The IT CrowdLike most people who have become fans of the Channel 4 UK hit, “The IT Crowd“, I heard about the show through Boing Boing and other tech web sites. After watching the first episode, “Yesterday’s Jam”, I fell in love. In fact, I like the show so much, I bought the company. Err… OK, I didn’t buy the company, but I DID become the Editor for the show over at TV.com. 🙂


Maybe this kind of comedy is typical in the UK, but from where I sit, (Nashville, TN to be precise) “The IT Crowd” is a breath of fresh air. Farcical comedy is so rarely done in the US, but it’s more than just the comedy stylings, it’s the fact that the whole show is based around the three people that make up the IT Department of Reynhold Industries. Other than the occasional nerd joke, having a whole comedy centered around computer geeks just makes my heart sing.

In Roy’s (Chris O’Dowd) first scene, we see the template for what is to come from the IT staff and it’s just brilliant. You can clearly tell that the bulk of his support calls are the same thing day in and day out. That alone is funny, but it’s not till the end of the episode where Jen (Katherine Parkinson) repeats Roy’s words that the comedic payoff reaches it’s climax. Since seeing this episode, I find myself laughing every time I field a tech support call myself.

To round out the casting for the stars of the show, Moss (Richard Ayoade) adds just the right touch of über-geek to the mix and creates a fantastic character in the process. These three actors really have a grasp on farcical comedy and their timing and commitment to their roles really makes this comedy shine.

There are only 6 episodes for the entire 2006 season, which may seem surprising to US viewers, but in the UK this is quite common. The series has been picked up for a second season in 2007, but until then, you can watch the shows on YouTube, or download them via BitTorrent. They are definitely worth watching and I highly recommend the series as a whole.

For more information on the series, please visit the TV.com Show Summary. There you can find quotes, recaps, reviews and more.