I’ve loved the TV show The IT Crowd for years, but it’s not aired in the US. Until now, all I’ve had is my burned copies sent from a friend, which I then promptly shove down the throats of family and friends.
However, last week I discovered that the first season of The IT Crowd is (finally!) available on US DVD at amazon.com. And my world got a little bit brighter.
For those unfamiliar with the show, it’s a sitcom that has been produced in the UK since 2006 – they just completed their third season. That being said, there’s not a ton of episodes – there’s only six episodes a season (aka series), and believe me, that seems like a precious few when you’re waiting a year for more.
The show centers around the IT team for a large corporation. Moss and Roy, the IT tech guys, are referred to as “standard nerds” by their boss; they’re cast off in the crummy basement of a beautiful skyscraper. Jen, the newest member, has zero knowledge of computers and attempts to make herself useful by calling herself their “relationship manager,” though she, too, slowly gets sucked into the geek world of IT.
Make no mistake; this may be a show about geeks, but it’s a show for everyone. It’s not the dry humor people associate with British TV like The Office; it’s a sitcom, through and through. Roy, Moss and Jen manage to get themselves into absolutely ridiculous situations in every episode, and the humor is often physical and slapstick. That said, in the background of the IT Crowd basement there’s tons of geek references, stuff that is even unfamiliar to me.
This DVD makes me want to leave the menu up intentionally; it’s based on 8-bit games, and the sounds are eerily similar to what I remember of my Commodore64 (though I don’t know if they even had C64s in the UK). The special features are fun, though I wish there were more – though I suppose with only six episodes, you’d then run the risk of more special features than core content!
I knew going in that this purchase would have high replay value for me – after all, I’ve been watching these episodes over and over for years. I can’t speak for everyone; however, if you like a little silliness to balance your intellectual pursuits, or if you’ve ever worked in IT, The IT Crowd is worth a try.
About j
You mean you had C64′s in the US? How strange
The IT Crowd is hilarious!!! The first six episodes are also available from Netflix, including direct video streaming, along with a bevy of other shows from our fine peeps in the UK.
Oh come on, we’re not that backward. Of course we had the C64 :p
Oh, and in a similar comedic vain if different setting, check out Black Books if you haven’t already.
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Oh, I did not mean the UK was backward, you goofballs. I mean, the US didn’t have a ZX81 by that name, so far as I know, and I am pretty clueless about what was regional and what was worldwide, in that era.
Plus, given a ZX81 reference in one of the episodes, that’s more likely what the dvd was referencing.
@j – cool! may have to check that out, thanks for the heads-up!
@Hammer – Black Books is flat-out amazing, isn’t it? I can’t count the number of times I would have loved to get rid of people as Bernard does….
have you seen Spaced?
@Sandrinnad – Of course I’ve seen Spaced, although I only saw it about 5 years after everyone else. Black Books is pretty much my favourite comedy.
Hammer´s last blog post..Loosing My Warhammer Virginity with Dark Heresy
@Sandrinnad – Oooh, Spaced! I finally got the DVDs for those – didn’t even know they were coming out on DVD here ’til I saw Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes on The Soup, and just about fell off the couch. They’re getting a bit dated now, but still hilarious.
I *love* The IT Crowd. Are you up to date with all the episodes J?
I think the new “boss” is the funniest character I’ve seen on TV for a long time
I know an IT technician that’s as enthusiastic as Roy when it comes to answering the phone, right down to the “have you turned it off and back on”!
It’s a shame British sitcoms only have 6 episodes per “season”. I never understood that. It was the same with Red Dwarf
@Marc Quality, not quantity.
:p
If you like the boss character, you should checkout Garth Marengi’s Dark Place. It’s a send up of daytime TV soaps with the guy playing pretty much the same character.
Hammer´s last blog post..Loosing My Warhammer Virginity with Dark Heresy
@Marc – Yes! I only recently got caught up on the third batch. To be honest, I had loved the second season less than the first, but the third seemed back up to the caliber of the first. I think the second season comes to US DVD in June, but who knows when we’ll get the third one, unfortunately. I’ll be buying the second one, even if I watch it less, to support and encourage the third batch.
@Hammer – *facepalm* of course you’ve seen Spaced! *sigh* sorry, just came across it fairly recently and am boucing it all over
@j – ya, a bit dated but so, so good it doesn’t really matter
and they’re on DVD here? sweetness.
@Hammer thanks for the recommendation. I’ll check it out
@J Yeah the second series was a let down. As a matter of fact I didn’t watch the 3rd series until it’s second airing. I think it was the “Gay, theatre” episode that reeled me back in