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Television isn’t much of a director’s medium. This is due to many factors, not the least of which being television’s need for uniformity and the production schedule being so tight. Still, we’re starting to see more and more episodes of our favorite shows being directed by some of the more prominent filmmakers (or perhaps more accurately, filmmakers with rabid fans).

Take this season of The Office. A few weeks back Harold Ramis (Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day) directed an episode. Last night Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly) was at the helm with J.J. Abrams to follow next week. Upon hearing this my initial reaction is always, “Oh yeah? Awesome!” or “Oh, that’s going to be so great!” Then I watch the episode, and yes, it’s frequently both awesome and great but it has absolutely nothing to do with the direction. Any competent filmmaker directing The Office lives and dies by the script and the performances of the cast.

Take for example, last night’s episode. What was I expecting? Should captain Mal have walked in, fired his laser gun, grabbed Pam and then run off to the parking lot where they board the Serenity and take off for worlds unknown? Hardly. Guest direction sounds like it’ll be loads of fun for us, but the truth is that it’s really just loads of fun for them.

Friday I was at work and asked the following of my co-workers during some down time: “Hey, did anyone watch The Office last night?” This, I assume, is a pretty standard workplace questions in most of American. It’s the equivalent of “Did you see that Christian devoured by lions?” from Roman times — just a hey-hi-howyadoin’ conversation stater. One of my co-workers, who we call Bonesaw, replied, “I gave up watching that show.” This, I found to be incredibly interesting. Since the middle of season two, I have yet to meet a person who has seen The Office and does not like it (even if they don’t watch it regularly). But the phrase “giving up” suggests that the show had annoyed the viewer for weeks on end before they couldn’t take it anymore (see: me and The Class, Scrubs, early Heroes). Bonesaw and I, while we aren’t BFF, are certainly friendly and all previous evidence would indicate that The Office is the type of show he would love watching.

I inquired further (after the jump…):

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Michael: I want you think to think long and hard about this.
Dwight: That’s what she said.
Michael: Don’t you dare…

Episode thoughts, and necessary spoilers after the break…

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The original plan was to post something about NBC’s Thursday night comedy line-up and/or the premiere of Scrubs‘ sixth season. And while I tuned in for everything after My Name Is Earl, I don’t know, there just didn’t seem to be anything too remarkable worth commenting about. What were we expecting? Was NBC suppose to go from being a fourth-place network to A#1 in those two short hours? Hardly. It should be noted, however, that last night’s The Office was written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, a fact that seemed to slip by just about everyone until the opening credits rolled (or maybe just me — when no one is around I do like to call myself “everyman”).

Instead, I’d like to take this time to highlight some television goings on that most people all ready know:

• Ben Karlin is resigning as the executive producer of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. A reason for the departure has yet to be released, though in the long tradition of powerful people resigning their posts we can only assume he “wants to spend more time with his family.”
• Michael Sera (aka George Michael Bluth) has been hired by CBS to produce content for Innertube, the companies online video portal. The show will be called The Good Life, and will be about television producers because it seems to be the only thing anyone in the television industry seems to know anything about these days. Still, good news to see our boy making good– even if what we’ll be seeing will be really small, grainy, and buffering.
• For the industry-junkies out there: I read an old New York Times Magazine article the other day from the summer of 1997 about Jamie Tarses. She’s, more or less, who the Jordan McDeere character on Studio 60… is based. The story itself, from what I’ve heard, helped play a role in her ultimate demise at ABC. She was also the executive who put Sports Night on the air. You can read the Times article HERE, but you have to pay for it.
• I did end up finishing season four of The Wire this week and plan to write about it over the weekend. Quick questions: while I know that most people who read this site DON’T watch The Wire (your loss, suckers), I’d rather not spoil it for those who do. So, let me know in the comments if you’d rather have me wait to post my season-wrap-up until after it airs on HBO, or if I should post Monday after its put On-Demand? The decision is yours and yours alone. UPDATE: a The Wire MUST READ.

I seem to be writing about NBC a lot lately, though the network is in such disastrous shape it begs discussion. Here’s what we all know: NBC is in last-place. Because of this, and because parent company G.E. is responsible to its shareholders for increasing the value of its stock, NBC recently had to fire 750 employees in a massive restructuring move that included moving MSNBC from its current home in New Jersey to Rockefeller Center with the rest of NBC news. With hindsight we’re able to ask the always important question, “Jersey?”

Additionally, NBC has decided to remove all scripted comedies and dramas from the 8 o’clock hour in lieu of cheaper game shows and reality fare. This will affect the bottom line initially, but one has to wonder if Howie Mandel is really the best choice for a lead-in (over and over and over again).

This restructuring is suppose to put more of a focus on NBC’s digital properties, because, if you haven’t heard, this ‘digital’ thing might really take off. The problem is that even if this is true, someone still has to program at least 21 hours worth of prime-time television each week. After the jump, I think I’ve figured out how to do it…

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When Jeff Zucker isn’t firing 700 employees, he seems to love squeezing thirty-minute programs into 40 minute blocks. He calls it– get this– “Supersizing!” C’mon, Mr. Zucker. Haven’t you heard that America is horribly overweight? What makes you think a nation that can’t handle a pail of fries could possibly stand FORTY-MINUTES of The Office? And yet here we are yet again, staring at a lineup of three shows where we all know four were suppose to reside.

Honestly, I kind of like the idea. Not so much the name. That is completely asinine, but the concept works for me. If you think about it, in the day of time-shifted programming, why do we have to adhere to the 30-minute-comedy/60-minute-drama rule? If you need extra time to tell the story, take the extra time. If you can make an episode of Grey’s Anatomy in 38 minutes, do it. Now, I understand this will never happen, and that broadcast television is built around a model of maximizing advertising revenue and never would never allow such tinkering, but I’m just saying. In any case, tonight NBC showed 40-minute episodes of My Name Is Earl, The Office, and 30 Rock. I had a good time watching. Read all about it by clicking below…

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As most people have heard by now, NBC has decided to rebuild its Thursday night block of comedies by grouping Scrubs and 30 Rock with the existing My Name Is Earl and The Office combo. Personally, I think this is a good idea, as it doesn’t make sense for a network to spread their only four comedies across three different nights of the week. That being said, I’m not entirely sure how this fits in with Jeff Zucker’s curious decision to eliminate all scripted programming from the eight o’clock hour. Either way, this new block of comedy raises two interesting items for discussion.

First, I assume the idea behind this move was the hope that grouping the comedies would allow each show to help the other attract viewers and would/could theoretically save some of these shows [30 Rock] from cancelation, as well as putting the network back on the map for something (anything). At the networks most recent peak, Must See TV was just that. Though in the current climate one has to question as to whether making these moves opposite CSI and Grey’s Anatomy (and Ugly Betty) won’t just kill off the whole damn block. I suppose one could argue that comedy is a solid way to counter-program against melodrama (Grey’s) and police procedural (CSI), but it actually seems to lead directly to the next point being:

Second! No one wants to watch comedy these days in the first place. I don’t entirely understand why this has happened (American’s, as a whole, still enjoys laughing, right?*). Maybe we can blame 9-11. Eventually, the tides will start to go the other way and people will grow impatient with all these dramas that have suckered them in with their endless plotlines and sad, indie-rock soundtracks, and will start wanting something a bit lighter, and perhaps NBC is preparing for this moment now. The network, however, is in such dire straights it seems odd to rely almost exclusively on a genre people can’t seem to rally behind on what is easily the most important night of the week to draw in large masses of viewers. I’ll be interested to see how things pan out.

Expect the move during the second week of November sweeps.

*Sadly, I fear that the answer is actually “no.”

Tonight I watched both My Name is Earl and The Office. I watched the Earl pilot a year ago and haven’t watched it since. Not surprisingly, America has grown to love it– much more than the blatantly superior The Office. This however, is not a competition [really, Rick?]. Two shows can exist without being compared to each other. Take WKRP in Cinncinatti and Frontline. No comparisons needed. Keep reading after the jump…

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