The Office

Holy fucking shit, I'm watching The Office and it is brilliant. It's been a long time since a show impressed me this much. I've only watched four episodes so far, but already I've got to put it on the second tier in the pantheon of TV comedies.

First tier:
The Simpsons
Monty Python
Blackadder
SCTV

Second tier:
The Office
The Family Guy
Kids in the Hall

Third tier:
Futurama
Saturday Night Live
South Park
The Muppet Show
Mr. Bean

This might be a good time to define the tiers in the Pantheon.

First tier shows have almost ended my life - each has made me laugh so hard I could hardly breathe. They're the shows I want to emulate. They have changed the way I live.

Second tier shows are hilarious and brilliant and daring - each of them has made me gulp, thinking, "I can't believe they just did that." Each of them has serious claims on the first tier, but I stuck them in the second tier because they haven't influenced me in quite the same way that first tier shows did. Almost, but not quite.

Third tier shows are all fantastically worthwhile, and they make me super happy when they're on, but they're not the kind of show that make me wonder if they're on right now, that I try to memorize.

It seems that first tier shows come around about once a decade. (Monty Python 1969-1975; SCTV 1976-1982; Blackadder 1983-1989; Simpsons 1989-present.) What will be the first tier show of this decade?