I wanted to like this show. Believe me, I tried really hard to like it. Unfortunately, it is honestly not that great.
After seeing the American version, which is brilliant, I was super excited to find out about the British version. I watched a few episodes, and there were some funny parts. The episode "The Quiz" was actually hilarious. I showed it to a bunch of friends, and they didn't see what was funny about it. I tried to make myself believe that they didn't get the jokes, or couldn't understand the actors as a result of their accents/the poor audio quality of the show. It wasn't until a while later that I realized, I really do not like this show.
It may not be fair to compare it to the American version, but there are some key differences that show how Gervais and Merchant managed to work out all the kinks when they recreated it for American audiences.
First and foremost, character development. The British version is full of one-dimensional characters. David's a jerk! Gareth's a suck-up! Tim's a slacker! Dawn has a mean fiancé! In the American version, the characters are a lot more interesting. While Michael may be a terrible boss, it is conceivable how he got to his position, as he was a legendary salesman. Dwight evolved from a mere suck-up, to a Machavellian salesman/farmer/landlord. The scenes with his cousin Mose are hilarious. Jim is a slacker, but he isn't totally content with it. His pranks on Dwight are also much better than Tim's toward Gareth. Krasinski's sarcasm is much better than Freeman's. People say the UK version was sarcastic, but the delivery of the sarcasm was fairly flawed. Pam is actually funny, unlike Dawn who was just there to give Tim a love interest. She also has much more of a backbone than Dawn, and you get to see her rise from receptionist to salesman.
The American version has a giant cast, each character with many dimensions. In the 9 seasons it has been on the air, it has probably developed the characters better than any other show. The British version had 14, and obviously wasn't able to create so many characters.
Many people claim that it is revolutionary for being the first fly-on-the-wall workplace mockumentary. In fact, Operation Good Guys had begun airing on BBC four years earlier, and actually was funny.
The Office UK contains little humor (not none, it has a good number of funny jokes). However, those jokes have a hard time spreading throughout 30 minutes per episode. The show is also hopelessly dated, with many jokes that were related to computers at the time.
The cast has little to no chemistry, and the chemistry was one of the best parts of the American version. It is impossible to imagine David Brent kissing a gay employee, to prove that he wasn't homophobic.
The cast also seems like the are on heroin, as they have no energy. Most workplaces have characters try and make the best of a bleak situation. These characters just sit around and slowly mope.
Do not accuse me of being a "dumb American", who didn't get the British humor. I am a huge fan of many British shows (Peep Show, The Worst Week of My Life, Spy, Cuckoo, etc). I got the jokes. Some were funny. Most were poorly delivered. Almost all of them were cruel. And not in a "dark humor" type of way. Just in a "dark, yes; humor, no" kind of way.
If anyone else likes this show, I respect that. It is a show with many funny people, and it launched a lot of careers. It inspired a lot of great shows. I personally wasn't a fan, but it had its moments.
Peace, Zach
After seeing the American version, which is brilliant, I was super excited to find out about the British version. I watched a few episodes, and there were some funny parts. The episode "The Quiz" was actually hilarious. I showed it to a bunch of friends, and they didn't see what was funny about it. I tried to make myself believe that they didn't get the jokes, or couldn't understand the actors as a result of their accents/the poor audio quality of the show. It wasn't until a while later that I realized, I really do not like this show.
It may not be fair to compare it to the American version, but there are some key differences that show how Gervais and Merchant managed to work out all the kinks when they recreated it for American audiences.
First and foremost, character development. The British version is full of one-dimensional characters. David's a jerk! Gareth's a suck-up! Tim's a slacker! Dawn has a mean fiancé! In the American version, the characters are a lot more interesting. While Michael may be a terrible boss, it is conceivable how he got to his position, as he was a legendary salesman. Dwight evolved from a mere suck-up, to a Machavellian salesman/farmer/landlord. The scenes with his cousin Mose are hilarious. Jim is a slacker, but he isn't totally content with it. His pranks on Dwight are also much better than Tim's toward Gareth. Krasinski's sarcasm is much better than Freeman's. People say the UK version was sarcastic, but the delivery of the sarcasm was fairly flawed. Pam is actually funny, unlike Dawn who was just there to give Tim a love interest. She also has much more of a backbone than Dawn, and you get to see her rise from receptionist to salesman.
The American version has a giant cast, each character with many dimensions. In the 9 seasons it has been on the air, it has probably developed the characters better than any other show. The British version had 14, and obviously wasn't able to create so many characters.
Many people claim that it is revolutionary for being the first fly-on-the-wall workplace mockumentary. In fact, Operation Good Guys had begun airing on BBC four years earlier, and actually was funny.
The Office UK contains little humor (not none, it has a good number of funny jokes). However, those jokes have a hard time spreading throughout 30 minutes per episode. The show is also hopelessly dated, with many jokes that were related to computers at the time.
The cast has little to no chemistry, and the chemistry was one of the best parts of the American version. It is impossible to imagine David Brent kissing a gay employee, to prove that he wasn't homophobic.
The cast also seems like the are on heroin, as they have no energy. Most workplaces have characters try and make the best of a bleak situation. These characters just sit around and slowly mope.
Do not accuse me of being a "dumb American", who didn't get the British humor. I am a huge fan of many British shows (Peep Show, The Worst Week of My Life, Spy, Cuckoo, etc). I got the jokes. Some were funny. Most were poorly delivered. Almost all of them were cruel. And not in a "dark humor" type of way. Just in a "dark, yes; humor, no" kind of way.
If anyone else likes this show, I respect that. It is a show with many funny people, and it launched a lot of careers. It inspired a lot of great shows. I personally wasn't a fan, but it had its moments.
Peace, Zach