‘Office’ plotlines reflect recession anxieties

Full Story at CNN.com

(CNN) — Dunder Mifflin, the fictional paper company at the center of NBC’s prime-time comedy “The Office,” is facing bankruptcy. Staffers in the Scranton branch are anxious about their fate.

“The Office” is among a great many prime-time shows that have integrated recession-era themes into their plotlines this fall in an effort to reflect the changing American economic climate. Art imitating life on television can offer a sense of solidarity for the viewing public and a new type of coping mechanism for dealing with recession-related stress.

“Shows that deal with the recession help people to validate the full range of emotions they are feeling right now,” explained Stephan J. Quentzel, psychiatrist, family physician and director of Beth Israel Hospital’s Louis Armstrong Center for Music and Medicine in New York.