Back when the Ricky Gervais version of “The Office” premiered on BBCAmerica, I watched the first season and loved it. Eventually I had to stop watching, though, not because it wasn’t funny, but because it was too real, and watching it was too much like actually being at work, and there’s only so much of that you can take. Eventually you have to get away from it and let your mind do other things.
We’ve been DVR’ing the American version of the show this season, and I’m watching several of them in a row this morning. I keep having to pause and walk into the other room, because something will happen that has actually happened to me, and it’s funny, but too painful to watch.