Media Diary - Week 2

Name of the Text: The Office (US)

Date/Time: 5th October at 10pm-1am

Where did I find it?: I was a fan of the original U.K version of the television show and then two years ago decided to watch the U.S version because my dad told me about it.

Genre: Comedy, Sitcom, Mockumentary

What is the purpose?: The purpose of The Office is the primarily entertain the audience with its loveable and hilarious cast of characters. The plot lines in The Office are a perfect blend of laugh out loud - sometimes cringe worthy- humour and heartwarming relationships which is refreshing for a 30 minute comedy. Also the mockumentary style of the show gives it a very unique feeling and it truly makes you feel as if you are invading a persons work space and seeing the true workings behind an office. I do not think this show is aimed at the aspirers or innovators, but more aimed at a Mainstream audience as office work is such a common job, especially in the U.K & U.S that it would be easily relatable and enjoyable by many.

Institution producing the text: NBC

Target Audience: The primary audience member for The Office would most probably be a male as a large percent of the main cast are men and the plot points tend to be directed towards things that men face in life rather that women. A person who is aged from late teens to early thirties, I believe would be the target age range for a show like this. This is because the plot and comedy used is not overly sophisticated and can be relatable to people who are teenagers but also the age of the characters and some of the plot points cover more adult issues that would only be relatable to people of an older age.

Your reaction to the text: The Office is one of my all time television shows. The way the show is shot, the clever plot lines and the hilarious and unique characters add together to make a truly incredible show that I believe everyone should watch. In my opinion The Office only gets better as you continue to watch the series, if you only consume one episode the behaviour of the characters may be perceived as unlikely or ridiculous, but as you progress through you become attached to the characters on screen and tend to root for them despite some of their mistakes.  The humour is unique and incredibly funny and I will definitely be re-watching this show soon.

Why would people consume the text?: People would primarily consume this text to be entertained and for a form of escapism. The way in which the show is filmed acts gives it an almost reality show type of feel to it as nothing feels forced, so The Office allows for people to escape into another world that is still relatable to themselves. The Office has become, after 9 seasons, an television phenomenon, so people may also be inclined to watch the show to be included in social situations where The Office is discussed and to find out what all of the hype is about.

Could some people react in different ways to the text? How?: Yes, some people may not find The Office enjoyable to watch. Firstly, they may not find the humour in the show funny, they may not be fans of slapstick or sarcastic humour which would cause them to find the characters and show unfunny. Also, their is a significant amount of offensive humour presented to the viewers including racism, sexism and discrimination of certain religion. This, while done for the purpose of comedy, may cause people to steer away from the show as they feel personally victimised or offended by some comments made in the show.