The Office

I may be in the minority here, but I kind of like the direction they're taking "The Office." It's actually become, as Stephen Colbert once quipped, "that weird drama with Steve Carell."

I like the theme of Jim unwittingly becoming Michael (trying to reschedule all of the birthdays into one party, locking the whole gang into the office and then being racially inept/insensitive with both Oscar and the security guard). It's a miserable transformation in some ways, but I think it's realistic, and it stays true to the overarching message of both English-language incarnations of "The Office," which is that if you don't have the courage to do what you really want to do, you'll probably wind up being someone you never intended to be.

I oddly appreciate that Toby is becoming "the bad guy" (his and Ryan's reprimanding of Jim, his unsettlingly long leg-caress of Pam) and how that implies that Michael was right about him all along when everyone else loved him.

And then there's the whole "Ryan's drug-problem" which is sort of dark and interesting as is the pathetic Jan-Michael relationship. The show may not be as funny as it once was (nor is it as consistently hilarious as its sister show "30 Rock"), but it's developing substance in certain areas, and that makes me appreciate it more.

Also, if you want some spoilers, TVGuide.com has the listings for the next few episodes, and the season finale is titled "Goodbye, *character's name*." I'll leave it up to you whether you want to find out who it is.