How come The Office never acknowledges that they are a reality show? Clearly the show is shot in documentary format, and during the first couple of seasons each episode took place on a Friday, supposedly in a progression, one Friday to the next and so on.
So why don't they ever talk about the DVDs being released? Or the impact the viewers have made on Jim and Pam's relationship? Because if it truly were a reality show, especially one on BRAVO, you can bet your toosh that there'd be a 'text-in' portion about 3/4 of the way through each episode.
DO YOU THINK JIM SHOULD ASK PAM OUT EVEN THOUGH SHE'S ENGAGED TO ROY? YES- TEXT 12328 TO 32948. RESULTS ONLINE AT BRAVOTV.COM!
This has been bothering me for years, and finally I have an outlet! Has this bothered anyone else or am I just another film major who's taken TV a tad too far?
Because it's shot in a documentary format, one could assume that the reason they never mention DVDs or how the audience affects the show is: in the universe of The Office, they shot everything before releasing it.
ReplyDeleteI know, that's kind of a cop out, but it's a process of suspension of disbelief. It's like the Real World. Everyone knows it now, it's considered the first reality show, yet no one ever mentions it on the show. And later seasons you never see the housemates watching old episodes of Real World.
Also, with the exception of Real World, almost all reality shows are game shows as well. Survivor competes for a prize, Top Chef, Road Rules, etc. all compete for something. And though the illusion is fun, the truth is that even the reality shows are scripted (to an extent)
So enjoy the Office for what it is and just keep using that suspension of disbelief to forget things like that.
You're totally right Joel. I always wanted the tiniest acknowledgment, but at this point, it'd be insane for them to bring it up now, plus not following in the vein of all the shows you mentioned.
ReplyDelete