"I apologize. I know I left some of your favorite shows off this list. How do I know that? Because I left some of my favorite shows off this list. The happy and unfortunate fact is that there are far more than 100 great shows, and more created every year. Lists are incredibly important: they are how we define what matters to us, what we want entertainment and art to do, what we expect of our culture." —TIME TV critic James Poniewozik
This remake ditched the melancholy of the BBC original (q.v.) in favor of a cheekier rebelliousness: a little less Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, a little more Office Space. It also has a deeper, diverse bench of characters, including schoolmarmish Angela, chatty Kelly, cold-hearted Ryan, creepy Creed, angry Andy and screw-you-guys clock-puncher Stanley. The carryover stories have been complicated as well, especially the Pam and Jim romance, which has allowed Pam more of an inner life and self-discovery. Still, I’d pay to see an alternate-universe scenario where Dwight Schrute meets Gareth. (And just so you don’t think I wimped out by including both on the list: I like it better than the BBC version. Let the fighting begin!)
Ricky Gervais delivers a cringe-tastic performance as David Brent, a paper-company manager and frustrated singer-comedian, who’s never met a work situation he couldn’t turn into a potential lawsuit. Whether accidentally braining a new hire with a soccer ball or hijacking a training session with a sing-a-long of Free Love Freeway, Brent combines a blinkered egocentrism with the pitiable determination to be liked: “I’ve created an atmosphere where I’m a friend first, boss second. Probably entertainer third.” What makes Brent funny is that he’s wrong; what makes him sympathetic is that he really believes he’s right, and with mainly good intentions. He may have been neither a good friend nor boss in the end, but he was certainly entertaining.