Ok, Just Hear Me Out

I know what you are going to think as soon as I put this out there, and to be honest, I don’t blame you. “Of course she brought up THAT tv show,” you know what? Yeah, I am. Just hear me out though. The Office. We all know it, we all (well, most of us) love it. A cult classic, am I right? For the Schitt’s Creek lovers, it’s “simply the best,” so yes, I’m using it for comparison.

The Office in a nutshell, feels like home. By this I mean that it was able to take the awkward moments of real life, events that happen to you, your friends, your family, on a daily basis and turn it into a comforting comedy show. The reason we loved it so much because it was relatable. Having a crush on a co-worker? Been there. Office drama? Every week, no doubt. We all have an office Dwight or Angela, Kevin or Meredith, or dare I say, a Michael Scott. Needless to say, it struck a nerve in our hearts and has stayed a staple of “binge-watching” for many years (no thanks to Netflix for losing it, but that topic is for another time).

That’s the catch, isn’t it? Relatability. It’s comfortable and it makes us all feel included, like we can all relate to one thing simultaneously. It’s like the whole world (or fans, really) were connected for a moment in time. This is what brings me to my recommendation of a show that would hit all the same strings that The Office did for so many of us. That show is Frasier.

I know I know, wouldn’t Frasier be the recommendation if you had watched Cheers? Isn’t it like 20 years old now? More like 30, but yes. It debuted in the early 90s and ended a few years after the new millennium, so how could it relate to The Office? I will be honest, I was skeptical at first too. The only reason I began watching it was because I remember vaguely watching it via my mother as a child.

Now don’t get me wrong, I was also skeptical at first. There are some things that are definitely a little out-dated and I, by no means, am an elitist figure in a high society setting. However, this show tugged so hard at my heart and hooked me. It’s for the same reason/s that The Office did, relatability. You take this character that has a high-social status in the elite society of a large city, and you make him feel more real. He’s sometimes awkward and has failures, just like a regular person. You know why? Because he is a regular person. He went through a divorce, struggled with depression, has to take care of his elderly father, is terrible at dating, etc. The list goes on and on, there’s something for every single one of us to feel connected to. The way The Office did this was with multitudes of characters, while Frasier had only five main characters. It really was a show ahead of its time.

Both of these sitcoms really paved the way for so many of the shows we know and love today. Ironically, I think that Frasier paved the way for The Office. Sure, the comedy is different, but it was the way that they were able to connect with the audience that is the same. Frasier (along with other shows that popped up in the 90s like Friends) seemed to really catch on to this idea and make a whole new style of connection and relationship.

Listen, it’s nerdy and intellectual humor filled with all the awkward moments that we all have a love/hate relationship with. If you’re looking for a new show to binge while you get over your depression from losing The Office on Netflix, watch Frasier (it’s on Hulu). Thank me later.