The Best of British Comedy

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Viewer Advisory: This black-comedic gem from BBC America contains scenes of graphic backstabbing and other weasely behavior that may cause shocks of recognition in anyone who's done time as a nine-to-fiver. The Office may also make you laugh out loud -- ­­without the prodding of punch lines, laugh tracks, or sitcom shtick. Shot with handheld cameras in the vérité style of This Is Spinal Tap, The Office is set in a backwater branch of a fictitious British paper manufacturer. The big fish in this very small pond is David Brent, a nightmarish middle manager who gives new meaning to the word "wanker." As portrayed with fiendish glee by series creator Rick Gervais, Brent yo-yos between humiliating his staff and trying to ingratiate himself with groaningly awful jokes. The employees Brent commands are equally vivid characters, from his ghoulish assistant Gareth (Mackenzie Crook) to the odious sales rep Finchy (Ralph Ineson) to the charming but hapless Tim (Martin Freeman), another sales rep whose dreams are repeatedly dashed on the shoals of his dead-end job. While baiting each other like schoolboys, the alpha males engage in much territorial pissing, which rings as true as life (or the latest Dilbert strip). Throughout much of the season, The Office is also threatened with imminent downsizing­­ -- which Brent hangs over his staffers' heads while delighting in watching them squirm. Talk about reality TV.