Corporate

A sort of nihilist Workaholics, Corporate follows the mind numbing lives of two Junior-Executives-in-Training at one of the world's largest multinational corporations. Definitely a darker comedy, I absolutely loved Corporate and laughed way too much at way too depressing things, would highly recommend. Created by Pat Bishop, Matt Ingebretson, and Jake Weisman (and starring the latter two) each episode's humour is self-contained and self-referential, a trait I love in my comedy. The first two seasons were the best followed by a still good short 3rd season, this feels like something that would have made for some good work-from-home pandemic episodes but was unfortunately cut off too short, like often I wish there was more. Looking forward to whatever these guys work on next.

I can see how this show wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you've worked corporate jobs or even most professional jobs with their soulless bureaucracy and boot-licking culture of "face time," this show captures the hollowness of such work with accuracy and very dark humor. It is like a bleak version of the Office, but a lot wittier. Think Joseph Heller's "Catch 22" applied to the white collar world. It picks on all the weird hallmarks of corporate culture, from the corporate retreat, to "casual Friday," to reporting bad behavior to HR. The characters are so perfectly cast, from the corporate tools like John, the evil CEO Christian, the bitter HR director...love this show!

Even though this show got very good reviews, it is shown on Comedy Central in America. I'm in my 50's, and let's just say I don't think I'm someone that Comedy Central is targeting to watch their shows. However, from the start of Episode 1, I thought this series was very well-written, and very funny. Most of it is deadpan humor, but I very much enjoyed it. All the actors/actresses are very good, but I'd say my favorite is Lance Reddick who plays the CEO of Hampton Deville. My favorite Episode in Season 1 was the one about Casual Fridays, which is probably the funniest show I've seen on TV since watching the homage to Mrs. Doubtfire episode on "Broad City" in 2016.

I'm not sure how many people are watching this show, as it seems to have zero cultural buzz. But it is well worth watching, and I very much look forward to Season 2!

I haven't been as impressed with the first two episodes of a series since Archer debuted, or maybe Red Oaks. The writing is minimalist in its approach to the unrelenting onslaught of over-the-top mini-scenarios that contribute to the overall story arc. The main characters speak with a glib, soulless detachment, giving the sense that they are only somewhat involved in what is going on around them, without any real emotion when they do decide to take up the cause de jour. This show may not be for everyone, as evidenced by scratchbird's review above. But if you are looking for something that speaks to your own soul-crushing corporate existence, definitely give it a watch.

If you've ever worked in any kind of office, Corporate is an insanely accurate satire (I've had at least three supervisors who act like the confrontational and overly peppy John and Kate). This show isn't about good people - its about supervisors who will seemingly make your life harder just because they can and people who are willing to endure anything to maybe one day make a little more money. The plot lines are enjoyably over dramatic and the deadpan banter between the two main characters is absolutely hilarious. The soundtrack is fantastic and the dreary fluorescent lighting really drives every scene home. Also, the CEO character growling out "are you PowerPoint proficient?" had me laughing for like a minute. Lance Reddick does a great job.