10/10 Cringe Comedies Are Rare, But The BBC's 12-Part Series Has Zero Bad Episodes

Cringe comedy is most closely associated with The Office on both sides of the Atlantic, with David Brent and Michael Scott spawning a host of socially inept imitators. But the cringe format was going mainstream long before the days of Wernham Hogg and Dunder Mifflin, and one of the earliest examples comes complete with tie and blazer badge combination. Played by Steve Coogan, Alan Partridge began as one part of radio news spoof On the Hour and its TV adaptation, The Day Today. Both are works of comedy genius, and The Day Today even contains a sketch very close in premise to The Office.