Office US > Office UK

I've tried to give the UK Office a chance. Everyone I've met, especially people across the pond, swear it's the better series. Well, I guess it might be if you can understand what the heck they're saying.

Seriously, I've watched three episodes from the first season of the UK Office, including Episode 4 which Ricky Gervais calls his favorite one, and I did not laugh more than 3-4 times. Nowhere near the amount of times I was ROTFL in the first season of the US Office.

Now maybe this is due to the US Office actually taking the current subjects we're familiar like sex, race, chauvinism, and playing off them the way we usually see them in America. Not as dry as British humor, and a lot more straight forward. I found a nice comparison online between the two series, and I clearly can’t get into the British humor aspect: http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/vs/the-office-uk-vs-the-office-us.htm

Maybe I'm just not getting it. I don't have the ear for the Queen's version. Anyone like the UK version better, and if so, why?

Sincerely,

Mikhail

I saw the first episode...

I though it was funnywhen he was talking about the South Asian guy, only to find out that he had the "other" one.

i love the uk version!!

i swear when i first seen it i thought it was some sort of reality tv.

i makes me cringe so much.

i cant explain why i like it better i suppose it just must be diffrent ways of life between the u.s. and the uk.

like you say, i like the u.s. version but no where near as much as i like the uk one.

I know one guy prefers the UK version because it 'knew when to end' and didn't end up becoming a parody of itself (in his words).

parkour! parkour!

The US office is just an extension of where the British office was headed, especially in regard to David/Michael's personality.

David Brent in UK Season 1 is just an oafish self-serving douche with no redeeming qualities. By Season 2 he's just as akward and moronic but you start to see his caring/nice/etc. qualities as well, especially in the final two episodes.

The US Office picks right up on that personality shift making Michael slightly more likable/sympathetic but in US Season 1 he's at his douchiest and most self serving. From Season 2 onward he's made out to be more of a misunderstood manchild than a self-serving douche.

Although US Season 1 and 2 retworks a lot of situations from UK Season 1 and 2, it's essentially the continuation of the UK personality arc.

That said, I'm with Mikhail: the UK Office (especially the first season) is too dry for my tastes and I had a hard time understanding some of the jokes due to unclear delivery and unknown cultural gags. It's still a kickass show but the US Office has trumped it in almost every regard.

Just look at my ava...I KNOW MY OFFICE BETCHES

The US version was really good during season 2 and 3. I just finished watching the Jim and Pam marriage ep...and it was fucking terrible. Season 4 on has been just plain old bad. Jumped the Shark with Jim and Pam having intercourse (and now she's pregnant, whopdeedoo).


If you stack them up, the UK one is just superior. It had a point.

Kan, you have no idea what you are talking about. In no way is the US version an extension of the UK one. The UK office tied up all the loose ends and by the end of the special, there would have been absolutely no point to carry it on.

The US version is simply bound to US sindication, which dictates that more episodes = better. Whereas the BBC is publically funded and there was little reason for the UK version to do what US shows did. They have the freedom to create a story without having to drag it out.

KanYozakura said:

The US office is just an extension of where the British office was headed, especially in regard to David/Michael's personality.

David Brent in UK Season 1 is just an oafish self-serving douche with no redeeming qualities. By Season 2 he's just as akward and moronic but you start to see his caring/nice/etc. qualities as well, especially in the final two episodes.

The US Office picks right up on that personality shift making Michael slightly more likable/sympathetic but in US Season 1 he's at his douchiest and most self serving. From Season 2 onward he's made out to be more of a misunderstood manchild than a self-serving douche.

Although US Season 1 and 2 retworks a lot of situations from UK Season 1 and 2, it's essentially the continuation of the UK personality arc.

That said, I'm with Mikhail: the UK Office (especially the first season) is too dry for my tastes and I had a hard time understanding some of the jokes due to unclear delivery and unknown cultural gags. It's still a kickass show but the US Office has trumped it in almost every regard.

Just look at my ava...I KNOW MY OFFICE BETCHES

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whos the guy in your avatar?

is he like the u.s. version of gareth in the uk version?

bcfczulu said:

whos the guy in your avatar?

is he like the u.s. version of gareth in the uk version?

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Yeah, pretty much. But not really. That's the US version of "Tim." His name is Jim.

Well, Jim tries to be as likeable as Tim was, but he ends up being worse than Garreth. The US version of Garreth (Dwight) is actually more likeable than "Tim."

Fucking weird isn't it?

And the US version's Dawn (Pam) always comes off as unlikeable and bitchy, even though you can tell the actress is trying everything she can to make her character "cute." It just doesn't work.

I think it's time for the US version to introduce a talking car for Michael to solve mysteries in because the show has run it's fucking course.

lol that guy looks like he should be gareth not tim,

i take it theyve milked the fuck out of the u.s. version?

bcfczulu said:

whos the guy in your avatar?

is he like the u.s. version of gareth in the uk version?

Click to expand...

Jim Halpert is the US equivalent of Tim Canterbury.

Rade said:

The US version was really good during season 2 and 3. I just finished watching the Jim and Pam marriage ep...and it was fucking terrible. Season 4 on has been just plain old bad. Jumped the Shark with Jim and Pam having intercourse (and now she's pregnant, whopdeedoo).


If you stack them up, the UK one is just superior. It had a point.

Kan, you have no idea what you are talking about. In no way is the US version an extension of the UK one. The UK office tied up all the loose ends and by the end of the special, there would have been absolutely no point to carry it on.

The US version is simply bound to US sindication, which dictates that more episodes = better. Whereas the BBC is publically funded and there was little reason for the UK version to do what US shows did. They have the freedom to create a story without having to drag it out.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Scott_(The_Office)#Comparison_with_David_Brent

Anyone with half a brain could figure out that Wikipedia section on their own after watching both series but since you want proof read the third paragraph. Go watch the French Canadian "La Job" and leave the real Office talk to the big boys.

Kiselgof said:

Well, I guess it might be if you can understand what the heck they're saying.

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Are you serious? Really?


And I've enjoyed the US series, but I have to agree with Rade that it has run its course. Seasons 5 and 6 have definitely had funny moments, but the overarching storylines smack of desperation. Also, the humor has gone beyond the point of stretching credulity to a place where it's no longer recognizable as the real world. The UK show (and earlier seasons of the US show) featured dumb people doing dumb things in the real world, which is where the humor came from. Seasons 5 and 6 (so far) of the US show take place in a fantasy world populated by cartoon characters. It's a different kind of humor.

bcfczulu said:

lol that guy looks like he should be gareth not tim,

i take it theyve milked the fuck out of the u.s. version?

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I don't think they've milked it quite yet.

The only slow spot in the US Office was the middle of last season (Season 5) where it seemed like everyone was slipping into their cookie cutter personalities and the tensions/situations seemed played out. After Xmas break the Charles Minor character appeared and flipped the whole office on its head, making that slow spot a 6-7 episode leadup for the stellar second half of the season.

US Office is still decent. The wedding episode was awful though.

NeoEsZ said:

US Office is still decent. The wedding episode was awful though.

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I really don't understand the hate for Niagra; I thought some of the jokes could have been done better but on the whole it was the best episode so far in Season 6 and one of the better ones period.

I think the main reason most people like 1-3 versus 4-6 is the tension of the Jim and Pam situation. That carried the show for a long time. The UK office stops right when Tim and Dawn's relationship starts so people can build it up to be whatever they want; since the US Office actually shows Jim and Pam's relationship it doesn't leave a whole lot to the imagination.

no

I would have liked the wedding more without that damn YouTube video thing they did. Muted that whole fucking thing.

To the point that the show is cartoonish, of course the show is. To keep the show interesting, you need to keep dealing with things that would happen in any given office place, but all the stupid situations that DO happen wouldn't happen one place. It's still funny though.

Back at the whole UK vs. US thing, I definitely like the US version better. I get that British humor is dry, but that show is a comedy Sahara desert.... really dry and barren. I've watched 2 episodes on Adult Swim now and didn't laugh once. If others like it that's fine, but that show falls way off the radar for me.

It's thanks threads like these, where people use Wikipedia as an argument winner, that I can identify the idiots of ng.com.

Rade said:

It's thanks threads like these, where people use Wikipedia as an argument winner, that I can identify the idiots of ng.com.

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Like I said, it's a shitty Wiki section but if you really analyzed the UK and US seasons you'd make the connection yourself (which your dumbass obviously didn't).

The DVD commentary is published proof of the continuation and evolution of Brent's/Scott's personality.

Pam and Jim getting married should have been the show's finale. Just saying.


As far as the UK vs US versions go...they are very different. The UK version is really done more like a mock-documentary, with the camera crew actually giving Dawn money at one point. David Brent also goes on a rant on one of the Christmas specials about how they made him out to look like a buffoon. He's also a bit more incompetent than Michael Scott, since Scott actually occasionally makes some decent business decisions (and is supposed to be a good salesman, but I don't think we've seen much of that, except when he owned his own company.) The characters in the US version are a bit more broadly drawn than the UK ones. I think it draws as much from Office Space at this point as it does from the UK version.

J. Max said:

Pam and Jim getting married should have been the show's finale. Just saying.


As far as the UK vs US versions go...they are very different. The UK version is really done more like a mock-documentary, with the camera crew actually giving Dawn money at one point. David Brent also goes on a rant on one of the Christmas specials about how they made him out to look like a buffoon. He's also a bit more incompetent than Michael Scott, since Scott actually occasionally makes some decent business decisions (and is supposed to be a good salesman, but I don't think we've seen much of that, except when he owned his own company.) The characters in the US version are a bit more broadly drawn than the UK ones. I think it draws as much from Office Space at this point as it does from the UK version.

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Quality post and agreed.

Michael has proven himself a successful salesman/manager on more than one ocassion.

Off the top of my head:
*He closed the Lakawana County deal which saved Scranton from closure temporarily
*He won the Top Salesman award two years in a row
*He gets access to Hammermill products for DM even though they were exclusive to a big box office store
*His branch is always in the black and posts impressive numbers, which lead to the absorption of several other branches and Michael's corporate promotion offer
*Like you said, he owned his own company and undercut DM enough to prompt a buyout

etc etc etc

If Michael had gone the David Brent route of complete incompetence the US Office would have ended after a few seasons just like the UK version. DM has to have some reason to keep him employed and keep DM Scranton in business or the show would just end.

The US version is definitely better. Andy makes that show for me, especially the first epsiode of this season where he wasn't sure if he was gay and needed clarification from...everybody.

The problem with the US Office was where to go after the Jim and Pam story arc reached a conclusion.

I enjoyed the stuff with Michael and Jan - thought there were some good moments but after the Dinner Party episode I thought that broke down.

The Deposition is probably one of the best episodes in the series and it's the star of season 4.

The problem being with the US Office that they tried to repeat the Jim + Pam storyline with Angela and Andy/Dwight and then too a similar extent with Michael and Holly.

I liked Holly, but she was too perfect for Michael and what tension would there be if he just got to "get" her, so she got sent away though I wouldn't be surprised if we see her again this season.

I really enjoyed Michaels interaction with Holly in the Company Picnic episode (season 5 finale) particularly his realization at the end to just wait. Sure it echoes of the Jim and Pam thing...but I always enjoy when we see a side of Michael as an actual person.

Anyway, the show has changed in tone since season 4 for sure. I don't think it's bad, it's just different. It's still funny and has its moments.

I just wish they could come up with a story to drive the show again.

Kiselgof said:

I've tried to give the UK Office a chance. Everyone I've met, especially people across the pond, swear it's the better series. Well, I guess it might be if you can understand what the heck they're saying.

Seriously, I've watched three episodes from the first season of the UK Office, including Episode 4 which Ricky Gervais calls his favorite one, and I did not laugh more than 3-4 times. Nowhere near the amount of times I was ROTFL in the first season of the US Office.

Now maybe this is due to the US Office actually taking the current subjects we're familiar like sex, race, chauvinism, and playing off them the way we usually see them in America. Not as dry as British humor, and a lot more straight forward. I found a nice comparison online between the two series, and I clearly can’t get into the British humor aspect: http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/vs/the-office-uk-vs-the-office-us.htm

Maybe I'm just not getting it. I don't have the ear for the Queen's version. Anyone like the UK version better, and if so, why?

Sincerely,

Mikhail

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Have you watched Extras?

It's another Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant show starring Ricky Gervais as an extra trying to break in to film.

It features guest appearances by famous actors each episode and it's quite hilarious.

If the US Office is up your alley I think you'll enjoy this. It's less dry and more accessible.

The UK Office just might not be your style of humor. I like it, but it's sort of an acquired thing. It definitely has more of those "make you feel uncomfortable" moments than the US Office.

Wes said:

The US version is definitely better. Andy makes that show for me, especially the first epsiode of this season where he wasn't sure if he was gay and needed clarification from...everybody.

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lol Brad Pitt fantasy

He's definitely the best addition to the show outside of the original cast. Charles Minor is fucking stellar but he hasn't appeared enough to dethrone the NardDog.

I want to see more happen with the new receptionist, Erin. She seems like too much of a Kelly clone/Andy bait than an individual character.

I'm hoping for some serious shakeups now that the Jim and Pam thing finally has closure. Something threatening their marriage would bring back the romantic tension that drove the first few seasons.

Lagduf said:

The problem with the US Office was where to go after the Jim and Pam story arc reached a conclusion.

I enjoyed the stuff with Michael and Jan - thought there were some good moments but after the Dinner Party episode I thought that broke down.

The Deposition is probably one of the best episodes in the series and it's the star of season 4.

The problem being with the US Office that they tried to repeat the Jim + Pam storyline with Angela and Andy/Dwight and then too a similar extent with Michael and Holly.

I liked Holly, but she was too perfect for Michael and what tension would there be if he just got to "get" her, so she got sent away though I wouldn't be surprised if we see her again this season.

I really enjoyed Michaels interaction with Holly in the Company Picnic episode (season 5 finale) particularly his realization at the end to just wait. Sure it echoes of the Jim and Pam thing...but I always enjoy when we see a side of Michael as an actual person.

Anyway, the show has changed in tone since season 4 for sure. I don't think it's bad, it's just different. It's still funny and has its moments.

I just wish they could come up with a story to drive the show again.


...

The UK Office just might not be your style of humor. I like it, but it's sort of an acquired thing. It definitely has more of those "make you feel uncomfortable" moments than the US Office.

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OMG the quality posts are coming out of the woodwork.

Dinner Party is my favorite episode of the entire series. I've had so many uncomfortable fight standoffs with my blood family that it made Michael and Jan's tiff hit the right buttons for me....they fucking nailed the behavior patterns of a dysfunctional relationship. I especially like when Jan called herself the devil and laughed maniacally, dressed up all in red in front of a roaring bonfire.