First there was The Office (the British version). Then The Office (the American version). Then there was Ten Items or Less (the TBS version). Now, it looks like Amy Poehler’s new TV show will be another Mockumentary that will grace televisions across the U.S.
From Defamer: Zap2It’s Korbi Ghosh was the first to dig up a show premise that wasn’t merely a joke idea tossed off by Amy Poehler:
A couple nosy moles tell me that, like The Office, it’s basically documentary style. Set in the parks & recreation department of a local city government in some podunk town, Poehler will play a delusional employee, totally unaware that she doesn’t work in high ranking politics. And of course there will be supporting players around to make fun of her foolish idiocy. Sound too much like another show we already know? Well, I’m hearing that the writers are currently tweaking the concept a bit, but this is the general idea.
There seems to be a formula for Mockumentarys:
- Find a lead character who is funny
- Put him/her in a workplace situation (Bonus if it’s filmed in a real office space or grocery)
- Fill the rest of the cast to fill the workplace situation
- Make the boss “try to be funny” funny
- Also, boss should be clueless about un-funnyness
- Boss should also not be good in workplace situation (but good enough not to get canned)
- Supporting characters should either be awkward, clueless or good for the lead roles in romantic comedies
- Clear shelf space for Emmys and Golden Globes (although only The Office (US) has crossed this off their to-do list)
