It was exactly enough. Knowing when to stop is a rare thing. If they dragged the thing out it would have just fadded. As it is, it was a BRILLIANT show, and will be remembered as such.Sol said:
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[Merged] The Office (USA Version)...Official Thread!
- Thread starter edesignuk
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Some of the reviews I have read point out that last night's episode closely followed the original Office episode one and will soon start to diverge more from the British series. Next week looks to be different from any episodes I remember so if they pull next week off this could be the start of something big. Steve Carrell has done an excellent job and not just rehashing Ricky Gervais' performance. He is probably the best bit of casting although I think the guy playing Dwight was a fairly good choice to from what I've seen.
I came to it with such low expectations that it could be better than I thought it would be, and it was.
Still, the original was such a classic, I couldn't watch it without comparing the boss to David Brent (the boss in the original). That didn't help me to enjoy it. It didn't seem as real as the original.
I'm surprised they renamed the characters, especially renaming Dawn the receptionist to Pam. How are they going to work in the "waking up at the crack of Dawn" remark?
Still, the original was such a classic, I couldn't watch it without comparing the boss to David Brent (the boss in the original). That didn't help me to enjoy it. It didn't seem as real as the original.
I'm surprised they renamed the characters, especially renaming Dawn the receptionist to Pam. How are they going to work in the "waking up at the crack of Dawn" remark?
The British version slowly unfolded and was more character-based in the first few episodes. The U.S. version jumped right into the "downsizing," plot development right away. They should have followed the original version's slower character dev. so you actually care about the characters. I loved the British version so much but the U.S. show is just a sad rehash/theivery of the classic original.
reaction to the US version
Colbair is funny and he's trying to make the lead role his own. But the first episode felt off. Colbair just didn't get the vulnerability of Gervais' David Brent under his eagerness to entertain. Colbair almost seemed robotic, like Data playing a role on the Holodeck (huh, huh, Trek reference on a message board. C'mon.)
The other characters were good but they were trying Biritish cadences/comedy timing sans the accent. It all just seemed wrong after seeing so much of the original.
Although the preview of next week's episode looked very good. From here on out the scripts are totally new-only the first was a remake of the original.
It will still be one of the best things on the infernal tube-especially for those of us who still rely on Seinfeld re-runs for laughs.
Lyle said:
Colbair is funny and he's trying to make the lead role his own. But the first episode felt off. Colbair just didn't get the vulnerability of Gervais' David Brent under his eagerness to entertain. Colbair almost seemed robotic, like Data playing a role on the Holodeck (huh, huh, Trek reference on a message board. C'mon.)
The other characters were good but they were trying Biritish cadences/comedy timing sans the accent. It all just seemed wrong after seeing so much of the original.
Although the preview of next week's episode looked very good. From here on out the scripts are totally new-only the first was a remake of the original.
It will still be one of the best things on the infernal tube-especially for those of us who still rely on Seinfeld re-runs for laughs.
Who is "Colbair"? Do you mean Steve Carell?
And to the person who thought that there was no US equivalent to Slough: You've obviously never been to Scranton.
FWIW, having never seen the UK version of The Office, I thought the US version last night was really funny.
And to the person who thought that there was no US equivalent to Slough: You've obviously never been to Scranton.
FWIW, having never seen the UK version of The Office, I thought the US version last night was really funny.
Make sure you never do see the original then, you don't want to ruin the remakeclayjohanson said:
As with The Lord of the Rings, I will experience the remake (the movies... seen 'em) before I experience the original (the books... haven't read 'em yet). Everyone seems to agree that the UK version of The Office is better, so I'm not going to watch it until after the US version is done. (Ah, the magic of DVDs!)edesignuk said:Make sure you never do see the original then, you don't want to ruin the remake
oh, my bad, folks.
Yes, Correll. Colbair is another Daily Show guy. Both very funny.
clayjohanson said:
Yes, Correll. Colbair is another Daily Show guy. Both very funny.
OK, I've resisted replying, but I can't hold myself back any longer... it's "Carell" and "Colbert", not "Correll" and "Colbair".thepolishpen said:Yes, Correll. Colbair is another Daily Show guy. Both very funny.
Now, I want you to type those two names 100 times.
Lacero said:
No, what's really funny is how UK, Aus, NZ and other English-speaking audiences can perfectly understand and appreciate American comedies without needing to have them remade so that they can 'get' them.
HilariousLacero said:
It'd be the same if we tried to do a remake of Friends in a UK setting. It would suck, as does this American remake of The Office.
I really liked Friends, you could really like The (proper) Office, why not just show it instead of making a crap rip-off??
For those of you in the US, BBC America is showing the entire first season the the british version of The Office tomorrow, Saturday March 26.
I think they are showing the whole second season next weekend.
I think they are showing the whole second season next weekend.
Because the nature of the major American TV networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox, UPN -- sorta) is that they can never show something that someone else has already shown. They have to let their consultants, producers, etc. all have input, and they have to (usually) make sure it's all nice and sanitized for the American market.edesignuk said:Hilarious
It'd be the same if we tried to do a remake of Friends in a UK setting. It would suck, as does this American remake of The Office.
I really liked Friends, you could really like The (proper) Office, why not just show it instead of making a crap rip-off??
I'm just sitting here thanking the powers that be for NOT remaking AbFab... I don't see how anyone could top Saunders and Lumley.
I wish I could see it for comparison, but I think for most people, that's on one of those higher tiers of cable that a lot of people don't go for. I could be wrong.swiftaw said:
clayjohanson said:
It's really too bad you didn't read the books first. As you say, they are the original stories, not the movie "remakes", and provide you with Tolkein's true vision. What I really enjoyed about reading the books first was that I didn't have any preconceived notions or images going into it. I was able to create the universe in my imagination, which is what is so great about reading books. However, after seeing the movies first, when you read the books you will already have a lot of the images in your head, which I feel will detract from the story and the overall experience in many respects. Just my thoughts though....
Lacero said:
What about my previous comments about the humor of the show? I'm an american saying that the original was brilliant and that the US remake is a cheap rip-off and only about 1/3 as funny. Steve Carrell looked to be playing the part of David Brent as it was played before, but trying NOT to look like he was copying it. I'm sure some people here will like it if they havent seen the original, but there is no comparison. It's like the REAL "whose line is it anyway?" and the crappy Drew Cary version.
True. I find myself downloading TV shows more often now than of taping it with a VCR. It's so much more convenient and hassle-free. And the quality is unbelievable. No cable noise and no commercials.
And if you decide to keep the show, it's easy as burning it onto DVD or Hard Disk. I don't have TiVo so I leverage my internet costs with downloading instead. The cable companies need to rethink their distribution channels, because downloading is the future.
And if you decide to keep the show, it's easy as burning it onto DVD or Hard Disk. I don't have TiVo so I leverage my internet costs with downloading instead. The cable companies need to rethink their distribution channels, because downloading is the future.
Why does everybody bring up Friends? I've seen the first 4 episodes of it and stopped because the humor was too lame. How many times can you take of Chandler whipping his head in a double take, or the blonde playing a dumb blonde? I don't rate Friends high on the comedy scale. It's about as funny as an episode of 90210.
If you want funny sitcoms, try Frasier, Family Guy or The Simpsons.
If you want funny sitcoms, try Frasier, Family Guy or The Simpsons.
As i'm only 19 and haven't worked in an office, but i thought it wasn't funny at all. There were a few chuckles, but i wasn't on the floor laughing...
I knew it was going to bed bad from the intro.....
THe best office movie/show is still office space
I knew it was going to bed bad from the intro.....
THe best office movie/show is still office space