The Office?

[IJ Reilly]

And as IJ said, Steve Carrell's character is over the top. He's my least favorite person on the show. Ricky was believable as the obnoxious, awful boss...Steve simply is not. The other characters make up for it though, particularly Pam, Jim and Dwight.

Yeah, they do -- which for me just points out the problem with Carrell's character. We (or at least, I) can't imagine how he keeps his job, let alone how it got it. Even the worst of the bad bosses knows how to suck up -- that's how they get promoted. I haven't watched every episode of the show, but it seems like in each one where he has to deal with his higher-ups at corporate, he comes off as just as much of a complete moron as he does to his staff. Oddly enough, they got it closer to reality with the Dwight character -- the guy who's destined for promotion due entirely to his talent for kissing booty.

 

[R.Youden]

I have not seen any of the US version but I think that the UK version is genius. At a time when we have so much crap like Little Britain around (sorry i just dont see the humor) it is refreshing to see something original.

I find it strange the way Americans look at British humor. In the UK we get a lot of American shows Simpsons, Friends etc.. and I find them very funny but when we send our humor to America it has to be 'translated' for a different audience. I suppose there could be a number of reasons for this but I don't think we have sent much to the US that has been a big success without any change. An example is Red Dwarf, has anyone ever seen the US pilot. That was AWFUL, really really bad and it only took off (to a small following) when the UK writers pulled out and threatened to take the show back to the UK unless they kept the UK shows. They did a second US pilot which was better but still not as good. Maybe the problem was they tried to change the script to follow the same story but change the lines. I don't know why they did that but I am glad they stuck with the UK version of all the US fans of the show.

 

[jelloshotsrule]

Yeah, they do -- which for me just points out the problem with Carrell's character. We (or at least, I) can't imagine how he keeps his job, let alone how it got it. Even the worst of the bad bosses knows how to suck up -- that's how they get promoted. I haven't watched every episode of the show, but it seems like in each one where he has to deal with his higher-ups at corporate, he comes off as just as much of a complete moron as he does to his staff. Oddly enough, they got it closer to reality with the Dwight character -- the guy who's destined for promotion due entirely to his talent for kissing booty.

you may have missed some important things then..

there was the time when michael and jan met with the rep from the local schoolboard about a giant deal to supply all their paper, and michael's rapport with the rep (tim meadows played him brilliantly i might add) got them the deal in the end (same episode that michael and jan "hooked up").

in another episode, michael's joking with some unseen client "Cos" lands him a huge contract that comes in right at the end of the show... that's the episode where pam has to document everything michael does during the day...

i'm not saying michael is entirely believable, but he does strike me as stupidly likable. similar to the uk version, but not as mean spirited. and his silliness apparently does win over a good amount of clients.

 

[iKwick7]

Yeah, you're talking about the American version. Which is pretty terrible compared to the orginal. Americans trying to perform English humour just doesn't work.

Incorrect. When The Office first came out (American version) it was a direct copy of the UK version- and it sucked. After a few episodes, however, it was completed rewritten as an American version of The Office, not a copy cat. I hated it when it first came out (the UK version is still far superior, imo, but the second season of the U.S. version is f'n hilarious!) but I absolutely love it now.

Steve Carrell may be over the top, but I do like it. I really don't care for the U.S. version of Dwight, though. I also didn't like the U.S. Pam at all, but she has started to grow on me. U.K. Pam is much better though, imo. Jim, on the other hand, absolutely perfect in both U.S. and U.K.. Awesome job by both actors.

 

[IJ Reilly]

I find it strange the way Americans look at British humor. In the UK we get a lot of American shows Simpsons, Friends etc.. and I find them very funny but when we send our humor to America it has to be 'translated' for a different audience.

This isn't entirely so. A great number of British comedies have made it to the US as they were originally broadcast in the UK, though generally not on commercial TV. In fact the number of British TV shows with translated plot-lines has been relatively few. British humor has a significant following in the US -- large enough for the BBC to run a cable channel (BBC America). As for the Simpsons, I've long suspected that the British find this show funny for somewhat different reasons than American audiences do.

 

[IJ Reilly]

you may have missed some important things then..

Possibly. But I have seen plenty of plots where he comes off as an idiot to his higher-ups, enough to set me to thinking, "how does he keep his job?" I have also seen episodes where he behaves in a way in which any other boss would be looking at an instant sexual harassment or civil rights lawsuit.

 

[jelloshotsrule]

Possibly. But I have seen plenty of plots where he comes off as an idiot to his higher-ups, enough to set me to thinking, "how does he keep his job?" I have also seen episodes where he behaves in a way in which any other boss would be looking at an instant sexual harassment or civil rights lawsuit.

well he almost got a civil rights lawsuit (when he outed oscar), and i think the main thing is that jan likes him, despite all his idiocy, and she keeps him somewhat protected from the higher higher ups.

personally, i've seen enough idiots and jerks get ahead in my life to not take this as too unbelievable, though i understand your point

 

[Flowbee]

I find it strange the way Americans look at British humor. In the UK we get a lot of American shows Simpsons, Friends etc.. and I find them very funny but when we send our humor to America it has to be 'translated' for a different audience.

While it's true that there are a lot of cultural references in British TV shows that many Americans just wouldn't understand (Comic Relief day in the original Office?), a bigger problem for the US networks is the shorter seasons and limited runs of many UK shows. The original Office consisted of 12 episodes total (2 series, 6 episodes each) not counting the Christmas special. That's less than half of a typical US 'season.' The US networks are interested in developing shows that can run on and on and on... otherwise, it's just not worth spending the promotional money necessary to develop an audience.

I'm not saying it's better or worse this way, it's just the way things are done.