Part of what made the original version of The Office so incredible was the somber undertones that ran throughout the show. Sure, at its heart it was a light, fun show about young love, working in a dead-end job and forging relationships in the adult world while trying to retain that childhood sense of wonder, but watching David Brent fumble his way through life was the show’s anchor. We’ve all known a David Brent before; that weird, old guy that works too long and too hard at a dead end job to be the manager who just desperately wants to absorb the youth of his employees as well as their respect. That’s why it was exciting when it was announced that Ricky Gervais would be bringing him back for an encore.
Netflix will be snapping up David Brent: Life on the Road when it launches here in the US in 2017. The Guardian points out how Gervais is adamant that it’s really not a follow-up to The Office and more of a mockumentary “where are they now” sort of piece. Regardless of that, David Brent is a beloved goofball from a really popular television series and continuation of his character is just that. People are going to want to see David Brent: Life on the Road because of the character established in the series and the follow-up television movies that we’ve all grown to know, love and feel pity for.
That was really the beauty of David Brent. We understood him for all of his flaws and the archetype of a character that he played helped to frame the rest of the show’s reality. Following him while he makes a fool of himself trying to be a rockstar should be great fun, but also pretty depressing at the same time.
(via The Guardian)
