More Than a Sitcom?

The romantic qualities of The Office go beyond Jim and Pam’s office flirtation and eventually love. When the traits of romantic works were taught to us from Mr. Heidkamp’s powerpoint, The Office was on my mind, from watching an episode the night before. But, when I thought about it more, I think The Office can qualify as a romantic work, because it is in line with quite a few of the characteristics of such work.

The whole premise of the series is to show a “microcosm of American life” through the daily filming of a seemingly mundane paper supply company. The employee of Dunder Mifflin are filmed candidly throughout their workdays, as well as interviewed one on one. And while this show is of course fiction, the focus on everyday life and the experience of an average person is a romantic aspect of the show. The Office also provides an emphasis on the individual’s experience. By, say, interviewing Pam after an exchange with Jim or interviewing Andy to get his opinion on something Dwight did, they are emphasizing the importance of individualism. I understand that they include these bits because whatever Stanley has to say about something totally ridiculous that Michael did is always funny. But, the fact that viewers know that Stanley would have his funny, fed up take on something, Dwight would have his too literal take on something, and Andy would have his annoying take on something, and the viewer could be able to clearly know all of them, highlights the emphasis The Office places on the individual. The Office is a televised example of the appreciation of individuals and of everyday life and language, which is something that I think would’ve made Walt Whitman or William Wordsworth a fan of it.

The Office also, to an extent, gives the reader an experience of freedom from tradition and social conventions, largely through Michael Scott. Michael has a very non-traditional way of running the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. Michael’s imagination often also takes full control over empirical reasoning. Examples of this can be seen during episodes like the beach day, where he made the employees compete in camp games to see who would be the be candidate for his possible replacement. Michael’s unconventional office structure could be seen as a tribute to romanticism through the freedom from tradition and heavy reliance on the imagination that takes place. I understand The Office was made, and then remade, to be a light, funny sitcom, but if you take a step back, I think a lot of romantic qualities are hiding in the show.