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If you're a fan of the original UK series, you're naturally going to be a tad hesitant over the US rendition. Countless times have we seen our transatlantic neighbours attempt to redo British comedy and drama, from classics such as Fawlty Towers, to more recent gems such as Life On Mars. The majority of the time, the Americanised version falls flat on it's face, and deservedly so, because the re-make tends to try and rely on the success of the original concept alone.
I was a fan of the Brent office in Slough, but I never really connected to it humour wise. Don't get me wrong, David Brent had his moments, but they were brief and rare. I can't say that The Office ever made me ever laugh out loud, but it was a decent addition to British comedy nonetheless. On principle, I never started watching The Office (US) and because of the aforementioned reputation of US remakes. However, my sister insisted it was funny, and she has previously led me to watch series such as Spaced, Flight of the Conchords and Peep Show to name but a few, so I held her suggestions in high regard.
After the first season of The Office, which was basically a pilot season being only 6 episodes, I wasn't too impressed. It was exactly what I had expected, the British script changed up to suit new American characters, filled with little effort and a sloppy re-hash of one of our great modern shows. However, the characters begin to grow on you past this point. Once you start getting into Season 2, a large amount of new material is brought in, even if the story continues to parallel with the original.
One huge difference between the two is the fact that the US version has much more depth in terms of characters, which is badly needed when you go for 9 seasons. The UK version revolves around David, Tim, Dawn and Gareth primarily, with secondary roles from characters such as Finchy and background roles from the likes of Malcolm. The US version has many more personalities, and that is one thing that was missing from the UK version. The show is called The Office, so it should be about the entire office, not just Ricky Gervais being the center of attention no matter what. Steve Carrell's role as Michael is much more washed down, but he is still recognisable as the central figure in the show, so a great balance has been struck up for the US version. Carrell's character is much more engaging as well, whilst still being awkward and offensive in an innocent capacity.
Jim and Pam (the equivalent of Tim and Dawn) have a much more romantic story in the US version. Tim and Dawn's relationship in the original is just not believable to any degree. There is no real connection between the two besides the jokes they play on Gareth. Pam and Jim, despite picking on Dwight (the Gareth equivalent) near enough all the time, are much more believable as a romantic partnership, and their story runs throughout the entire 9 seasons, and is one of the focusing points that the viewer will connect to if they watch it all.
Now, to who I consider the funniest character in the whole show, Dwight Schrute. Gareth in the original wasn't particularly amusing, besides his humorous accent. Dwight however, is far superior as a character, being indirectly amusing as well as having a much deeper storyline. Dwight basically lives on a whole other planet (well, technically a beet farm) holding strange beliefs and living an odd lifestyle. However, he can also be kind or pure evil in different episodes. You never know what to expect from Dwight in an episode, which keeps the viewer guessing and engaged.
Other characters in The Office that constantly appear until the end are Stanley, Phyllis, Creed, Meredith, Oscar, Kevin, Angela, Ryan, Kelly and Toby, each of whom have their own side stories. Ed Helm's character Andy becomes a main part of the cast early on, and at first, you get annoyed with his character, however viewers begin to take to him and he's an admirable part of the cast by the end. There are however some annoying characters, for instance Nelly (Catherine Tate) is a horrible character brought in later on in the show. She arrives far too late to the cast, and by the end of the show, you don't miss her because you don't get a chance to properly connect to her. Erin is another annoying character who you just want off the screen. She is a character who becomes part of The Office regulars half way through, but she almost sucks the humour from different scenes and disrupts the flow of the show, as well as takes Andy off track and reduces his funny moments.
Lets face it, this is a comedy show first and fore-most. Towards the end, the writers are trying to tie up all the loose ends and different relationships, and the end of the show becomes far too serious, which is a real shame. I didn't necessarily think it was ideal to end the show in such a finale, rather than just leave a more open story. So be warned, if you want to give the The Office (US) a go, the beginning and end will be very disappointing, but the middle is gold, like an expensive sandwich.
I was a fan of the Brent office in Slough, but I never really connected to it humour wise. Don't get me wrong, David Brent had his moments, but they were brief and rare. I can't say that The Office ever made me ever laugh out loud, but it was a decent addition to British comedy nonetheless. On principle, I never started watching The Office (US) and because of the aforementioned reputation of US remakes. However, my sister insisted it was funny, and she has previously led me to watch series such as Spaced, Flight of the Conchords and Peep Show to name but a few, so I held her suggestions in high regard.
After the first season of The Office, which was basically a pilot season being only 6 episodes, I wasn't too impressed. It was exactly what I had expected, the British script changed up to suit new American characters, filled with little effort and a sloppy re-hash of one of our great modern shows. However, the characters begin to grow on you past this point. Once you start getting into Season 2, a large amount of new material is brought in, even if the story continues to parallel with the original.
One huge difference between the two is the fact that the US version has much more depth in terms of characters, which is badly needed when you go for 9 seasons. The UK version revolves around David, Tim, Dawn and Gareth primarily, with secondary roles from characters such as Finchy and background roles from the likes of Malcolm. The US version has many more personalities, and that is one thing that was missing from the UK version. The show is called The Office, so it should be about the entire office, not just Ricky Gervais being the center of attention no matter what. Steve Carrell's role as Michael is much more washed down, but he is still recognisable as the central figure in the show, so a great balance has been struck up for the US version. Carrell's character is much more engaging as well, whilst still being awkward and offensive in an innocent capacity.
Jim and Pam (the equivalent of Tim and Dawn) have a much more romantic story in the US version. Tim and Dawn's relationship in the original is just not believable to any degree. There is no real connection between the two besides the jokes they play on Gareth. Pam and Jim, despite picking on Dwight (the Gareth equivalent) near enough all the time, are much more believable as a romantic partnership, and their story runs throughout the entire 9 seasons, and is one of the focusing points that the viewer will connect to if they watch it all.
Now, to who I consider the funniest character in the whole show, Dwight Schrute. Gareth in the original wasn't particularly amusing, besides his humorous accent. Dwight however, is far superior as a character, being indirectly amusing as well as having a much deeper storyline. Dwight basically lives on a whole other planet (well, technically a beet farm) holding strange beliefs and living an odd lifestyle. However, he can also be kind or pure evil in different episodes. You never know what to expect from Dwight in an episode, which keeps the viewer guessing and engaged.
Other characters in The Office that constantly appear until the end are Stanley, Phyllis, Creed, Meredith, Oscar, Kevin, Angela, Ryan, Kelly and Toby, each of whom have their own side stories. Ed Helm's character Andy becomes a main part of the cast early on, and at first, you get annoyed with his character, however viewers begin to take to him and he's an admirable part of the cast by the end. There are however some annoying characters, for instance Nelly (Catherine Tate) is a horrible character brought in later on in the show. She arrives far too late to the cast, and by the end of the show, you don't miss her because you don't get a chance to properly connect to her. Erin is another annoying character who you just want off the screen. She is a character who becomes part of The Office regulars half way through, but she almost sucks the humour from different scenes and disrupts the flow of the show, as well as takes Andy off track and reduces his funny moments.
Lets face it, this is a comedy show first and fore-most. Towards the end, the writers are trying to tie up all the loose ends and different relationships, and the end of the show becomes far too serious, which is a real shame. I didn't necessarily think it was ideal to end the show in such a finale, rather than just leave a more open story. So be warned, if you want to give the The Office (US) a go, the beginning and end will be very disappointing, but the middle is gold, like an expensive sandwich.
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If you're a fan of the original UK series, you're naturally going to be a tad hesitant over the US rendition. Countless times have we seen our transatlantic neighbours attempt to redo British comedy and drama, from classics such as Fawlty Towers, to more recent gems such as Life On Mars. The majority of the time, the Americanised version falls flat on it's face, and deservedly so, because the re-make tends to try and rely on the success of the original concept alone.
I was a fan of the Brent office in Slough, but I never really connected to it humour wise. Don't get me wrong, David Brent had his moments, but they were brief and rare. I can't say that The Office ever made me ever laugh out loud, but it was a decent addition to British comedy nonetheless. On principle, I never started watching The Office (US) and because of the aforementioned reputation of US remakes. However, my sister insisted it was funny, and she has previously led me to watch series such as Spaced, Flight of the Conchords and Peep Show to name but a few, so I held her suggestions in high regard.
After the first season of The Office, which was basically a pilot season being only 6 episodes, I wasn't too impressed. It was exactly what I had expected, the British script changed up to suit new American characters, filled with little effort and a sloppy re-hash of one of our great modern shows. However, the characters begin to grow on you past this point. Once you start getting into Season 2, a large amount of new material is brought in, even if the story continues to parallel with the original.
One huge difference between the two is the fact that the US version has much more depth in terms of characters, which is badly needed when you go for 9 seasons. The UK version revolves around David, Tim, Dawn and Gareth primarily, with secondary roles from characters such as Finchy and background roles from the likes of Malcolm. The US version has many more personalities, and that is one thing that was missing from the UK version. The show is called The Office, so it should be about the entire office, not just Ricky Gervais being the center of attention no matter what. Steve Carrell's role as Michael is much more washed down, but he is still recognisable as the central figure in the show, so a great balance has been struck up for the US version. Carrell's character is much more engaging as well, whilst still being awkward and offensive in an innocent capacity.
Jim and Pam (the equivalent of Tim and Dawn) have a much more romantic story in the US version. Tim and Dawn's relationship in the original is just not believable to any degree. There is no real connection between the two besides the jokes they play on Gareth. Pam and Jim, despite picking on Dwight (the Gareth equivalent) near enough all the time, are much more believable as a romantic partnership, and their story runs throughout the entire 9 seasons, and is one of the focusing points that the viewer will connect to if they watch it all.
Now, to who I consider the funniest character in the whole show, Dwight Schrute. Gareth in the original wasn't particularly amusing, besides his humorous accent. Dwight however, is far superior as a character, being indirectly amusing as well as having a much deeper storyline. Dwight basically lives on a whole other planet (well, technically a beet farm) holding strange beliefs and living an odd lifestyle. However, he can also be kind or pure evil in different episodes. You never know what to expect from Dwight in an episode, which keeps the viewer guessing and engaged.
Other characters in The Office that constantly appear until the end are Stanley, Phyllis, Creed, Meredith, Oscar, Kevin, Angela, Ryan, Kelly and Toby, each of whom have their own side stories. Ed Helm's character Andy becomes a main part of the cast early on, and at first, you get annoyed with his character, however viewers begin to take to him and he's an admirable part of the cast by the end. There are however some annoying characters, for instance Nelly (Catherine Tate) is a horrible character brought in later on in the show. She arrives far too late to the cast, and by the end of the show, you don't miss her because you don't get a chance to properly connect to her. Erin is another annoying character who you just want off the screen. She is a character who becomes part of The Office regulars half way through, but she almost sucks the humour from different scenes and disrupts the flow of the show, as well as takes Andy off track and reduces his funny moments.
Lets face it, this is a comedy show first and fore-most. Towards the end, the writers are trying to tie up all the loose ends and different relationships, and the end of the show becomes far too serious, which is a real shame. I didn't necessarily think it was ideal to end the show in such a finale, rather than just leave a more open story. So be warned, if you want to give the The Office (US) a go, the beginning and end will be very disappointing, but the middle is gold, like an expensive sandwich.
I was a fan of the Brent office in Slough, but I never really connected to it humour wise. Don't get me wrong, David Brent had his moments, but they were brief and rare. I can't say that The Office ever made me ever laugh out loud, but it was a decent addition to British comedy nonetheless. On principle, I never started watching The Office (US) and because of the aforementioned reputation of US remakes. However, my sister insisted it was funny, and she has previously led me to watch series such as Spaced, Flight of the Conchords and Peep Show to name but a few, so I held her suggestions in high regard.
After the first season of The Office, which was basically a pilot season being only 6 episodes, I wasn't too impressed. It was exactly what I had expected, the British script changed up to suit new American characters, filled with little effort and a sloppy re-hash of one of our great modern shows. However, the characters begin to grow on you past this point. Once you start getting into Season 2, a large amount of new material is brought in, even if the story continues to parallel with the original.
One huge difference between the two is the fact that the US version has much more depth in terms of characters, which is badly needed when you go for 9 seasons. The UK version revolves around David, Tim, Dawn and Gareth primarily, with secondary roles from characters such as Finchy and background roles from the likes of Malcolm. The US version has many more personalities, and that is one thing that was missing from the UK version. The show is called The Office, so it should be about the entire office, not just Ricky Gervais being the center of attention no matter what. Steve Carrell's role as Michael is much more washed down, but he is still recognisable as the central figure in the show, so a great balance has been struck up for the US version. Carrell's character is much more engaging as well, whilst still being awkward and offensive in an innocent capacity.
Jim and Pam (the equivalent of Tim and Dawn) have a much more romantic story in the US version. Tim and Dawn's relationship in the original is just not believable to any degree. There is no real connection between the two besides the jokes they play on Gareth. Pam and Jim, despite picking on Dwight (the Gareth equivalent) near enough all the time, are much more believable as a romantic partnership, and their story runs throughout the entire 9 seasons, and is one of the focusing points that the viewer will connect to if they watch it all.
Now, to who I consider the funniest character in the whole show, Dwight Schrute. Gareth in the original wasn't particularly amusing, besides his humorous accent. Dwight however, is far superior as a character, being indirectly amusing as well as having a much deeper storyline. Dwight basically lives on a whole other planet (well, technically a beet farm) holding strange beliefs and living an odd lifestyle. However, he can also be kind or pure evil in different episodes. You never know what to expect from Dwight in an episode, which keeps the viewer guessing and engaged.
Other characters in The Office that constantly appear until the end are Stanley, Phyllis, Creed, Meredith, Oscar, Kevin, Angela, Ryan, Kelly and Toby, each of whom have their own side stories. Ed Helm's character Andy becomes a main part of the cast early on, and at first, you get annoyed with his character, however viewers begin to take to him and he's an admirable part of the cast by the end. There are however some annoying characters, for instance Nelly (Catherine Tate) is a horrible character brought in later on in the show. She arrives far too late to the cast, and by the end of the show, you don't miss her because you don't get a chance to properly connect to her. Erin is another annoying character who you just want off the screen. She is a character who becomes part of The Office regulars half way through, but she almost sucks the humour from different scenes and disrupts the flow of the show, as well as takes Andy off track and reduces his funny moments.
Lets face it, this is a comedy show first and fore-most. Towards the end, the writers are trying to tie up all the loose ends and different relationships, and the end of the show becomes far too serious, which is a real shame. I didn't necessarily think it was ideal to end the show in such a finale, rather than just leave a more open story. So be warned, if you want to give the The Office (US) a go, the beginning and end will be very disappointing, but the middle is gold, like an expensive sandwich.