What Happened to the I.T. Crowd?

Last October, show runner Graham Linehan announced the cancellation of British geek-friendly comedy The I.T. Crowd after only four seasons (man, those Brits need to learn to milk their shows until they run themselves into the ground like we do). Although The I.T. Crowd was slated for a fifth season to start production this year, it seems that Linehan himself has opted to cease the show’s run, but promises an extended special in 2012.

Well, it’s 2012! It may only be February, but as I’ve just remembered this juicy little tidbit, I can now start eagerly and impatiently awaiting news of my favorite computer technicians. Jen, Roy, and Moss work as tech support to a large corporation, though who knows what the company itself does. As the resident techies, they are banished to the basement to live a most demeaning (but lucky for us, hilarious) existence. Instead of spending their time building revolutionary drones, they construct something more along these lines:

Don’t let the 8-bit intro fool you, you don’t need to be a geek to enjoy The I.T. Crowd. Practically anyone who understands what Facebook is will be able to keep up with the jokes. The guys are more socially awkward than Big Bang Theory level genius, and the cast is packed with lovable BBCelebs. Adult Swim fans will recognize Mighty Boosh member Noel Fielding as the gothic Richmond.

From another Adult Swim show, Matt Berry of Garth Marenghi’s Dark Place was also added to the show as the absurd and infatuated boss.

Irish comedian Chris O’Dowd of Bridesmaids fame stars as one of the three leads. The relatable and unlucky-with-ladies Roy is O’Dowd’s best known role, though you might also know him from other flicks from the States such as Friends with Kids and Gulliver’s Travels.

And Sherlock fans recently saw Katherine Parkinson (Jen) in much more serious role. In The I.T. Crowd, she plays a single woman who knows nothing about computers faking her way through a management job. In Sherlock, she was that reporter you wanted to punch in the face.

Of course, the show’s main wild card (and therefore main source of one-liners) is Maurice Moss, played by one of my personal TV crushes, Richard Ayoade. Ayoade was apparently so irreplaceable that he played the same character on the failed American remake, but is most known nowadays for his movie, Submarine. Ayoade wrote and directed this critically acclaimed film based on the novel by Joe Dunthorne.

Graham Linehan is the mastermind behind such shows as Father Ted, Black Books, and Big Train, and I.T. Crowd will have run longer than all three. He refers to the cast moving on to other things as one of the main reasons for the show’s cancellation, and it does look like they’re doing pretty well for themselves. Good news for them, bad news for us.