The IT crowd
| Television series | |
|---|---|
| German title | The IT crowd |
| Original title | The IT crowd |
 | |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English (BE) |
| Year (s) | 2006-2010, 2013 |
| Production company |
Talkback Thames |
| length | approx. 23 minutes |
| Episodes | 24 (+ 1 special episode) in 4 seasons ( list ) |
| genre | Sitcom |
| idea | Graham Linehan |
| production | Ash Atalla |
| music | Neil Hannon |
| First broadcast | February 3, 2006 (UK) on Channel 4 |
| German-language first broadcast |
September 20, 2009 on Comedy Central Germany |
| occupation | |
| |
The IT Crowd is a British sitcom . The main characters are Chris O'Dowd , Richard Ayoade and Katherine Parkinson . The sitcom was written by Graham Linehan and produced by Ash Atalla for the British commercial broadcaster Channel 4 .
A year and a half before the successful American sitcom The Big Bang Theory , The IT Crowd was already using the differences between nerds and "normal" people for a comedy series based on situation comedy. The IT Crowd was one of the first series to focus on nerds and their worldview, shaped by computers and the Internet.
The first episode aired on Channel 4 on February 3, 2006. The series ran over four seasons, each with six episodes. A planned fifth season was replaced by a concluding special episode that aired on September 27, 2013.
action
The series is set in the offices of Reynholm Industries, a fictional British company based in central London . What exactly the company does is never mentioned. The three-person IT team, whose office is in the dark, dirty basement of the company building, is the focus of the action. Their offices form a strong contrast to the otherwise emphatically modern architecture of the building and the impressive view from the building over London. In the rooms of the IT team there are a number of nostalgic items from the computer, comic and television world.
Technicians Moss and Roy are geeks in a very stereotypical sense. Apparently because of the constant confrontation with technical problems, the two are unrealistic and frustrated by the complete technical inability of their colleagues from the upper floors - Roy starts every phone call with “ Hello, IT - Have you tried turning it off and on again? ”(German:“ Hello, IT - have you already tried switching it off and on? ”) And then“ Are you sure it's plugged in? ” ”(German:“ Are you sure it's plugged in? ”) - as well as the fact that, despite their expertise, they are never rewarded, taken seriously or even noticed at all. This results in her lack of motivation (Roy regularly ignores the phone in the hope that it will stop ringing) and her maliciously cynical demeanor towards other employees and visitors.
Characters
Moss
Most noticeable about Moss' appearance is his hairstyle, which can be described as an afro with a side parting. He is 31 years old and still lives with his mother, who likes to contact him during his working hours to remind him of various things. Moss has a lot of technical knowledge but is unable to communicate it to a non-technician. In general, his view of the world is more technical than human, which often makes it difficult for him to cope with the simplest everyday problems - a basis for the comedy of the character. Moss loves order in his own way and cultivates strange rituals and compulsions that further distinguish him from the rest of the staff. He approaches the world with the greatest caution or refrains from exploring it at all. He is completely unable to deal with or understand women (for example, he faints in one episode when Jen tells him at length about her bra too tight ).
Roy
Roy, who is Irish, is the more humane part of the two. He is of the same age and, unlike Moss, often tries to break out of the world of computers, only to realize, however, that he is ultimately best off there. Roy is a bit more experienced in the field of everyday life and often confronts Moss with his inability to cope with everyday life or to deal with people. His attempts to get hold of women usually end up embarrassing because he makes fundamental mistakes. He has a slightly choleric and energetic behavior, but is not malicious. He likes to show the personal relations manager Jen her technical ignorance.
Jen
The third member of the IT team and officially the manager of the IT department is Jen Barber, who has no idea about technology and was only hired on the basis of fabricated information in the résumé. In the first episode, she finds a job as a "relationship manager" bridging the gap between technicians and non-technical employees. She is also very interested in the opposite sex and makes several attempts to find the right partner, but constantly fails. Her endeavors to better understand the contents of her own department also rarely bear fruit, rather she falls victim to one of the many pranks by Moss and Roy. Strictly speaking, however, she holds the department together and acts as a kind of surrogate mother for her two colleagues, who also urge her into this role.
Denholm Reynholm
The head of Reynholm Industries is Denholm Reynholm, an ambitious company manager who, with his very strange demeanor, repeatedly overwhelms, confuses or embarrasses Moss, Roy, Jen and his other subordinates. His demeanor is authoritarian, but the content of his statements and actions are not really constructive or have absolutely no connection with the company he runs. He enjoys laughing at a cup in his hand or pounding the entire building with fitness instructions. At the beginning of season two, he committed suicide in front of his employees by jumping straight out of the window when he was told that the police were on site to investigate irregularities in the financial structure of Reynholm Industries.
Douglas Reynholm
Douglas Reynholm is Denholm's son. He was considered missing during his father's lifetime. Douglas turns up unexpectedly at his funeral while a video recording of the Denholm Legacy is being played. According to his order, a second recording is now being shown in which Denholm declares his son the sole heir of Reynholm Industries. Douglas shares personality traits with his late father, but appears completely incapable of running a business. His main interest is in flirting or sexually molesting women. So he tries unsuccessfully to seduce Jen. Douglas often doesn't seem to be aware that he's running a multibillion dollar corporation.
Richmond
Richmond is a former senior executive who was relegated to the IT department due to a growing affection for goth . Formally, he is responsible for monitoring the company's servers, but de facto, like Jen, he has no idea about technology. Richmond became a goth by listening to music by the band Cradle of Filth . Since he spreads a negative mood as a follower of this culture, he was banished to the server room by Roy and Moss and has mostly been there ever since. Only in later episodes does Richmond come to light more and occasionally visit the others in their offices.
production
Linehan wrote the entire series alone. It was subsequently filmed in front of a live audience, which was seen as a bit risky at the time as sitcoms were considered out of date. The first season was recorded in front of an audience at Teddington Studios , the subsequent ones at Pinewood Studios .
The title sequence was produced by Shynola .
Charisma
United Kingdom
The first two episodes of the first season aired on February 3, 2006. The second season started on August 24, 2007 and the third season on November 21, 2008. The fourth season began airing on June 25 and ended on July 30, 2010. The final special episode aired on September 27, 2013.
Germany
Between September 20, 2009 and January 24, 2010 Comedy Central aired the first three seasons in a row. The fourth season started on January 7, 2011.
With the youth program funk from ARD and ZDF , launched in 2016 , the series was published online in German and English.
Episode list
DVD release
United Kingdom
The DVD for the first season was released on November 13, 2006. In addition to out-takes, it also contains cut scenes, life behind the scenes and the short film "Hello, Friend". In addition, all episodes have been given special subtitles. a. which is popular in the internet Leetspeak is used. The playing time is 148 minutes.
The DVD of the second season was released on October 1, 2007. As extras it contains out-takes, an audio commentary and a film about how an episode of IT Crowd is recorded. The playing time is 141 minutes. Instead of Leetspeak subtitles, the DVD contains Easter Eggs . The DVD of the third season was released on March 16, 2009. The playing time is 140 minutes. The fourth season DVD was released on September 26, 2010.
Germany
The German version of the first three seasons was released on DVD on November 6, 2009. In addition to the dubbed version, the original sound can also be heard. On January 21, 2011, the fourth season was released on DVD.
Adaptations
US version
The series was to be re-recorded with mostly new actors (only the actor from Moss remained) for the American broadcaster NBC and to be broadcast in the 2007/08 season. However, the production of the series was discontinued, although a number of scripts were already available. In 2014, the broadcaster made the second attempt at a pilot film, which, however, was also not followed up. At the end of 2017, it was announced that NBC was tackling a third attempt at a remake. This time, however, the script is left to Graham Linehan, creator of the original English series. He will also work as an executive producer.
German version
Sat.1 broadcast a remake in January 2008 with the title “ Das iTeam - Die Jungs an der Maus ”, whereby the scripts were largely adopted. The broadcast was canceled after the first two episodes on January 4 and 11, 2008 because the ratings were too low. From August 2008 the episodes were broadcast on the pay-TV channel Sat.1 Comedy .
Sebastian Münster and Stefan Puntigam played the two computer specialists in the German version. Britta Horn was her new head of department and Sky du Mont was the boss of the company. The comedy series was produced by GRUNDY Light Entertainment . The series was filmed in Hürth-Kalscheuren in summer 2007 . Originally the title was supposed to be Das iTeam - Die Jungs mit der Maus , but before the start of series production, attempts were made to remove the ambiguity of the title (mouse = input device or mouse = Sandy Grünwald (Britta Horn)) by changing the title.
Since Sat.1 made the first episode available online before January 4th, 2008 (with the exception of an approximately 5-minute section in the middle), the German adaptation was criticized in various forums and blogs before it was first broadcast . It was criticized that the gags were poorly translated into the German language and that the series was partially acted and cut carelessly. Graham Linehan, creator of the original series, made a sharp irony on his blog.
synchronization
| Role name | actor | German voice actors |
|---|---|---|
| Roy | Chris O'Dowd | Matthias Klimsa |
| Moss | Richard Ayoade | Jens Wawrczeck |
| Jen | Katherine Parkinson | Freya Trampert |
| Richmond | Noel Fielding | Oliver Boettcher |
| Denholm | Chris Morris | Volker Hanisch |
| Newton | Ben Moor | Rasmus Borowski |
| Douglas | Matt Berry | Erik Schäffler |
particularities
- The character image of the " nerd " is an essential part of the series and also the basis of the humor.
- The IT department is littered with objects that are of great importance to classic nerds, such as stickers, museum-worthy computers, comics, posters or gadgets .
- According to the producer, the set decoration team was grateful for any impetus from fans and viewers.
- The episodes often end in a catastrophe for the main characters, which, however, usually remains without consequences for the next episodes.
- Pretty young women work almost exclusively on the upper floors.
Running gags
- Roy's answering calls by asking "Have you tried turning it on and off?" However, there is a spinner in the German version: Roy says in the original “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” (“Have you tried turning it off and on?”)
- The lack of recognition from the employees of the IT team.
- Jens does not have IT skills.
- Moss' communication difficulties with his fellow human beings, especially his inability to lie, lead to disaster in several episodes.
- Moss always orders a “ White Russian ” when asked for a drink.
- Moss mispronounces words. He always ignores his colleagues' suggestions for improvement.
- Moss always greets Jen exuberantly when he sees her in a new situation.
- Roy and Moss understand absolutely nothing about football and therefore feel excluded from the rest of the male world.
- Jen calls for a taxi to escape them in several embarrassing situations.
reception
The series has a user rating of 8.6 / 10 points in IMdB and on TV.com.
In England, the last episode of the fourth season (the last regular episode) achieved a rate of 2.17 million viewers on July 30, 2010 and was very successful.
Awards
- 2007: BAFTA Award nomination in the category Television - Situation Comedy
- 2008: Golden Rose in the sitcom category
- 2008: International Emmy in the Comedy category
- 2009: BAFTA Award - winner in the category "Best Situation Comedy"
- 2009: Best script television actor for Graham Linehan at the 6th Irish Film and Television Awards
- 2009: British Comedy Awards - Best Comedy Actress award for Katherine Parkinson.
Web links
- The IT Crowd in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The IT Crowd - Channel 4's website
- Reynholm Industries ( January 10, 2016 memento on the Internet Archive ) - Fictional website of Reynholm Industries
Individual evidence
- ^ Morgan Jeffery: 'IT Crowd' finale, 'Agents of SHIELD' launch share night on Channel 4 . Digital spy. September 12, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
- ^ The IT Crowd to return for a special one-off episode . May 8, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
- ↑ 'The IT Crowd' to return for one-off final episode later this month . NME. September 5, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
- ↑ IT Crowd Night planned for October . British Comedy Guide. July 22, 2013. Retrieved September 12, 2013.
- ^ Neil Smith: IT Crowd writer looks to future , BBC News. February 9, 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2010.
- ^ Christian Junklewitz: Comedy Central: New seasons of Hung and The IT-Crowd . November 18, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ↑ The IT Crowd - Season 1 | Series | funk . In: funk . ( funk.net [accessed July 26, 2017]).
- ↑ The IT Crowd - Season 1 (OV) | Series | funk . In: funk . ( funk.net [accessed on July 28, 2017]).
- ↑ Graham Linehan's blog entry about Easter Eggs on the IT Crowd 2.0 DVD
- ↑ The IT Crowd Series 2 DVD Easter Eggs . Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ↑ NBC May Unplug "IT Crowd"
- ↑ The IT Crowd: NBC develops US remake with series creator Graham Linehan. Retrieved June 15, 2019 .
- ↑ No more fun: Sat.1 throws out “Das iTeam” . Quota meter. January 17, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ↑ On-site appointment: visit to the “IT crowd” set in Hürth . Serial junkies. August 28, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ^ The IT Crowd: German version launched on January 4th . Serial junkies. November 8, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
- ↑ Graham Linehan's comment on the German adaptation of the IT crowd in his blog. In: Why, that's delightful! December 28, 2007, accessed on November 5, 2015 (English): “Oh, dear God, what have I done? I love the way the first gag doesn't work because the angle is wrong. THAT'S NOT A GOOD SIGN. "
- ↑ Graham Linehan: Further comment on his blog. In: Why, that's delightful! December 28, 2007, accessed on November 5, 2015 (English): “I feel sorry for the actors. Having to copy another show, line for line, moment for moment, pratfall for pratfall ... it's no kind of job for a grown-up. What possible enjoyment could anyone involved get out of it? "
- ^ List of voice actors in the German dubbing index
- ↑ BAFTA - Past Winners and Nominees
- ↑ The winners of the Rose d'Or 2008 (PDF document, English)
- ↑ The Irish Times : “Linehan wins an Emmy for sitcom on the IT set” , November 26, 2008 (English)