Sitcom 1: A Michael Schur Comedy

Schur is a comedic genius who pulled off bringing the element of fun in mundane settings such as that of an office, park department of the government (literally the most unhappening department in the government) and police stations, which are supposed to be dull and gloomy. He pulled off subtle forms of comedy like satire and mockumentary in a light hearted slap-stick US audience. Most importantly, he proved that all it takes for any place or job to be exciting is for the people to be passionate about their beliefs.

Let's discuss all the three comedies and then draw conclusions from them, the comedies are-

1)The Office (US version)(2005)

2)Parks and Recreation (2009)

3)Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013)

1)The Office

Adopted from the UK version, this one will be much different from the rest two I will be comparing. The Office UK is somber, it is dull and hits closer to reality than the US version. Schur tried to keep the first season closer to the naunces from the original, but the US audience was not ready to digest it. The show almost did not get renewed for another season. So, Schur made key changes to the personalities of the characters. Our protagonist, Michael, who was supposed to be rude, arrogant and inhumane, became an attention seeker, still arrogant but nice and people loving. These key changes made the viewer believe the character might have good intentions but fails to show them appropriately.

Every character's key traits were taken and elaborated upon throughout the series. Jim and Pam were the only sane people and represented the ordinary family, Dwight and Angela were two stuck up rule-abiding arrogant characters that got together, Ryan and Kelly represented the millenial couple that takes relationships too lightly and treats it like a game. These things looked so absurd on screen because they exaggerated the reality to make it obvious. The magic is, this absurdity is what makes it digestible to the viewer.

The cinematography was gorgeous as well, the fact that the camera crew is following everyone is a very subtle change that makes everything all the more funnier. Everyone is trying to look good for the supposed documentary somehow. Basically, the office is so weird, that it can't help but make you laugh at how mindblowingly stupid it is, yet very real in the plot and character arcs.

2)Parks and Recreation (2009)

A satire following the mockumentary pattern, Parks and Recreation is about a passionate officer (Leslie) who loves the government and public service. Her character is so energetic and optimistic, that the creators cancelled it out with a stoic boss who is only money-minded and hates the government. Perfect opposites working together with respect and healthy rivalry brings out one of the best dynamic duos of all times.

The Office fell in the same genre, but it was more inclined towards sticking to its concept of a mockumentary, Parks and Rec on the other hand, took the satire part way more seriously. Thus the two shows fall on opposite sides of the same spectrum.

Parks and Recreation took politics and brought out the hypocrisy of the public, it showed that with enough muscle power, even an idiot could win a seat. The viewer was attached to Leslie's lifelong dream of becoming a councilwoman in her city. Her attachment and love for Pawnee, the stupidest city in America (don't tell her I said this), was so apparent and moving that viewer can't help but cheer for her. So, when she fails, viewer's heart is bound to sink with hers.

Leslie goes on to become bigger, and far more successful than she could have been as a councilwoman of Pawnee. This sitcom would have been extremely difficult to make, not just for the setting, but also throwing light on the bitter realities in the absolutely unfair and tragic world of politics.

3) Brooklyn Nine-Nine

With Brooklyn, Schur left the satire-mockumentary format behind and dived into the standard sitcom format. The bobbing heads are gone, and all there is left is just plain old comedy. Brooklyn is much more than a standard sitcom, the quality is fresh, and the viewer is just as much invested. The characters are similar to the characters in Parks and Rec.

There is the stoic boss, the extremely passionate protagonist paired with the awkward nerd, a "dead-inside" edgy loves-only-black-and-death character, the bubbly boy who loves food and is clumsy.

But, all of the similarities end there, the two have extremely different takes on the character arcs. Schur's storytelling has clearly matured as well, since we see more representation. The cast is diverse and colourful, literally and figuratively.

Now, Brooklyn is probably the farthest from reality, but it has the most realistic characters. Office and Parks and Rec do an exemplary job in bringing out the hypocrisy of normal people in the most absurd way possible. These sitcoms are beyond just a normal comedy, and have the maximum re-watching capacity than any other sitcom I have seen. The writing and cinematography is strong for the most part, the absence of laughing tracks is unusual for US audience, and so, a Michael Schur comedy is genius and if you are sleeping on it, wake up now.