Common Sense Media Review
Geeks rule in silly British sitcom about corporate culture.
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The IT Crowd
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Based on 23 kid reviews
Kids say this show offers a mix of clever humor and raunchy content that can be both hilarious and inappropriate at times. Many enjoy the witty writing and character dynamics, but caution is advised for younger audiences due to frequent swearing and sexual references.
- clever humor
- raunchy content
- age-appropriate
- mixed reviews
- character dynamics
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
The top executives at Reynholm Industries have bright, spacious offices with amazing views of London; the three-person technical support team works from a dingy, cluttered basement warren. And that really explains the social divide between THE IT CROWD and the people they both help and mock. Maurice (Richard Ayoade) is the standard nerd, a wizard with machines and few social skills. His colleague, Roy (Chris O'Dowd), is equally geeky, while Jen (Katherine Parkinson) is a bit out of place as a non-techie who's bluffed her way into a job managing the IT department. That makes her the conduit between the geeks and the non-geeks, responsible for supervising the barely controlled chaos of the tech team and serving as translator for people who rarely seem to speak the same language.
Is It Any Good?
Misunderstanding and condescension are the heart of The IT Crowd, and though the show manages tto mock everyone almost equally, the series is clearly on the side of the techies. The executives come off as incompetent, sexist idiots, while the lads in the basement seem like fun-loving savants who can repair almost anything but can't land a date. Both groups look down on each other's very obvious flaws.
It's fertile ground for comedy, and some of the situations are quite funny, though other conflicts are somewhat predictable and the focus on stereotypical geeks might seem offensive to some people. And don't expect all the jokes to be about computers; many are about sex and the lengths to which people will go while pursuing a romantic connection. Not surprisingly, few of those efforts succeed, giving the characters more fodder for their entertaining tales of social ineptitude.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about stereotypes. Why do so many TV shows and films portray people who work with computers as having poor social skills? Do you think that's accurate? Do you think it's acceptable to make fun of "geeks"? Why or why not? Do you think the British geek cliches are any different from the standard-issue techies seen on U.S. shows?
TV Details
- Premiere date : February 3, 2006
- Cast : Chris O'Dowd , Katherine Parkinson , Richard Ayoade
- Network : IFC
- Genre : Comedy
- TV rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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