Watching It, Watching Me: The State of My Nostrils

[The following is an editorial column by contributor Alison Coffey and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Austinist staff. --The Editors]

This week has been a little uninspiring. I caught up on my Mediums, but other than my growing crush on Joe DuBois (the super husband and daddy he is), there is nothing juicy to report. Lost wasn't on. Everwood isn't returning till March (and I'm a little peeved, thank you). Gilmore Girls was funny and sweet and a little sad, as usual, but I just don't feel like writing a play by play.

I blame Cedar Fever.

I couldn't watch the State of the Union because it would have thrown me into a deeper depression than I'm already in--thanks to Cedar Fever and credit cards.

I did finally watch The Office, thanks to a stirring call to arms by Salon's TV critic Heather Havrilesky. She made her point with me and so I tuned in. Plus, my husband went to undergrad with the girl who plays Pam and I should support my husband's former school mates, right?

Why have I not been watching up till now? I could blame Cedar Fever, but that started in December. I still have the rest of season to explain. Well, having been an enormous fan of the British series, I have been paralyzed to tune in for fear of seeing someting so wonderful become "Americanized" and thus, totally ruined and lamerized. Yes, I did just make up a word. Lamerized. Pretty good. In the famous words of Larry David, "pretty, pretty, pretty good".

But tonight I made the effort and switched the channel to NBC at 8:30. And? It's good. Really, really good. It retains the spirit of the original, while still being, well, original. And Steve Carell! Of course Steve Carell is going to be nothing short of excellent. Hell, he probably could have made Suddenly Susan a good show. So there it is, I'm in. All in. Thanks, Heather.