Confession: when I do the occasional rewatch of The Office, I have a tendency to skip Season 1. While I don't think that the debut run is bad by any means, it is a stretch when the writers and the actors were all still figuring out what the show was and who the characters are, and it doesn't have the proper energy that the NBC sitcom had during its best years. Because of my lacking rewatches, however, I have never really paid attention to the key aesthetic changes that the show goes through after its first six episodes.
Rainn Wilson, who will forever be remembered for his turn as the lovable/angry/weird Dwight Schrute, was recently a guest on the Good Guys podcast hosted by Josh Peck and Ben Soffer, and in discussing The Office in its earliest form, he noted that the cinematography and the way that characters are presented wholly changes in the show's second season. While early episodes really strive for the "real world" feel that should be an extension of the documentary format, the filmmakers eased up on that idea in episode seven and beyond. Said Wilson,
There's a big shift between Season 1 and Season 2. I don't know if you noticed that. If you watch season one, it's very drab. It's darkly lit. People don’t have any makeup on. There's nothing like American television about it whatsoever. And then in season two, like Steve does his hair a little better, we're wearing a little nicer suits. The set gets a little warmer in the way that it's lit, it's shot just a little bit friendlier, and it did help a lot.
Office Memes As Funny As The Show Itself
--
32 Times Michael Scott Wasn't The Problem In The Office
It's not said by the actor specifically why The Office decided to make this aesthetic change – but we can probably assume it had something to do with trying to earn more audience appeal (in case you haven't figured this out yet from the full history of film and television, but viewers tend to like looking at pretty people). That being said, I suppose that I could argue that there is a logic to the change in the world of the show: realizing that the documentary crew was going to stick around for a while, the employees at Dunder Mifflin opted to present themselves a little better. And perhaps the operator of the business park did some maintenance to improve the lighting.
More than just The Office Season 2 being brighter and more "presentable," the show also sees an attitude change in its approach to its characters. Obviously Steve Carell's Michael Scott remains an ignorant idiot, but he is made to be a bit less cruel, and his edges are softened. Rainn Wilson explains how this was part of the NBC incarnation of the show separating itself from its British predecessor, saying,
I think we were a little too close to the original BBC kind of really dark version of The Office early on. The show changed and just became a little bit warmer and a little more human, and I think Michael Scott became a little bit more likable. I think it was the Halloween episode where you see Michael Scott handing out candy to children and just loving it, just to see that like Michael Scott's got a big heart. He's a doofus. He always says the wrong thing, but he's a lovable guy. More of that was kind of brought in as the show went along.
Perhaps this will be the catalyst that gets me to do a new rewatch that actually starts with The Office Season 1. I'm certainly curious to witness the change and note the aesthetic and vibe shift for the episodes. As a physical media collector, I'll happily make use of the Blu-ray boxset that I purchased a few years ago, but all of the episodes (including the extended Super Fan edits) are also available to stream instantly with a Peacock subscription.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
