Sitcom FaceOff-The Office vs The Big Bang Theory

One of my favorite regular articles was my sitcom face-off’s where I paired two sitcoms together to see which was better. I haven’t done one of these in ages. Why? Because I ran out of shows. I had a rule of doing one show one time, and I simply ran out of shows and/or matches. However, one show I love that I never did was The Big Bang Theory. I was waiting for it to end, and am still kinda waiting. Until May 16th anyway. But i think the time has come to finally give this show some attention. But what to match it to? I have argued it could be a “Friends” rip off but haven’t I talked enough about that show? I needed another good show which matched up enough to compare them. It took awhile, seriously, but I finally remembered a great ensemble show which does kind of match. So let’s have a face off with :

VS 

It’s no secret which one I liked more than the other here, but I promise to be fair with this analysis. As always, this is just opinion and for fun. The office premiered in 2005 and was on until 2013. The Big Bang Theory premiered in 2007 and is wrapping up this year. These shows have pro’s, and some major con’s, but which is better?












 

CATEGORY 1:Michael Scott vs Sheldon Cooper

Sheldon and Michael are surprisingly similar characters. They both refuse to accept the effects that their actions have on others. With Michael, it’s his sense of humor which is nonexistent. But don’t tell him that. With Sheldon, it’s his total lack of social graces and his insistence that people do and act how he thinks they should. They both had lonely childhoods with no friends. But where Sheldon decided he didn’t need friends, Michael craves them. So much so that he does everything he can to be the most popular person in the room, even if it hurts others. So who is the better character? Well as I’ve said before. Michael Scott pissed me off. I just couldn’t like him in a “love to hate” way because it never felt like he learned anything. And when he did realize people didn’t react the way he wanted, he would pout about it. Sheldon was a little more open minded to the fact that there were rules about “social conventions” he may not be aware of. He would accept it when he was explained why things he said were wrong, and if he wronged a friend he would apologize. Plus as the series went on he tried to do better, even getting married eventually. I know Michael would marry and move away but did his character ever really evolve? The reason both these characters work is because you know there is a real person underneath the obnoxious stuff who does care for his friends. I just think it comes across a little better with Sheldon then with Michael. I know people might think I should have compared Dwight to Sheldon, and there are similarities but honestly think Dwight is all on his own. He craves authority and that’s all he knows, Sheldon craves knowledge. More on him below.
WINNER-THE BIG BANG THEORY











Category 2:
Main Cast


This is where it gets tricky. The Office was a true ensemble with all kind of minor characters. So I will try to narrow this down to the primary one’s. And if you take out Michael, there isn’t much really. Jim, Pam, and Dwight were the only real major cast members with only Dwight really standing out as a unique character (give Raiin Wilson credit for that character). Ryan  was there and he was ok. Jim and Pam’s relationship stuff was solid (more on that below) but other wise there wasn’t a lot. Jim played pranks, Pam rolled her eyes a lot. Dwight was the only saving grace. Good lord was this a, strange character. Unlike Michael you did love to hate this guy and his need for rule to be obeyed (and I mean OBEYED), He was so uptight it’s not wonder Jim pranked him so often. But Dwight aside, TBBT gave us more fleshed out characters. Leonard was the opposite of Jim, since he knuckled under Sheldon unlike Jim pranking Dwight every chance he got. But we get that he was mothered by a very domineering parent and watching him evolve past that through the series was nice. Howard was the horny Engineer who managed to settle down, marry and have kids. It’s actually pretty remarkable considering where his character started. Raj was the character who could never get a break. But even he had occasional development, like overcoming his inability to speak to women. And then came along Amy and Bernadette who have there flaws but at least they were memorable. Amy was weird at first but it was fun to watch her go the opposite of Sheldon. Bernadette can be a little mean at times. So I gotta say that TBBT was just a stronger “main” cast. Where The Office worked is in its ensemble, which brings us to our next category…..
WINNER-BIG BANG THEORY










CATEGORY 3:
The Supporting Cast

 




 There were a lot of people in The Office who had bit roles and did very little. I think a lot of them were accountants in the office, some worked in the warehouse, but they all rounded out what was in reality a very large cast. Some were really good like Stanley, Meredith, and of course the always underrated Phyllis (fyi she was excellent in Inside Out). Yeah overall they were there to be victims of Michael’s insensitivity. TBBT took more of a “Seinfeld” approach with characters who would often appear but not every single episode. Stuart who owned his own comic book store, Kripke and Leslie Winkle at the university, Leonard and Sheldon’s hilarious parents, Howard’s off camera mother who was always funny, and of course Wil Wheaton. And while that’s fine, the fact they weren’t there every episode means they can’t hold a candle to the Office supporting cast who were always in there. To be honest I looked through the list of characters and all of them I at least recognized, even if I didn’t know the name or what they did. I said before a true ensemble gets participation from every member every episode, and this show fit that bill. TBBT was very focused on its main cast, especially the early years before Amy and Bernadette finally rounded it out a bit. And ever time they tried to add a character it kinda felt forced, like Bert in the later years. The Office had a solid ensemble, which I didn’t realize included Mindy Kaling, that’s pretty cool!
WINNER-THE OFFICE





CATEGORY 4:
Romance

Is there anyone who doesn’t know who Jim and Pam are? This was one of the cutest unrequited TV  romances ever. They were so perfect for each other but somehow Pam didn’t see Jim that way. At first. Course all the credit goes to John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer for being so damn adorable. On TBBT we had Leonard and Penny. And while it’s clear that they were trying for the a similar idea as Jim and Pan, it just didn’t land the same way. I am not sure what it is, maybe Jim and Pam wee just better written, but it felt like Leonard had to push Penny into loving him and to this day it never really feels like she’s happily married. The relationship wasn’t bad at the start but it really fizzled. Jim and Pam were strong right to the end. Both shows had other relationships, Sheldon and Howard married Amy and Bernadette and of course Michael dated Jan before marrying Holly..but these two relationships defined their respective series.
WINNER=THE OFFICE






CATEGORY 5:
THEME SONG

As good as the Scrantones opening to The Office is, it can’t compare to that Barenaked Ladies tune that opened every episode of TBBT. By the way both of these have full versions of the theme’s and both deserve a listen.
WINNER-BIG BANG THEORY





CATEGORY 6:
PREMISE

This is the category were the two show’s are very different. The Office was a single camera sitcom with no laugh track and a very real feel. TBBT was a standard multi camera sitcom with a studio audience every week. The Office was based on a BBC series which is very similar to the American one. TBBT is yet another Chuck Lorre production in the same vein as Two and a Half Men. Sadly, but I’ll get back to that. The Office is basically about an office, and we have a documentary film crew filming the events and having side interviews with the various employees. I’ll refrain from asking why a documentary film crew would stay for eight years, and just say that the format works. Others would rip it off, badly, but somehow it feels natural here. The show manages to make the insensitive and even offensive jokes self aware so that they never really offend anyone watching. That’s not so true for TBBT. While the show about four scientists who are socially awkward is a fine setup, it tends to be a little to..implicit. The show gets a lot of hate from people claiming that it offensively perpetuates the nerd stereotype. I don’t think that’s fair, but at the same time even I have raised an eyebrow at some of the jokes (I even did a whole article on this). And since it’s a Chuck Lorre show there is plenty of crude jokes in there to. Though not nearly as bad as Two and a Half Men. There is also way to much name dropping and references. It was almost as if the writers thought nerds couldn’t know anything that wasn’t part of “nerd culture”. I mean how many times was Star Trek mentioned? Yes The Office has its product placement too. The big difference between the two is that in The Office it’s how the situation effects our characters while on TBBT its more how our characters create a certain situation. I gotta give it to The Office for being a little smarter and wiser. Thought not funnier.

WINNER-THE OFFICE










CATEGORY 7:
JUMPING THE SHARK

This is where I talk about who had the worst final season, including the final episode. I am cheating a little of course because TBBT still hasn’t had its final episode when this will be posted. Though I feel I can comment safely and say that it will be ok. The Office had a beautiful final episode, just lovely. The documentary ended and we got to see our characters lives after that. It was a great way to end the series. It’s to bad that the actual season that came before it was so blech. I have given TBBT grief for not being the same show as it was when it started, even calling it a Friends rip off, but the truth is I gotta give the show credit for being able to grow and evolve. These characters all grew up and moved on to bigger and better things. The Office just did the old trick of swapping out the main character and doing the same thing over and over. There was nothing wrong with James Spader but with no Steve Carrel it just wasn’t the same. It would be like if Jim Parsons left (which by the way is why TBBT is ending), it’s a totally different show. And the fact that Jim and Pam had exhausted their relationship didn’t help. While it’s true that a part of me thinks TBBT should have ended at least a year earlier, I can see how it could continue as our characters continue to grow and change. I can’t see that happening with The Office which should have ended sooner. I mean, who can believe the documentary crew was there for EIGHT YEARS before getting the footage they needed? So while it may not be the “better” show in terms of quality, I do think TBBT is the more stronger because it’s characters evolved and changed.

WINNER-

I know people will be getting their pitch forks and torches ready, but The Office just lost me those last couple years with the cast changes and all. TBBT feels like it progressed naturally and will end with the same cast it began, plus two. Was TBBT a perfect show? Oh no, not at all. But for me it may very well be the last traditional sitcom I faithfully watched week after week and I will be very sad to see it finally end.