tv meme, day 12: an episode you've watched more than five times

I'll be the first to admit that when I'm looking for a great comedy, I'm always thinking about rewatchability. And with the onslaught of tv shows on dvd that happened over the past decade, it became all the more important. So when asked to come up with a particular episode I tend to watch often, I must simply say, all episodes of The Office.

I mean, get a load of this show - jam-packed with zingers, a wide spectrum of zany characters, and one central character with incredible comic timing - it's perfection on a tv screen. And thanks to my love of the show and its easy access on Netflix instant watch, I've seen each and every episode somewhere around 15 to 20 times apiece. Plus, it really does help that now with six seasons under its belt, by the time I've wiped out every episode in my rotation again, going back to the beginning seems like a distant memory already. I can't get enough of these people and their uncanny ability to make me guffaw even when I'm alone. Picking one particular episode of The Office out as the one I've viewed the most is simply too hard. It's all too difficult for me to even name one that I like the least.

You know that a show is worth watching over and over when you develop an attachment to the cast. Back in the day (the 1990s I mean, of course) an episode of Friends felt like hangout time with some really funny companions that I only got to see once a week. Enter this past decade, and The Office becomes that plus the ability to rewatch, quote, and thoroughly enjoy every hidden speck of fantastic writing and performing with each go-around. Though I'm inclined to "best in show" cred to my slim-lead favorites Carell, Angela Kinsey, and Mindy Kaling, there's no denying that everyone in this cast delivers a great episode at least once or twice per season. Perhaps the true champion here is the show's casting director.