) 1 point
8. Happy Endings (ABC) 3 points
7. 30 Rock (NBC) 8 points (4th)
6. Parks and Recreation (NBC) 11 points
5. Modern Family (ABC) 17 points (5th)
4. The League (FX) 18 points (3rd)
3. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX) 21 points
2. Community (NBC) 23 points (2nd)
and the Poolie goes to...
1. The Office (NBC) 24 points (1st)
This is The Office's third Poolie nomination, and second win for best comedy series. The show also won the Seinfelf Award back in 2009.
We here at the Quiet Pool Perspective are proud to welcome Poolie voter T-Time, who has some nice things to say about this seventh season of The Office.
It has become fashionable to hate The Office. It is chic to bemoan its creative downfall. Jabs at The Office are ever-present as every critic or internet commenter strives to continuously make it clear that he, or she, no longer enjoys the funniest, the most heartwarming, and most entertaining comedy on TV. The groupthink that permeates this debate would be astounding if it wasn't so ingrained in all elements of today’s culture. Mindy Kaling (Kelly Kapoor) once tweeted that virtually everyone she meets says something to the effect of, “I was a fan of the original, but you guys really found your own voice in the second season.” No one has their own opinion anymore. Those that see themselves as discerning viewers simply parrot the pre-approved, supposedly-against-the-grain narrative supplied by critics in what was once alternative media. Once The Office became popular, the parrots fell over each other to distance themselves from it, going so far as to embrace Parks and Recreation as the height of comedy. (A show decidedly mediocre in its attempt to do all of the things that The Office did, but utterly lacking in charm or originality.) When Poolies voters, and all honest viewers watch television for what it is, they know how much value there still is in every episode of The Office.
I won’t deny that The Office peaked as a series in the second and third outings. But those are pantheon seasons, both among the top all-time efforts. The drop-off from season 4-7 has been slight. There is much that has changed and some characters have lost their luster (notably Jim who has had less to work with now that the emotional impact of his courtship of Pam has ended and his pranks on Dwight are rare.) But you cannot keep doing the same joke over and over again and expect it to keep being funny. (talking to you, Modern Family) The Office has evolved and found both humor and pathos by allowing its characters to evolve. The best development over the last year and a half has been the growth of Ryan Howard into one of the best supporting characters on television. B.J. Novack had always nailed his character but at the beginning of the series his character was so unlikable. By putting him through a variety of bad circumstances (some of his own making) he changed into someone that we could root for, and was suddenly, hilarious. Every note he hit this season was on key.
Of course season seven belonged to Michael. After seven years with the character he finally got what he has always wanted; the girl, and the respect of his employees. Like Ryan, Michael has changed a lot. Like Ryan, we know why. To see him reach the place he does, with the proposal and the fond farewell, is as heartwarming a moment as has been achieved on a television sitcom. We wanted Michael and Holly to end up together, and on a television landscape littered with disastrous attempts to emulate The Office’s early success with Jim/Pam, (Andy/Erin, Leslie/Ben on P&R) that is a rarity. The fact that this is achieved without sacrificing humor is an even greater achievement. The Office allows viewers to care for its characters by letting them deal with real disappointments. (As opposed to Modern Family, which needs to make everyone happy at the end of each 30 minute chapter.) So after a variety of failed relationships, seeing Michael end up with the most perfect match on television brought genuine joy.
Through it all, The Office was consistently funny, which, in a comedy, is the most important thing. Sometimes, in an effort to find the next big thing, or by attempting to be a fan of something undiscovered, that fact gets overlooked. But not here, and not now.
~ Written by Tim Forcella
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