Corporate

Corporate is a dark, satirical comedy series that aired on Comedy Central from 2018 to 2020. It was created by Pat Bishop, Matt Ingebretson, and Jake Weisman and is a deep-dive view into the corporate culture of high-profile multinational companies through a fictional conglomerate named Hampton DeVille. Since its inception, Corporate captured the attention of its audience with its unfiltered and brutal depiction of corporate life, attaining recognition as one of the most irreverently funny shows of its time.

The show follows the lives of two junior-executives-in-training, Matt and Jake, played by Matt Ingebretson and Jake Weisman respectively, maneuvering their way through the shark-infested waters of corporate life. Matt and Jake are stuck in the middle rung of the corporate ladder and experience all the hardships, absurdities, and monotony associated with it. As low-rung employees in a towering corporate hierarchy, they're always confronting various forms of in-office politics, red tape, and, uproarious yet uncomfortable scenarios.

Often our protagonists operate under the manic and unpredictable control of their eccentric CEO, Christian DeVille, portrayed by Lance Reddick with an all-consuming intensity. Furthermore, Anne Dudek and Adam Lustick play the roles of other high-ranking executives who often engage in acts of corporate bureaucracy and manipulation, contributing to the dark humor that pervades the show. Corporate uses these characters to explore the big business world, painting a dark, nuanced, yet bizarrely familiar view of life at the bottom of the corporate ladder.

The writers of Corporate manage to satirize virtually every aspect of big business culture. It not only takes a comedic swing at the bosses but also scrutinizes the world of subordinates, creating an interesting dichotomy. The humor is often dry, dense, and pointed, creating a somewhat bleak situational comedy that resonates well with those familiar with the corporate world. The very essence of the show is its relentless critique of capitalism and the daily grind of office work while cleverly sprinkling in commentaries on various social issues like environmental crises and worker’s rights.

But Corporate isn't just a comedy about the drudgery of work. The show makes a profound effort to delve deeper into the personal lives of Matt and Jake. It examines the impact of their job on their mental health, personal relationships, and overall quality of life. Their struggles with work-life balance, existential crises, and the occasional glimmers of ambition that shine through their generally apathetic attitude towards their job make the characters incredibly relatable and the humor even more biting.

The show’s cinematic style also lends a distinct flavor to its comedic approach. It deploys an effectively gloomy and uniform visual aesthetic that reflects the monotonous and soul-sucking corporate environment. The cinematography stays deliberately flat, and the color palette is entirely grayscale, which strikingly mirrors the lifelessness associated with the corporate world. Also noteworthy is the show's brilliant use of surrealism interspersed with reality, which adds a unique dimension to its storytelling.

In terms of structure, each episode usually stands on its own, spotlighting a particular aspect of corporate culture or a specific, often satirical situation within the Hampton DeVille universe. However, overarching themes and plot lines do extend throughout the series, providing continuity and depth to the narrative.

With its relentless cynicism, distinct aesthetics, and brutal satire, Corporate does not pull any punches in depicting the stifling world of corporate work. The raw, often uncomfortable humor combined with clever social critique results in a truly unique viewing experience. For anyone with experience in the corporate world, the show offers an exaggerated yet uncomfortably relatable depiction of life. For those without such experience's, Corporate is a sharp, witty, and insightful comedy that offers a grimly hilarious but insightful window into the corporate world.