Ricky Gervais, the comedian and co-creator of the original U.K. version of The Office, recently claimed in an interview that the show would not be well received in today's cultural climate. The British TV series ran on the BBC Two network for 2 seasons from 2001 to 2003. Gervais starred as David Brent, a brash and immature office manager of a tiny paper company. Despite its initially low ratings, the show has since taken off as one of the most popular British comedies of all time, resulting in an international franchise that inspired an equally — if not more —successful American version of The Office.
Gervais remained very involved in the U.S. iteration of the show. The comedian acted as a producer for all nine seasons and even came on to guest star as his original character. Although both the U.S. and U.K. versions of the mockumentary sitcom have remained relevant and beloved by fans and critics alike thanks to streaming and syndication, The Office franchise has received some criticism in recent years for some of its politically incorrect content.
Now, Gervais is finally speaking out about the concerns. In a recent interview with Times Radio, he expressed disdain for our current "cancel culture" and claimed that the show would struggle today. He explained:
"Now [The Office] would suffer because people would take things literally...This was a show about everything — it was about difference, it was about sex, race, all the things that people fear to even be discussed or talked about now, in case they say the wrong thing and they are cancelled...I think if this was put out now, some people have lost their sense of irony and context."
To say that Gervais' portrayal of Brent in the The Office was subversive would be an understatement. Oftentimes, his comments were lewd, racially insensitive, and blatantly ignorant. However, as Gervais points out in the interview, Brent's character was meant to be "ironic...we were laughing at this buffoon being uncomfortable around difference." The humor, Gervais argues, is in laughing at Brent and not with him — a technique that would likely raise eyebrows in today's comedic climate.
But Gervais is not the only comedian to take aim at "cancel culture" recently. Comedian Jim Jeffries mocks it (and millennials) in his new Netflix special, along with Joe Rogan in Triggered and Dave Chappelle in Sticks & Stones — among countless others. Clearly, the current conversation around censorship and political correctness is bleeding into entertainment, making networks and creatives question where to draw the line. Unfortunately for some, like Gervais, this is seen as the end of pushing creative boundaries with shows like The Office. As there's always the possibility of a reboot or reunion, especially of the America version of the show, audiences may well get the chance to see how the franchise's old tricks fare in comedy's new world.
Source: Times Radio
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