Recession TV

In an odd coincidence, two of my favorite comedies this week featured a major character starting his own company after being laid off (or in The Office's case, stupidly resigning). Now, I'm surprised it's taken The Office this long to acknowledge the economy, seeing as how the British show revolved around redundancies (such a nicer word for lay-offs). But in the battle of the recession-set comedies, I give the prize to How I Met Your Mother.

Even before the writers knew about the market crash, this season of HIMYM has been all about unemployment. The season started out with Marshall unemployed, moved into Robin's near deportation after quitting her job, and now it's Ted's turn, laid off after his Goliath National Bank project was canceled due to, you guessed it, the bad economy.

But while the show's had plenty to say about unemployment, last night's episode showed it had even wiser things to say about how to keep your job. Watch and learn:



This storyline had the biggest laughs of the night, but I think it's because it made an odd kind of sense. Who would fire "the food guy?" So all you i-bankers out there fortunate enough to still have jobs, best think about what kind of "guy" you want to be. If you need help, there's always the wolverine claws.


But back to my original point: Mosbius Designs vs. The Michael Scott Paper Company. Both tackled similar themes - unpreparedness, fear of failure - but I still found Ted's venture funnier. I think part of it is that all Ted needs to continue being an architect is clients. While as for Michael, I kept asking "where is he getting the paper from?" Also Ted is a fairly responsible guy, even if occasionally "douche"-prone and procrastinating. While Michael is....Michael Scott.

I guess what it comes down to is that while both shows have one foot planted in reality, HIMYM seems better able to spin that relatibility into humor, while in The Office, it's sometimes just sad. Plus, Ted didn't drag anyone into his company the way Pam is trapped in Michael's. Except for PJ. But he had his break-up/firing coming. I may have more faith in Mosbius Designs than the Michael Scott Paper Company, but both proved relevant TV can still be funny.