FC NOW: The Fast Company Weblog
March 30, 2005
The American Office: Better Than the Original
You heard me. The creators of the American version of The Office have done what's almost impossible in business: They've developed a copycat product that's better than the original. This usually doesn't happen because copycats tend to be lazy and only out for a quick buck. They're not interested in quantum improvement. But if last night's episode on NBC, the single funniest comedy I've seen on television since Seinfeld circa 1993, is any indication, The Office is not only a critical home run but it's viewer-friendly enough to be a hit eventually.
There are only two reasons why anyone's made such a fuss about Ricky Gervais' The Office here in America:
1) Anglophiles who are always going to think British stuff is better. To which I say, I think there's a Red Dwarf marathon going on. Why don't you go watch it?
2) Americans have been so starved for a good comedy about the workplace that even a British show that has all the comic timing of a dry martini is sought out and cherished because According to Jim isn't speaking to them to make them feel better about their miserable jobs.
I watched last night's show on NBC twice and then I watched the BBC pilot. Want to why the American Office is so great and better than the British version? Keep reading.
The first American original of The Office blossoms now that it's been freed from the constraints of the British show. A diversity trainer comes to the office to do a workshop. Hilarity ensues. On paper, you can't fully appreciate it (don't worry, this being NBC, The Office is being reaired on most of its other channels--Bravo, CNBC, USA, etal--so check your cable listings). What makes the show great is that it wrings stunning comedy out of subtle eye rolls, askance glances, and under-your-breath comments. Perhaps the Gervais version does so as well, but it's the difference between an extremely dry martini and one perfectly balanced with a little vermouth. The U.S. version is just wet enough--call it American subtlety as opposed to British subtlety. The U.S. version does just enough to let the viewer know it's a joke. The British version is completely inaccessible that way.
I also think the writing and the pacing of the American show are superior not only to anything else on TV but to the original. Carell upbraiding an employee for making an insensitive comment (the kind of comment he'd make routinely) and capping it off with a comment that this is an open and welcoming place and so get the hell out of here is perfect. Carell begging for emotion from his employees and then telling them that he'd have everyone in tears. I could go on. What's amazing is that the show does what American sitcoms have to do--two jokes a minute minimum, an A plot and a B plot--but it does it in a subversive way. So it works within what Americans understand but it does it brilliantly.
Even Carell was more in control this episode and the critique that some of the blog posters noted--that Carell is the archetype for the boss who thinks he's funny and so his performance is better understood that way--feels like it's very true.
I'll get off this Office soapbox unless news or exceptional episodes warrant, but just watch this show. Pretend the original never existed (no one here in the U.S. ever gave a thought to how classics like All in the Family or Sanford and Son were inspired by British shows). And know that every Tuesday night there's a place that will make you feel better about your idiot boss, idiot coworkers, or idiot employees for at least half an hour a week.
Posted by David Lidsky at March 30, 2005 8:42 AM | Category: culture |
86 Comments
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You're smoking crack, man. It's a great show, but nowhere near the original. Now which version of Red Dwarf should I go and watch? The British one, or the American one?
Last night's episode was hilarious, and Carell is great, but it's tough to reproduce the overconfident patheticness that Gervais encapsulated so well. I really like the new version, but it has yet to prove as good as the BBC - and not because I'm some kind of BBC-elitist, seriously, without Gervais and the fellow that played Gareth, it's just missing something. Still definately worth watching though.
So sad. To be such a self hating Anglophile.
This show is great ...and it takes place in Scranton...what more can you ask?
British comedy being done better in the States. Now there's a real scoop!
The Office over here in Old Blighty is just so personal to us - it makes us laugh at ourselves to the point of cringing and wanting to hide behind a pillow. It's awkward, yet utterly enthralling.
I'm not American, so I wont consider making any worthless comparisons. I just wouldn't get it.
Just one more thing.
It's like saying "There's a tailor in Hong Kong that makes better english cut suits than Thomas McMahon http://www.englishcut.com/ in Saville Row, London." It's missing the point somewhat!
There is no way the American office is better than the original. It may be good, thank God, but I doubt it will ever be as good as the original. The way you described, it sounds like just another sitcom with a somewhat different gimmick, definately not comic gold.
I enjoyed the American Office, but so far it still pales in comparison to the UK Office. I'll hold off on any real judgment until the end of the first season.
Incidentally, don't you think you ought to actually /watch/ the UK Office (i.e. more than just the pilot) before you pronounce it second-rate or overly dry? At least keep up a one-to-one ratio, one episode of each, if you're going to try to compare them side-by-side.
Nicholas--
Fair point. I have the rest of season one on TiVo and BBC America airs season two this Saturday and my TiVo's all set for that too. I plan to watch them all. But what I was trying to say was that I watched the first episode of the American Office and I wanted to see it again. I watched the pilot of the British Office and frankly, if not compelled by this debate and my job, I don't know if I'd hang there and watch more if I was just a regular bloke.
I can't tolerate "British comedy". That said, the British version of The Office is the most perfect comedy television series ever to grace a TV screen.
The American version office may be the best thing on TV right now, but that's like saying sand tastes better than other flavors of dirt.
The pace of the new version is far too quick (no awkward pauses) and the characters have no depth-particularly Carrell's character. He doesn't make me wince or cringe like Gervais was so brilliantly able to do every time he opened his mouth (ala George Costanza), he's just a bit annoying and dimwitted.
I've laughed out loud maybe two times throughout the two episodes so far. Don't get me wrong- it's a decent show, which I'll continue to watch, but Ricky Gervais' creation set a standard that can't be topped.
I'm guessing the author of this review hasn't actually watched The Office in its entirety. I'd highly recommend he do so.
Is it a Black man's cock?
That's why the American version will never be as good- you can't get away with anything here....
So, the Amercian version is better because they help us idiotic Americans along and show us where the subtle jokes are? AND, you base all your comparisons to the BBC series on just the BBC pilot?
My god. First and last time I'll ever come to "Fast Company". What a rag.
That's crazy...I watched the NBC show just now, there's no comparison.
you're a cock, you're a cock, you're a cock
He's thrown a kettle over a pub, what have you done?
It's all a matter of personal taste. I liked the new episode on it's own merit, even though I noticed a huge chunk of the original in it.
It's best not to compare these things. Why can't we agree that the US/UK are different, as opposed to one being superior?
Simpsons, Curb your Enthuisiasm, Larry Sanders.... Blackadder, Black Books, Office... Love them all.
They had to move on and spread the word. I can't imagine Jesus going "Ooh, I've told a few people here in Bethlehem I'm the son of God. Can I just stay here with Mum and Dad now?"
"I also think the writing and the pacing of the American show are superior not only to anything else on TV but to the original. Carell upbraiding an employee for making an insensitive comment (the kind of comment he'd make routinely) and capping it off with a comment that this is an open and welcoming place and so get the hell out of here is perfect."
I found that whole exchange to be eerily similar to the one found in episode two of season one of the original, where David introduces Donna to the rest of the office and shares that her father is a cop, which is followed by some inappropriate comments from Jamie and Keith that everyone laughs at, including David. Then someone says "I wouldn't mind escaping up her tunnel," and David quickly bounces back with "Get out." Am I the only who noticed this?
Having said that, I was refreshingly surprised at how funny the episode was last night, a huge improvement over the pilot. However, there is no way [emphasis: NO WAY] this show will be the original.
David's dance, "The Freelove Freeway," inflateable cocks, the "If you don't know me by now" music video, and especially how the Tim and Dawn relationship was nailed beautifully.
A thoughtful commentary!
Great points ! Very interesting
Oh please. The BBC version is WAY beyond NBC's version of The Office. What's with the Anglophile BS ?? I'm not American nor British but the NBC version is just like a long SNL sketch. They totally missed the point of original. The NBC version is just like spoonfeeding the humor to the audience just like any other sitcom without the laugh track. The BBC version has it's humor NOT on the jokes and the over the top craziness, but in the familiarity of the characters in a real life Office. Nobody would work for Michael Scott for long in a real Office. Is there a real Diversity day ? American workers won't take that BS sitting down. They actually get guns and shoot each other.
Do us a favor. Watch the BBC version in it's entirety, all 14 episodes, then watch the NBC version. It's like night and day.
I liked this review of The Office at www.PatriotActs.blogspot.com
I adore The Original Office not just because I went to college in Slough or that I once worked in an office that made paper products, which are both true statments and hardly worth harking about unless argument is what you were born for; I adore the Original Office because the cast just buzzed pure unaldurated nirvanic chemistry and show was pure biology without any mechanical physics holding the DNA up.
Who can forget the episode where David Brent plays a joke that backfires badly telling Dawn that she was being fired for stealing post-it notes. It isn't about the laughs, the magic in the original "The Office" is the sheer look of schoolboyish discomfort on David Brent's face when he realizes that his joke has totally backfired and it is that stare that Dawn gives and her sharp retort to him that is pure magical chemistry.
There is in life funny HA-HA, that state of mojo that is akin to "who needs a happy pills when we have comedy as a substitute", and there is DEEP FUNNY - THE OFFICE wins its place in the realm of "ORIGINALITY" because it touches that deeper spiritual place, so time may tell us in the long run that the latest version reached levels that put it in the LIFE OF BRAIN class but spiritual humour is the stuff that puts a smile on a Buddha statue - and Ricky Gervais is the nearest thing we are going to get to Buddha-wise comedy, not just a Monty Python sketch or a Benny Hill runaround (though genius of humour is still genius of humour no matter what form originality takes) but the David Brent character ranks right up there with Basil Fawlty in the reincarnation of comic deity.
What needs to be stated here is that there will be no more of the THE OFFICE being made, zilch, nada, nothing, it's another FAWLTY TOWERS collection that one can play over and over and over again and it still remains fresh and true on each DVD spin, no matter what decade we end up living in. (Oh you will get old and when The Apprentice and O.C. no longer does it for you, relax, put the old age can e way, take those well worn dentures out, and put on the ORIGINAL airing of THE OFFICE, it will still be good to go in 2020 even if the American economy is sunk and obliterated by its debt load and all the good jobs are in India and China - let me assure you, David Brent will be just as relevant in 2nd and 3rd Decade of Bangalore and Beijing, as you count the sales from population of billions.
So if there isn't going to be any more the THE OFFICE in the UK, then I say " bless my hearties" because even a cheaper imitation of it is welcome news - after all there was Star Trek after Star Trek and Patrick and William can stand apart as Captains of the Enterprise, so why can't the UK and US Version of THE OFFICE not be held in similiar regard (if the writing is still good).
I don't judge David Lidsky for his tastes, if he loves what he sees, that pure human freedom man, good for him. It is not about American vs British, that war was done in 1776 and the Brits lost, so get over it - comedy shouldn't be the last flag of the Empire or the first flag of American hegemony - it just needs to reach you in parts that other humourolics cannot reach. THE OFFICE isn't about one show - it is about standing the test of time and when Ricky Gervais walked away with a Golden Globes, I said "Nice One Ossie" even though I know it was Ricky who scored the ultimate Wembley GOAL !!!! (Except of course our Ricky was based in Slough).
M.
PS I have no sense of humour, it was THE OFFICE that saved me, saved me for goodness sake - my humour would have been a a humerus bone stuck under the deltoid and bicep of a killjoy Scrooglike face, if it wasn't for...Yes, you are indeed right in thinking that is why he needs to watch the American version. Blessed relief, blessed relief indeed.
(And to the people who I promised to put this "Mark Zorro" character away - ever so sorry, it just blurted out, please be rest assured it won't happen again, just a temporary deviation in a very long winded postscript. It just goes to show how I much I really adored the original and THE "The Office". Long may the US version live, lets see if David Lidsky is still purring over it 3 or 4 years later. (Beijing Olympics or no Beijing Olympics).
America, Fuck Yeah!!!
OMG, i think out of 1 million people in the world, only one would say that the US version of the office is funnier than the UK version. Im not american or british and i would like to say US people are stupid and arrogant, they always think their version is the best. The UK office is the funniest comedy i have ever seen in my life (no exaggeration). The little things, like David's glances at the camera coupled with his idiotic dances were classic. Carell, is absolutely rubbish. His acting is poor and over-the -top. The UK actors were all very good and realistic, but the US actors can't act. Mackenezie Crook was awesome as Gareth. Thatt new guy with the glasses, he's annoying and has no comic timing. The person who wrote the article either is really really naive and stupid or is being sarcastic
Can't comment on the US series, as I'm still waiting for it to air in the UK. Have to agree with some of the previous posts though, having worked in Slough trading estate the original version would not have succeeded unless is had been re-written. Just look at the diabolical mess that was made when NBC took Coupling in its original form.
It's interesting that series moving in the opposite direction from US to UK seem to have been so well received, Friends, Arrested Development (arguably aired to late) and Desperate Housewives are (or look set to be) a huge success.
On the whole the comedy bar has been raised significantly with the myriad of alternatives available. You only need to look back at the eleven o'clock show where Ricky Gervais's debut guest spot paled in comparison to the Sacha Baron Cohen's "Ali G" character. Remind me which one has succeeded in the states ?
Thanks to all who've commented on this. I appreciate all of the viewpoints, positive and negative. That said, I'd really appreciate it if anyone would like to explain to me why I am apparently not allowed to express a viewpoint about TV shows without having watched an entire series on which it was based. This isn't the Ring Cycle, folks. It's a television show. It's episodic for a reason. This isn't Dickens being serialized 150 years ago and I've given up on A Tale of Two Cities because I didn't like the excerpt in the March issue of Harper's. It's a TV show.
I made a conscious choice not to be like everyone else and pre-judge the new American show. Most Americans won't have seen Ricky Gervais as David Brent and Gareth and all that. I wanted to experience the way they will. That's frankly more fair than pitching dirt on the American one before it even aired.
Now that I've seen two episodes of the American show and enjoyed it, I continue to watch the BBC show to catch up. Watched episode #2 of season 1 last night. You know what? It was okay, but I didn't see a bright light or start speaking in tongues just yet. Maybe I will after I've watched all of them (perhaps it's like a videogame where something really cool happens once you've mastered all the levels, but I doubt it). That's what people seem to expect of me. If it happens, you'll be the first to know.
David-
That's the unusual thing about The Office and why most of the posters here insist you have to watch all 14 episodes (including the Xmas specials) before comparing the two- it really was more like a long mini-series with a perfect ending more than it was a classic sit-com. Also, it's not a show you can walk in and out of the room just having it on in the background- you really have to pay attention to the subtle details like you would when watching a film.
Episode 4 is usually where everyone finally "gets it". The show wasn't joke driven, it was character driven (like Seinfeld)- and by Episode 4 you really get a sense of what each character brings to the table.
If after Episode 4 you still aren't sold, then I guess it's just not your cup of tea (as the brits say)....
"I think there's been a rape up there!"
Aaron,
Thanks for the cogent explanation. I understand your point. As I said, I'll keep watching my backlog of episodes and perhaps I'll get it the way other fans of the original Office do.
David
cock
Irony. The yanks will never understand it. Look america, please just go back to burying your head in the sand and leave everyone else alone. Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot, you can't leave anyone alone can you?
"I didn't think they were jizzing on him..."
There's a huge difference between American and British irony. I "get" British humor, I just don't find it particularly funny.
The reason The Office is brilliant is because Gervais' influences are all American.
It's called an education.
Well, I'm glad to see we Americans are thought to be all fat, dimwitted assholes. What an intelligent and tolerant point of view.
The fact is, The Office (U.K.) is great. So far, I've also liked the U.S. version.
England takes pride in their comedy, and with good reason. After all, it was the place where Monty Python got their start.
However, to say that American comedy is inferior to the British variety is just myopic. Arrested Development is the funniest show on T.V., for any country. Seinfeld revolutionized the sitcom. The Simpsons, Scrubs, M*A*S*H, The Daily Show with John Stewart; all different types of humor, but all quite funny.
So please, as much as our country is hated, don't say "Irony. The yanks will never understand it." Unless you were being ironic when you said that. You Brits are so subtle it’s hard to tell.
Another point I'd like to make that perhaps some other posters would like to comment on, including Mr. Lidsky -- what really "sold" the UK version, for lack of a better term, was the fact of impending doom for the David Brent character. No one would've ever believed the documentary premise of The Office had it gone on for 5+ seasons with the Brentmeister General in charge. However, after a mere 12 episodes, David Brent was fired. Or "made redundant," to use management-speak. :)
As I've said earlier, I found Tuesday's episode of the US version quite funny and I see some serious potential, although I don't think it will come close to being better than the original. The problem for the US version is that if it does become successful, which I think it very well could, who is going to believe that Michael Scott has somehow been able to hold onto his job for an extended period of time? The typical amount for episodes for a season in the US is 18-22, not 6. How they incorporate this into the storyline will be interesting, if it does take off.
yes im english but i certainly do not have anything against americans or think that irony is lost on them. furthermore, i have grown to love a lot of american products such as your sports and family guy, probably the funniest tv show ever written, so i dont think that opinion should be based on geography.
however, having seen gervais' office and then this week watching the 2 american episodes i cant help but think that the writers of the new version have let the side down. they've taken all the classic jokes and kept them pretty much the same yet their own original bits just never reach the same heights. another major problem is that the guy replacing the gareth character is completely wasted and adds nothing to the show. carell is carrying that side all to himself and its just too hit and miss, whilst the dawn and tim aspect is just identical to the british version (the guy playing tim is very impressive mind). truthfully, though, we all know gervais' original version will be remembered and the new one will just be a footnote stating how nbc tried to cash in on it. it may entertain for a while but like all remakes, its completely redundant.
Kel--
Smart take. (Although you did just technically "ruin" the ending of the original Office for me. I don't really care, but thought I'd point it out.) But here's the thing: There are destructive, incompetent, soul killing bosses in practically every organization today. I am truly grateful every day that I am not working for such a person at Fast Company. But I have in the past, it's not a secret to the higher-ups, and they still get rewarded despite driving away talent, making boneheaded mistakes, and being offensive.
I once had a boss who insulted me and my fellow colleagues almost every day. We were doing award-winning work, but it was never good enough and eventually you just lost the will to put in an effort for this guy and we all left. I've had white bosses do black dialects in front of black employees. And those sort of things weren't isolated events. These people had successful careers despite what everyone knew, above and below that toxic leader.
So could a workplace show with a pinhead boss like Michael Scott sustain itself at the typical length of an American series? Sadly, yes. It's an open question whether people will want to see that kind of person for years and years or if The Office will fall victim to the Buffalo Bill syndrome (American viewers have a tendency to reject unlikable protagonists). But I don't think that running thread of layoffs and consolidation is an essential element in terms of payoff. If I were running the show, I'd just focus on all the things there are to satirize about office life, one of them being that everyone feels like they could come in and padlock the place at any minute. Fact is, in America, what would likely happen is that the employees would get laid off and the manager would get a cushy new job. Again, I've seen it happen so many times that it's not stretching credulity to imagine it in fiction.
The Office is the only "sit-com" that made me cry.
I was just wondering whether will there ever be a boy born who can swim faster than a shark.
David---
That's not the ending- the Xmas special(s) end the series. And I hope no one ruins the "real" ending- as it's nearly perfect. So if they don't air that on BBC America, make sure to rent the DVD.
Thanks for starting this topic by the way- it gives me a chance to pontificate on the only British TV show I've ever had the patience for- let alone absolutely loved....
And I agree with you- there are many bosses like Michael Scott...
In my experience, women who work in factories are slappers.
It's educational -Pound for pound there is more sugar in a lemon than strawberry. Look it up.
is comedy culturally specific?
being English I have been victim to some awful 'comedy' from the bbc etc- and have also seen awesome stuff from over the pond- simpsons/friends/cheers/curbyourenthusiasm etc etc there are loads- point is though:
The office (I refer to the work place) is a different beast either side of the pond- Chris Rock impersonations will bewilder some uk viewers unfamiliar with his work- so I presume frank spencer impersonations are a bit reduntant in the good ol' US of A- so I think there will be a different preference depending on your own experiences.
English one is better though.
I just watched the first two episodes of The Office (USA). Episode one is just a dumbed down version of the first episode of the original series, the second episode was pretty good, but I seriously doubt I'll like this anywhere near as much as Gervais' effort.
You don't need luck when you have 71.4% of the population behind you.
More HONEST.
Just watched the first two episodes of American "The Office". I thought it was fairly funny but two things definitely struck me. 1. The subtleties that were SO key in the UK version seem to really lack in this one. It's too hammy, too much spoon-fed comedy. And 2. Is it me, or does the American version imitate the UK version to an extent that's pretty tacky and lame...and disappointing. However, I do realise it's the pilot and maybe just needs to settle into it's own particular 'style'. Let's hope.
David: You can always tell how good a sitcom is by its first few episodes. If you compare the US office with the UK office, there's just no competition. The reason why you think the US office is funnier is simply because of one reason -you're an american. You have grown up on seinfeld, friends etc... American comedy will never match the levels of comedy that UK comedy will reach. I am Australian and out of all my friends, 8 out of every 10 prefers Mr Bean to Friends any day of the week. UK comedy doesn't rely on punchlines to be funny but rather a concept. Case closed. Don't ever compare again
Take a look at the clips from www.lifewithskippy.com
Came across on google. It's a pretty funny show that is done in the style of the office.
Hey Guys,
Do me a favor and stop complaining about NBC's The Office. If we slam the show too harshly, NBC might end up pulling it and dooming us to another 25 years of sit-com swill. Think about it-25 more years of "According to Jim" and "Whoopi".
What's subtle about Benny Hill? Mr Bean? Am I Being Served? Kumar 90210? Or any British comedy other than the only show influenced by American comedy, 'The Office', for that matter?
Is it required that the laugh track go off at least 14 times per minute on British TV?
Jesus I hate British "humor". What's worse is the arrogance among the Brits that we Yanks simply don't "get" that which isn't funny....
I don't hate The Spice Girls because I don't "get" them- I hate them because they suck ass.
tommy 3 tone - you yanks dont get it do you? You ARE thick, stupid, overweight, inbred etc. etc. when compared to the British.
You elected a president with an IQ of a house fly for crying out loud.
You have gun laws that condone the mass slaughter of children.
Your country is a ticking time bomb, its only a question of time before before you invade someone that does have nuclear weapons (as opposed to a country that doesn't have any, like you are at the moment). Then, you'll get your ass kicked.
Of course, you will probably reply with something like "we have more bombs so we will win". However, most nuclear able countries could launch enough bombs to wipe you out. Sure, you will kick their ass back but you will all be dead before they land!
Yanks - Stupid is as stupid does.
I'm a Brit, and I did get to see the first American episode. It was funny but it seemed like the original but lacking something which was Ricky Gervais. What made the British Office was the casting and the timing of the characters. All the casting was perfect. From what I've seen it's nowhere near the original. That's not a stab at Americans ability to reproduce the show. It's simple because the British one was near perfect. Even if another Brit remade it, it would lack what the original had.
Why do Americans have to constantly remake British shows though? Why don't you just air the original? British people watch the original American shows instead of remaking and it's not like British people know everything about America. There are American references that you have to be American to get, there are American politicians/actors that are unknown outside America, except Tiger Woods American sportsmen/women are virtually unknown. If a comedy is funny it will be universally funny. I think Americans are missing out on not seeing the original. The originals are always the best.
Also you might aswell stop this silly arguments and name calling of each countries. Get a life a people.
Hey david...
You may be right about all that- but we're still funnier than you.
Plus, I'm not sure a Brit has any room criticising (I know how you bennies hate the letter "z") any country's foreign policy. At least we don't have Kings and Princes...
Now let me get back to polishing my guns and watching the US version of "What Not to Wear"....
Gareth Keenan Investigates!
How irritating....
http://tv.yahoo.com/feature/theoffice.html
Wow, the ignorance of people never ceases to amaze me.
There are funny americans and funny brits, and both can be decidedly unfunny.
Sense of humor is directly tied to culture, comparing different senses of humor on a value basis is ludicrous.
The problem with people on both sides of the water, is that no one takes the time to really "get" things.
I have no experience with british people, but I will venture to guess that, like all cultures, the majority beleives that what they do is best.
If people would just give things a chance and be open to the possibility that their first judgements could be wrong, they will not miss out on some of the best things in life.
That being said, here are my specific thoughts on the issue;
1. The office is one of the best things life will offer. It will be missed by many hasty americans.
2. I hate the fact that networks underestimate our ability to understand. They are looking for the quick hit, and almost deprived us of "Seinfeld" as a result.
3. The sad truth is that it would probably take more seasons than are available to build an american following. Our insatiable hunger for something instantly catchy has been fed by the industry for years and is creating a cycle of shorter and shorter attention spans.
4. The U.S. Office is still a step in the right direction, even though I can't stand to watch it. I have strong feelings about originality.
I could go on for days but my mind has moved onto something else...
American Tv and its fucking rip-offs. Remake after remake after remake, and its not even good.
What next? The BB-Fee?
xxB
I haven't seen the NBC version, but i can't understand why they felt the need to remake this show anyway. British and American culture is not a million miles apart, surely the Americans would have "got" it. Most of the references alluded to in the origianl are American anyway - American shows, actors, stars. I think the original will continue to build a strong following in the States until it acheives a popular following.
Because you can't say "jizzing" on American TV.
Nor can you make fun of groups- even in an obviously ironic Archie Bunkeresque style.
What I can't figure out is why you think that the american office is better than the original. Quite honestly the facts that you have mentioned do nothing to help your case.
The only reason I laugh at the american office is because, when they say something I try and remember what they are referring to in the original. They really need to try and come up with their own content.
Also what makes the original one funny is the use of U.K. slang.
Lets face it the original office is by far more superior that the american version.
hokey man, I mean, are you even for real?
I don't know what to say, everything you've said makes Americans look so inferior to anyone who can understand comedy that doesn't have a rim shot or a laugh track directly after the joke.
Please .............
There is another British "Fly on the wall" style comedy show about to get an US re-make.
It's called "Peep Show" and for my money it's funnier than the original BBC The Office.
I really don't think it's going to get past network execs in one piece though so look out for the original series on the web.
@tommy3tone,
Benny Hill is about as representative of British comedy as Bill Hicks was of American - go figure...
The original is perfect. And I'm not even all that into the David Brent character... me, I was hooked on the Tim/Dawn relationship and especially I loved Gareth. That said, the American version is fantastic and I'm well pleased with it. It's definitely better than most of the crap we have on telly here in the States, and it'll more than do for my "Office" fix now that the original is finished. Hopefully we'll see it back for another series or two!
That original comment, the real lengthly one full of bollocks, is insane. While the NBC show is 'okay' it ain't even close. Not EVEN CLOSE I say.
Americans will never understand.
I'm not from Britain or the US. But without a doubt British comedy takes the cake.
Sitcom comedy is funny to watch once or twice, but the BBC office has that timeless appeal which means that you can continually watch it, cringing and laughing more each time.
If Americans can't understand the subtlties to The Office, then go ahead and enjoy the new slapstick version of the original.
But for anyone with a real sense of humor - David Brent's Office will never be beaten..
clearly there are alot of deluded americans out there. the uk office is awesome. how any country that runs continual unoriginal comedies (ie Joey??!!) can think they can top David Brent is a wonder.
Can anyone tell me how the US Office is doing in the ratings?
By the way Peep Show is hilarious, as is Spaced. Red Dwarf in my opinion is dung.
If you think the american version of the office is better than the UK version you are on the hammer. Open your eyes you stupid americans and admit that the original is the funniest show to come out of the US or UK.
i like your argument towards the us office being better than the uk version. I DISAGREE! i stayed in america over the summer and got a chance to watch your us version, call it what you want but no matter how hard any american trys youl never beat british comedy!
Dry martini lol, that what makes it so great!
shut up all of you. now. really. shut up. this argument was over before it began.
THE
ORIGINAL
WAS
BEST
i dont care about any of the points above, whether they support me, or are wrong, but that is the truth in 4 simple words ( or slightly harder words if you're from the South of the US)
Gervais is a comic genius. Makensi Crook ( or however you spell it) and all the others are infinetly better than any of their American counterparts, for the simple reason that they care. The company which started this whole contravesty of an American show was purely in it for the money. None of the actors in it care. To them, its another polished turd to made purely add to the ridicliously swelled TV ratings that the Yanks already have. It has been called a 'success' by obviously bribed critics for the simple reason that the Yanks can't accept that us Brits are better. They feel that this is once again one of their 'greatest efforts', beating anything before it, because, obviously, if its American, its best!
Stupid Yanks.
before i go, i just want to say....
STOP MESSING WITH OUR FREAKING LANGUAGE YOU OBESE MORONS!!!!! STOP TRYING TO DESTROY IT!!!!! YOU DON'T DESERVE SUCH A GREAT LANGUAGE, OR TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH A GREAT NATION LIKE BRITAN!!!
BAH! be off with you
I agree entirley with the statement from Pj (above). America should leave its obese money grabbing nose out of things it dosen't understand. Go back to the merciless Yankee propaganda factory that you call 'Hollywood'.The best thing to do would be to put Bill Bryson in a bomb proof bunker and nuke the damned cesspool that you call a democracy, it would free the world of war, rednecks, global warming and incest.
And stop impling that you won the war, we fought off the German invasion army, and if it wasn't for the Russians ,you would be picking your hides off German soil instead of Iraq.Plus, american football is for Jessies who wear suits of armour to play contact sport.
hahaha, its true matt, too true. i bet the Feds (or wateva the lameo US 'secret' service is called) is gonna come round your house and take you to area 51.
OMFG!!!! CONSPIRACY!!!! IF U TYPE IN AREA 51 ON GOOGLE IMAGES - NOTHING COMES UP!!! - WOOOOOO
ALSO,( this ones for the Yanks) IF U PUT THE AND IRS TOGETHER - U GET THEIRS - COINCIDENCE - I THINK NOT!!!
Yeah Pj where would America be without British inventions....
Britain--
Jet engine (oh no can't start wars now!)
Television (the basis of american life)
Tank (See invention no 1)
Telecommunications ( Need I give a reason?)
Radio
The car
English
America
the computer
America---
The atomic bomb
Killer bees
fake moon landing
condensed milk
I rest my case.
Yeah Pj where would America be without British inventions....
Britain--
Jet engine (oh no can't start wars now!)
Television (the basis of american life)
Tank (See invention no 1)
Telecommunications ( Need I give a reason?)
Radio
The car
English
America
the computer
America---
The atomic bomb
Killer bees
fake moon landing
condensed milk
I rest my case.
hmm, yeah matt, but im sure a few of those points could be argued against
I am using this post to retract my last comment about Matt's points being questionable. They are sound and foolproof. I don't know what overcame me to write such heinious lies.
Matt smells-hehe *gunshot sound - i fall on floor*
Another vote for "you're smoking crack". The whole reason why they have to make an "American version" is because, well, Americans (such as you, it would appear) don't quite have the same level of dryness in your sense of humor... to continue your martini analogy (I think). Duh.
It does appear that whatever your sense of humor lacks, the chip on your shoulder should more than compensate for though... at least in net weight.
Here's the thing...the British version is best viewed by British people who like British humour and the American version is best viewed by americans with an American sense of humour, unless you're both British and American with both a British and American sense of humour shut the hell up and like what you like!!!
american office is pure rubbish compared to the original...
its like watching an episode of joey or friends=
completely inoriginal
Damn, for some reason I thought you were talking about Open Office given your description in the opening paragraph. And I was all excited that someone was going to shout out that msft office had finally been laid to rest..
Oh well guess I'll have to look somewhere else for that kind of happiness
dear David Lidsky .... your a typical yank aka everything has to be better usa wise than anywhere else cos USA.. USA CAN KISS MY FUC*ing ASS!
How can you even say the US office is better then the english version, its an insult! as american sitcoms goes, the office (US) is very and has made me laugh, the only reason is because stephen merchant and ricky gervais created it. You can't take one near exact script of the original pilot office script, give it an american accent and say, hey yeah this is like so much better, wow us yanks are so funny. TO ALL AMERICANS: YOU DONT AND WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND BRITISH COMEDY! its too sarcastic, too dry, too sophisticated and too good to be classed with american comedy. When i think american comedy i think, friends, everyone loves raymond and keanen and kel, all are quite honestly poorly written and as about as funny as the holocaust (see bet you didnt find that funny) You want good comedy try brassed eye, the day today, alan partridge, fawlty towers, montypython, dads army, black books, bill bailey, little britain, harry enfield, mr bean, blackadder, father ted the list can go on and on and on, it beats saved by the bell and i dont know scrubs - which is the worst thing to come out of television since the cosby show. I will say american cartoons lead the way, the simpsons and family guy are sheer genius- probably because its written by Jews, and we all know the jews have the best sense of humour OI! so dont copy a british comedy then say its better, becasue the american office is now a sitcom. the british office kept the whole spoof documentary theme going through out. and before you say i have seen every episode of the US office, it is good but it does not come close to the UK version, it purely comes down to YOU DONT UNDERSTAND IT!
Gervais was so good, becuase he was the type of person that would actually be your boss, and the type of person you meet in everyday life that just makes the simplest things awkward.
Their are people around like him that we all, in england know.
I dont know how it is in america, but stevel carell just doesnt seem realistic, i've never met anyone like that in my life, and it just seems like comedic simulated unrealistic situations because of it.
He just cant pull off the awkwardness of david brent.
Im not saying that he's a bad actor or that americans cant do it, its just that gervais got it so spot on that i genuinely think it cannot be improved apon.
As an American, I couldn't get through the first season of The Office UK (yes, I am American.) It had its funny moments, but you're right, I just didn't "get it". The humor was so blindingly, astoundingly intelligent that a poor old American like myself could do nary but produce a half-hearted chuckle and an occasional yawn.
So I was distraught when my boyfriend brought home the American version on DVD. Did I really need an American version of humor I was far too dense to comprehend? Alas, I was pleasantly surprised by how funny it was. We're buying all seasons as soon as they become available...I guess we are just that...dense...
Brits, we Americans will clearly never, ever reach your comedic heights. We hope you take no offense, however, if we choose to revel in our substandard imitations.
Americans generally are more uncultured than any other country and know little of the world outside their own - i think its something like 70% of americans do not own passports so it completely makes sense that they would not understand british comedy - this is fact, britian dosent need british versions of american shows but america needs american versions of british shows. And by the way, the rest of the world also is against america in just about everything (foreign policy included) and would agree that british comedy is way better.
Born and bred in the USA and....
the UK version is significantly funnier. It's more subtle, more original and the US version is a complete copycat.
I'm going through the UK version for a second time and am laughing out loud harder and more often.
If I were going to pick the main reason that people from the US don't find it as funny is because the accents are hard for us to understand. I tried with subtitles the first time but ended up missing many of the subtle body language pieces because I was trying to read.
Don't be lazy gringos! Hit rewind if you don't understand what they are saying under their breath since that is often some of the funniest stuff.
the original is without a doubt for me in a different league to the american, in fact they dont even belong in the same category. i cannot watch the american version, it completely lacks in subtlety and intelligent humour. what made the original show so great is gone. sorry but what you and us find funny generally are quite different things
The simple truth of it is that even though they say everyone deserves an opinion, they wasn't actually thinking of people like the original poster at the time. I've heard some BS in my time, but that takes the biscuit. What next Andromeda is better than Doctor Who? LOL
Now can I also say that people like 'PJ' and 'Matt' make me ashamed to be English. Such despicable verbal assaults on America and Americans are totally uncalled for in a reasoned, adult debate over a TV show. Just because the guy who wrote the original post is an idiot, it doesn't mean the rest are. I might not like the US goverment either, but there are many good, decent people in the States just as there are in any country.