REVIEW: THE STARTUP – Lots of Office Related Shenanigans

Anyone a fan of ‘The Office’? Hopefully that’s a “yes” because that show is awesome! Right? Good. If you enjoy shows with a comedic office setting that involve some pretty crazy coworkers, then THE STARTUP should be a nice match for you. When I say crazy coworkers, I mean crazy coworkers.

The series follows the main character, Manish (Parvesh Cheena), after he relocates to Los Angeles in order to pursue what he believes to be a dream job at a company called Pump’d which is supposed to be LA’s “hottest new media startup” or “the next big thing.” He used to work for a phone company up in Canada, but wasn’t satisfied with the job. On his first day, he is ambushed by the various quirky personalities of the employees in the office. As soon as he gets off the elevator, he is greeted by an intense argument between several employees. The argument ends with the fired employee, Carla (Julia Carpenter), storming off into the elevator behind Manish. What a great first impression! It definitely makes you wonder what on earth goes on at this office from hearing just a few details of the argument.

Manish is surprised by Mark (Peter Shinkoda), who is the Director of Finance and also very territorial about his chair. The chair part reminded me a little of Milton Waddams from ‘Office Space’ with the staplers. Mark leads Manish through the office as he meets more of the employees including the chocolate addict/birthday lover/personal assistant to CEO Julia (Zabeth Russell) and the software programmer Tom (Zach Reino) who happens to be a frequent user of “medicinal” marijuana. You also meet the obviously scandalous Human Resources VP, Candy LaRue (Aurelia Scheppers), who becomes a large part of the office gossip pretty quickly. Manish eventually meets the company’s CEO, Bruce (K. Harrison Sweeney), described as “probably insane.” That might be a pretty accurate statement. Manish gets roped into a job assignment by Bruce. Can he handle it? It soon dawns on Manish that his dream job could possibly be just one giant nightmare.

The series from Denison Entertainment, Media 11:11 and Troglodytes, Inc. was created by Manoj Rao and Dave Conde. It is written by Manoj Rao, Dave Conde and James Giordano. The first episode was directed by Darren Denison and Bogdan Orlic with editing also done by Bogdan Orlic. The show released its first episode on January 27th, 2015 through its distributor, Funnyordie.com. The episode had a runtime of 11:34 excluding the closing credits. It didn’t feel too short. It also didn’t feel like it was dragging on forever. We were introduced to various characters, to the company Pump’d and given the conflict in a smooth, organized and effective manner.

The opening credits were so visually engaging! The music complemented the show, reinforcing a light, laid-back atmosphere. The cast delivered believable and pretty amusing performances. Stereotypes are utilized a lot in this series. You’ve got the stoner, a woman of, ahem, ‘loose’ morals and more. Julia was my favorite character in the first episode. The great enthusiasm she has for birthdays and chocolate. Amen, sister, amen!

The characters use Human Resources VP, Candy LaRue as the target for most of the jokes. It’s obviously intentional especially with how she carries herself and how she interacts with her male coworkers in a seductive fashion in the office. When the male employees discuss material on the Pump’d website, they discuss openly their disappointment with a faulty, provocative video involving girls kissing. When we finally see the content on the website, we see risqué clips of girls among other videos. This, plus the jokes about who is sleeping with Candy and Candy’s appearances in a lot of scenes just felt excessive. It got to the point where I was waiting for the scene to progress to a different topic.

There was another moment where it felt like the humor wouldn’t be well received from some viewers. The CEO, Bruce, is talking to Manish about the statue that he has on his desk next to his computer. It is a symbol of his culture. Bruce begins to crack some harsh jokes about a different culture which could be a sensitive topic. Is Bruce supposed to be liked? It didn’t seem like it, but hey, he’s described as being possibly insane. Some may appreciate that kind of humor, but it’s just not my kind of thing.

This is an entertaining show. If you are a fan of ‘The Office’ or any kind of sitcom revolving comedic office settings, then I suggest that you check out THE STARTUP. It will make you laugh out loud. If you’ve ever worked in an office setting, you will probably find this show to be hilarious. The first episode is the only episode currently out now, but it will be interesting to see where this series goes. Will Manish be able to survive his first assignment for Pump’d? We will find out! Hopefully soon!

For more information, please check out:

FUNNYORDIE: http://www.funnyordie.com/thestartup/webseries