Why is there a US-version of "The Office"?

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the UK version was irritating. the US version is dreadful.

― shine headlights on me (electricsound), Thursday, 23 June 2005 06:12 (nineteen years ago) link

one month passes...

They showed FOUR episodes last night back-to-back. I must say, it was VERY funny, not to mention kind of heartbreaking. I haven't however seen the English original.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 18 August 2005 18:15 (eighteen years ago) link

you haven't?

that's AWFUL

― Adam In Real Life (nordicskilla), Thursday, 18 August 2005 18:18 (eighteen years ago) link

one month passes...

The new season began last night.

I've finally gotten over the fact that this version is merely done in the spirit of the original, that Jim isn't as crushed as Tim was, etc. But they really are relying too much on the boss being racist and sexist. The reason why David Brent in the UK version was so horrifying was because he was veiled enough to plausibly remain employed. If any boss in the US put in fake teeth and wore ch!nk glasses to parody an Asian-American subordinate, he'd be fired immediately.

Everyone could relate to the humor of the UK Office because we've all had bosses like Brent. I can't relate to the US version. I've had bosses whisper uncomfortable racist jokes (like the black cock joke) and stick around, but the "Spicy Curry" award jokes are a bit over the top of plausibility.

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:31 (eighteen years ago) link

The only worthwhile thing about this version is that their Pam-secretary makes adorable evil faces sometimes. Maybe if the whole show were just that, I'd watch.

― nabisco (nabisco), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:57 (eighteen years ago) link

somehow, i started to love this show when it debuted, dispite all odds, but last nights episode sucked. too over the top. Pleasant OTM, the boss would be fired immediately. And Pam, as much as I love her, was hamming up the whole drunk thing, just not believable. and her chemistry with Jim is completely gone.

i was excited to hear about it coming back, but now i kinda wish it had stayed cancelled.

― JD from CDepot, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 16:08 (eighteen years ago) link

I don't know if America's ready for a prime-time non-news-magazine show that isn't about cops, lawyers or forsenic scientists.

-- Miss Misery (texan...), March 12th, 2005.

It's funny, I was just thinking the other day about how if you don't want to work in a corporate/office job your main options are lawyer, doctor, teacher, cop, etc. Those jobs also seem to all make for more "exciting" television than your typical office job, or perhaps most people are more inclined to want to see a show about lawyers, cops, etc. because those are the "exciting"-sounding jobs that most people don't have. They're jobs of action, jobs of heroism. Etc.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 23 September 2005 01:13 (eighteen years ago) link

You mean the white collar options, Hurting. There are a ton of blue collar ones, but if a character is blue collar then the show can't be about their job, it has to be about their family life.

― mike h. (mike h.), Friday, 23 September 2005 01:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Well, the blue collar options increasingly seem to be service jobs, which I was thinking is a little like crap office jobs.

I guess what I mean is that you can't wholeheartedly root for a guy to beat his sales numbers from last month, or to get a really good performance evaluation. So even The Office (the Brit version at least) has to be as tragic as it is comic.

― Hurting (Hurting), Friday, 23 September 2005 01:24 (eighteen years ago) link

i did get a good laugh out of the "bushiest beaver" award.

― Lupton Pitman (Chris V), Friday, 23 September 2005 09:13 (eighteen years ago) link

three weeks pass...

the halloween episode this week was a stone classic, best episode yet.

― kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 04:12 (eighteen years ago) link

this show is SO much better than last year

― Haikunym (Haikunym), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 04:46 (eighteen years ago) link

yeah, I think this is funny. I liked last week's episode the best, but they have all been good this season.

― gunther heartymeal (keckles), Wednesday, 19 October 2005 04:53 (eighteen years ago) link

two weeks pass...

American Pam and Jim so much sexier than their Uk counterparts, better show too :P.

― svend (svend), Wednesday, 2 November 2005 05:53 (eighteen years ago) link

I disagree with you completetly on that point.

― Miss Misery (thatgirl), Wednesday, 2 November 2005 17:08 (eighteen years ago) link

it's not a better show but most of the time it's just as good. i can't believe it got extended for a whole season!

― kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 2 November 2005 17:09 (eighteen years ago) link

two months pass...

Is this out on dvd yet? I can't be bothered to watch things on tv when they actually come on!

― Sarah Kittensmew McLusky (coco), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 20:14 (eighteen years ago) link

Sarah you are a treat.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 20:18 (eighteen years ago) link

the first season is on dvd.

Also, this got renewed for next year, which I can't believe. (I mean, not that it doesn't deserve it, I'm just surprised it's getting network support).

Also, up above, where I was afriad it jumped the shark when jim told Michael about Pam, turned out to not be the case at all, last week's episode took care of that.

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 24 January 2006 20:18 (eighteen years ago) link

this show is so perfect.

― cutty (mcutt), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 01:54 (eighteen years ago) link

I am not so sure. I've watched three episodes now and it drags sometimes. I like the "Gareth"/guy from Six Feet Under though. I still think it's funnier with British people because we are uglier.

― phantasy bear (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 02:09 (eighteen years ago) link

I mean the Tim character is like a square-jawed Ashton Kutcher. It seems a bit worng.

― phantasy bear (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 02:09 (eighteen years ago) link

At this point, the American version of the show is actually superior to the original, which is kinda mindblowing but also sort of awesome given how incredible the original was.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 02:13 (eighteen years ago) link

you gotta be kidding me!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 03:38 (eighteen years ago) link

I don't know if its topped the British version just yet, but its getting closer to doing just that with each consecutive episode. Every time I think an ep drags a little bit, the next one bounces back to be even funnier. Like kyle says, I thought we witnessed a shark jumping with the "Jim confesses love for Pam" thing, but turns out the show still has a lot of life left. And weird as it sounds, I care a lot more about the Pam/Jim thing than I did with the British equivalent even if it is a lot more heavy-handed this time around.

― jonviachicago, Wednesday, 25 January 2006 03:46 (eighteen years ago) link

Also... all American male office working schlubs are square-jawed Ashton Kutchers, duh.

― jonviachicago, Wednesday, 25 January 2006 03:47 (eighteen years ago) link

No, I'm not kidding even a little bit. I think the American version is a lot less stiflingly miserable and is packed with more jokes of generally higher quality. It has its own feel and identity now, so if it weren't for the fact that it's a direct adaptation, I'd feel almost like this is an apples vs. oranges thing - they have different strengths and weaknesses.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 12:09 (eighteen years ago) link

Also, I guess I should mention that the painfully unfunny Extras and the consistently middling and derivative Ricky Gervais Show podcast has pretty much devastated my opinion of Gervais as a comedian. When I watch the US Office and think of the original, all of the limitations of the original come into full focus.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 12:14 (eighteen years ago) link

i think it's somewhat missing the point to complain about the original's stifling miserablism!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:01 (eighteen years ago) link

I think Disney should remake the US Office, just to squeeze out all of the aforementioned offending miserablism.

― phantasy bear (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:07 (eighteen years ago) link

i think it's somewhat missing the point to complain about the original's stifling miserablism!

C'mon, Slocki, we all live in a candy-colored world of whimsy and delight.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:27 (eighteen years ago) link

No Ned, apparently there's a world outside of California. I went there at christmas and everybody looks sad and the buildings are all wet and grey.

― phantasy bear (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:28 (eighteen years ago) link

I think this thread gives irrefutable evidence that there are still considerable differences between the American and British sense of humour

― Vicious Cop Kills Gentle Fool (Dada), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:29 (eighteen years ago) link

CROTCHBAT!

― D.I.Y. U.N.K.L.E. (dave225.3), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:30 (eighteen years ago) link

I went there at christmas and everybody looks sad and the buildings are all wet and grey.

How sad!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 16:34 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, Matthew OTM wrt the podcast. That is pretty horrible. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't 30-40 minutes of third-rate local morning DJ style "wacky banter".

― jonviachicago, Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:06 (eighteen years ago) link

I think it is hilarious.

― phantasy bear (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:09 (eighteen years ago) link

I'm British - did you know that?

― phantasy bear (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:09 (eighteen years ago) link

I mean, it's not completely unfunny... just not what I expected from Gervais. I just found it disappointing that he didn't try to do anything *that* much different from everyone else with a podcast. The whole humor seems to revolve around making fun of the stupid crap Karl says... and that gets old rather quickly I think.

As for Extras, I only caught the Kate Winslet episode and thought that was hilarious.

― jonviachicago, Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:17 (eighteen years ago) link

i think the podcast is fucking hilarious too!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:19 (eighteen years ago) link

Really! Sometimes it's a bit slow, but it often has me making those snorting I'm-not-laughing noises at my desk at work, so that means it is funny.

― phantasy bear (nordicskilla), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 17:20 (eighteen years ago) link

Extras is awesome but the podcast... sometimes it's great, but also jonviachicago OTM - they just make fun of Karl, who preteds to be stupid.

― mei (mei), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 18:16 (eighteen years ago) link

My feeling on Gervais is that he had one great idea and one amazing character and he doesn't really have much else to offer aside from aping Larry David and David Letterman in a British accent.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 18:24 (eighteen years ago) link

I would love for him to prove me wrong, though.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 18:25 (eighteen years ago) link

As for the miserablism - the original Office does generally get a good feeling of a bleak reality, but I personally favor over the top misery a la Peep Show or something more absurd like Arrested Development. I think the American Office generally wins by taking the general aesthetic of the original Office and nudging it in the direction of those more stylized shows.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 18:33 (eighteen years ago) link

see, nudging it away from what i liked about it doesn't win points with me!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 18:42 (eighteen years ago) link

it seems to just belabour everything the original did so subtly

― s1ocki (slutsky), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 18:42 (eighteen years ago) link

I think Steve's Carrel is great. There's been many a cringe-worthy moment on the NBC version. Dwight's come into his own despite being a completely different physical speciman of a person than Gareth. Pam's a cutie. I look for a long run from "The Office" in the U.S.

That said, the original U.K. version is soooo much better than its offspring.

(Signed,

Pleasant Plains, American)

― Pleasant Plains /// (Pleasant Plains ///), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 19:06 (eighteen years ago) link

At first, the American version seemed pathetic. Now, I prefer it!

But, those first few episodes that had practically the exact same script just sucked.

― Ameritijikuan, Wednesday, 25 January 2006 19:23 (eighteen years ago) link

Yeah, the first season of the American version wasn't good at all.

I think part of the problem with the original Office is that like the first few Christopher Guest movies, it's getting ripped off by a lot of marginally talented people who mimic the tone and speech patterns but do not have much wit, so it devalues the currency of the originals retroactively. The American version gets better the further it gets from the tone of Gervais et al.

― Matthew C Perpetua (inca), Wednesday, 25 January 2006 22:02 (eighteen years ago) link

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