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The Comedy of The Office: Humor, Familiarity and Ambition

Started by tomwatson · 11 months ago

When it arrived on NBC three years ago, The Office seemed certan to be a soft and slender knock-off of its British ancestor, the riotous and brilliantly cruel Ricky Gervais combination of mockumentary and sitcom set in the non-careerist backwater of Slough, an exurb of London. The UK Office ... Continue reading »

5 comments

  • Viscount LaCarte

    1 year ago

    As a huge fan of the original series, I was primed from the beginning to dislike the American version. I gave season 1 few tries but still found it wanting. Maybe enough time has gone by where I'll be able to appreciate it.

    I realize this is television and not classic film, but I can't help the analogy - why remake Casablanca or Rear Window when they so obviously got it right the first time? In the case of The Office I guess the answer is in the difficulty of understanding the regional accents and British references of the original version.

    Thanks for posting this Tom. It's time I give it another shot.
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  • Tom Watson

    1 year ago

    You know, Viscount, I was pre-disposed to have the same attitude as you. But I gave it a second chance, and season two was really the high point. The ensemble cast came into its own, and really cooks...plus it has a sweetness about it that's just appealing. Like Cheers did.
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  • Steve Bowbrick

    1 year ago

    Excellent piece Tom. Right on the money about the contrast between the Brit version and the US. I was predictably sceptical about the transition: wondering how you could translate all that nuanced stuff. The genius of the US version is that it was able to stand alone from the beginning and dwell on the American workplace's own unique set of neuroses, dysfunctions and cruelties!
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  • Dan Leo

    1 year ago

    As a big, big fan of the British "Office", I've been very happy with the American version. Gervais and Merchant are inimitable and great, but after the first American episode, which hewed pretty close to the first Brit episode, the Americans went off on their own path. Sure, the American show isn't as brutal as the original, but it's pretty damn good. The improv on this show is so brilliant that the out-takes on the DVDs are as good as the in-takes. But I want to mention the richness of the supporting cast. Carell and Krasinski and Fischer and Wilson are all great ,but what about Mindy Kaling's Kelly, Leslie David Baker's Stanley (with his crosswords), and Angela Kinsey's Xtian Angela, and Kate Flannery's Meredith -- hell, the whole cast is great.

    (By the way, I used to work with Kate Flannery, and not only is she a brilliant comedian, she is a super girl.)
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  • Linda Nelli

    1 year ago

    As someone who doesn't get British humor, (I think I'm not witty enough)I never thought a show based on a British comedy would ending up being one of my favorites. The cast chemistry is great and the dry, laugh track-less comedy is completely on point. I finally saw the some episodes of the British version and I noticed that the pilot episodes were almost verbatim, but after that the plot strayed.
    reply
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