The American Office

[Wormwood]

I've never seen the BBC Office, but I just watched the American version (thank you TiVo).

I thought it was hilarious. Maybe it was the beer, but I laughed so much that my wife actually left the room.

I thought it was perfect as it was.

 

[Tarrasque Wrangler]

The consensus I seem to be hearing is that people who've seen the British version of The Office were underwhelmed by the American one, but people like me who never saw the BBC show liked it a lot. I understand that the American show gets much better once they veer away from remaking the British scripts.

I'm curious about people who hate this version, either in comparison to the original or without having seen it: what sorts of sitcoms do you like? I can't stand the half-hour format sitcom by and large, and the only exceptions so far for me are Arrested Development, Scrubs and Simpsons. I found while watching The Office last night that my enjoyment of A.D. carried over to this with the similarity in formats.

 

[Tonguez]

Oh, and Mark, I didn't know Three's Company was a remake. I knew All in the Family was, although I've never had the chance to see the original.

Yep and interestly Man ABout the House got a spin-off in George and Mildred, just as Threes Company got one in The Ropers
(Man About the House also got a Spin-off in Robins Nest where-in Robin is married and setting up his own Resteraunt)

Oh and IMHO the UK versions were funnier

In fact the UK version of Who's Line is it Anyway is Funnier than the US version and they feature the same 'players!'. Maybe the US should just stick to what they can do (a few good dramas, dumb action and the occasional comedy gem like Scrubs and Sledge Hammer (still my all time favourite comedy)

 

[cybertalus]

I'm curious about people who hate this version, either in comparison to the original or without having seen it: what sorts of sitcoms do you like?

My Hero (another BBC comedy) is on hiatus on PBS because of pledge drives, but it's the only comedy I watch with any regularity. Otherwise I watch Judging Amy on CBS and five year old episodes of Eastenders on PBS but nothing else on a regular basis. I'll watch Scrubs if I happen to flip past it (a rare thing, with Tuesday being a night I'm seldom home), but I can't seem to get devoted to it. Never tried Arrested Development because the critics liked it, so I figured it wouldn't last three episodes, and I'm beyond tired of getting involved in a show only to have it yanked immediately. I used to occasionally catch snippets of Rodney when I taped NYPD Blue, and he was sometimes almost funny.

The more I think about it, mostly I don't think Americans are very funny. In the wake of Dave Allen's recent death I dug out some old tapes from when his show ran on the local PBS years ago, and I was cracking up something silly, something Letterman, Leno, Kimmel, O'Brian, and SNL can't manage to make me do.

Tonguez, if Robin is the UK version of the John Ritter character, there may be even more similarities. I wanna think Three's Company eventually morphed into Three's a Crowd where the John Ritter character was married and his father-in-law moved in with him and the wife. Don't recall if there was a restaurant involved though.

I agree the US does drama better, although unlike with the comedies, I find myself enjoying what both the US and UK do drama-wise. Still, no doubt if the US ever tried an exact remake of a UK drama, the British version would be better.

And yes, Sledge Hammer was very funny. Your mention of it has reminded me that a friend who has a birthday coming up is a huge fan, and conveniently the 2nd Season DVD set will be out by then.

 

[nothing to see here]

I've also seen both versions of the Office, and while I agree the BBC version is superior, I remain uncertain about the source.

Is it:

1) The jingoistic reasion: The British just are funnier and do comedy better than Americans...unlikely considering how the hottest syndication property in British Television is who gets to carry 'The Simpsons' (which, incidentally was created by Canadians...)

2) The cross cultural reason: certain kinds of comedy work better in certain cultures. Compare the two landmark sketch comedy shows...Monty Python vs SNL...marketing very different brands of hunour. I doubt a British 'Seinfeld' would work particularly well... perhaps a workplace satire something that naturally carries better in Britain...

3) the talent reason: The British version lucked into an A-list cast. The American talent flopped. Different casting...different results..

Food for thought...must digest

 

[Silver Moon]

I heard a review on NPR about it yesterday before the airing. They said that only the first episode of the American version was a rewrite of a British one. Starting next week the scripts for the American show are all original (and awful according to the reviewer).

 

[driver8]

I dunno..maybe it'll get better. The first episode was almost a complete shot for shot redo of the BBC Office episode.

I really like Steve Carrel, but I think its gonna be really hard to emulate Ricky Gervais pitch perfect combination of smarminess, pathos, and narcissim that make up his character. Plus there is no equivalent to Mackenzie Crook's Gareth character. His phyisical appearance was a big part of Gareth's toadiness.

Plus, for me at least, the BBC's Office was often uncomfortable to watch. The BBC made fewer eps per season so I dont think people got burned out over such an unsympathetic main character. Steve Carrels character could werar on you over the course of a whole season.

However, the series could find its own, perhaps more "American" voice and succeed. But after the train wreck that was American version of Coupling, I think NBC will just try to do a cut and paste job. Hopefully Im wrong...Steve Carrel deserves some mainstream exposure.

 

[jasamcarl]

I've also seen both versions of the Office, and while I agree the BBC version is superior, I remain uncertain about the source.

Is it:

1) The jingoistic reasion: The British just are funnier and do comedy better than Americans...unlikely considering how the hottest syndication property in British Television is who gets to carry 'The Simpsons' (which, incidentally was created by Canadians...)

2) The cross cultural reason: certain kinds of comedy work better in certain cultures. Compare the two landmark sketch comedy shows...Monty Python vs SNL...marketing very different brands of hunour. I doubt a British 'Seinfeld' would work particularly well... perhaps a workplace satire something that naturally carries better in Britain...

3) the talent reason: The British version lucked into an A-list cast. The American talent flopped. Different casting...different results..

Food for thought...must digest

I'd go with option 3. Though I think the Brits are, on the whole, more skilled in the art of wit and absurdity (The Simpsons and Arrested Development are exceptions in the U.S., whereas even the most trite setup on British sitcoms is usually fleshed out with a good dose of non-forced wackiness), the casting is clearly where it fell through. This type of working place satire has been done in American movies before ('In the Company of Men' was VERY similar in terms of pacing and direction, even if it was played more to disgust than elicity laughs).

The actors don't look real, they are wooden, as is the rapid fire back and forth camera work. All the details are off, and it doesn't replace what was lost with anything new. They couldn't even find anything specific to say about the american workplace, though to be fair i doubt 'The Office' would have been even a cult hit here if it were Anglo-centric.

 

[Mark]

Dilbert was good.

 

[LightPhoenix]

Though I think the Brits are, on the whole, more skilled in the art of wit and absurdity (The Simpsons and Arrested Development are exceptions in the U.S., whereas even the most trite setup on British sitcoms is usually fleshed out with a good dose of non-forced wackiness)

I'd have to agree here. American humor tends to be wacky and spontaneous. British humor (or is it humour? ) tends to have a lot more set-up and less wacky and more absurd. Not that the two aren't mutually exclusive, but substituting one for the other just won't work. That's really what I think happened here - some idiot executive thought it would be a good idea to take a British sit-com, take out everything that made it brilliant, and replace it with wacky, spontaneous crap.

Of course, it isn't to say that I prefer one to the other... I like good humor, no matter what the type. However, American sit-coms (insert an "h" at your leisure) are pretty much crap anyway and have long since stopped amusing me. Except Arrested Development, which is brilliant... and of course, cancelled.