Created by Graham Linehan of Black Books and Father Ted fame, The IT Crowd takes a look into the IT department of Reynholm Industries, where two rather awkward technicians, Moss (Richard Ayoade) and Roy (Chris O’Dowd) work and are kept under control by their manager Jen (Katherine Parkinson).
The fourth season of this BAFTA and Emmy winning sitcom began airing on Channel 4 on 26th June 2010, and, as of this writing, is two episodes in to its new season. Those two new episodes not only continue the high quality Channel 4 viewers have come to expect, but are among the show’s best.
Wacky Goings-On
The first episode of the new season, ‘Jen the Fredo’, finds Roy still trying to get over his recent break-up, and Moss setting up a Dungeons and Dragons-esque role-playing game. Meanwhile, Jen has her eye on the position of Entertainment Manager, and when she is rejected, she realises her boss Douglas’ misogyny. The next episode, ‘The Final Countdown’ revolves around Moss, having been featured on over eight episodes of Countdown, joining a special club for those who have gotten that far, and even being challenged to a game of ‘Street Countdown’. Jen also wonders why Douglas is having secret meetings.
The stories themselves may not be complex or deep, but they certainly allow for some brilliant jokes about popular culture, business and the characters themselves. The opening of ‘The Final Countdown’, for example, has Moss win a Countdown game in a most unusual and hilarious way, and in the preceding episode, there is a moment where the same character tries to find the most ‘ruddy and mysterious’ music to play during his role-playing game.
The programme is made for the ‘geeks’, and it truly and marvellously caters for them, from the role-playing game with the brilliant conclusion to Moss’ version of the famous line from They Live. The references, including nods to The Matrix and Fight Club, are sure to appease the many nerds watching, but it won’t alienate those who aren’t obsessed with geek culture. Some jokes may be eye-rolling, like Douglas’ ‘Shithead of the Year’ award, and there is the dreaded laugh track as usual, but the comedy is still generally of high quality.
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What makes the humour so successful is how it is delivered by the actors. Ayoade as Moss is the funniest of them, giving a fine yet awkward delivery to his lines. O’Dowd is also humourously awkward, but he feels more like a real person than Moss. Parkinson plays the straight woman to the pair of nerds, so she is less amusing to watch, but still turns in a great and believable performance. All three of them work in tandem to bring the show’s world and comedy to life, and, despite having been away from the roles for a while, still feel like the same characters the viewers are familiar with.
There isn’t that much more that can be said about the new season so far, but it is still highly recommended. It continues the high quality of previous seasons, and hopefully that quality will continue into future episodes.
Gareth Barsby - I am a recent graduate and aspiring writer with a love of movies and a lot of drive. I specialise in reviewing film and television, but am ...
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