the office

[Effen Vida]

I'm just making my way through the seasons 1 - 3 American Office Box Set at the moment and really, really loving it. I think, overall, the British version is far more laugh out loud funny, but I'm still enjoying it. A lot. Sadly, I know where the Pam & Jim scenario is headed ( bloody spoilers ), but that isn't *literally* spoiling it for me. Just started season three last night.

I hear it's taken something of a dip in the latter seasons... true?

[Patrick Bateman]

Credit to Vince Clarke too. Only You is just right for that final episode.

[Lucy]

^Yeah great song choice...

[Lucy]

I hear it's taken something of a dip in the latter seasons... true?

I havent watched any at all but I'd put money on it going downhill after the first couple..it must do after 6 seasons...

[redsock]

I hear it's taken something of a dip in the latter seasons... true?

I havent watched any at all but I'd put money on it going downhill after the first couple..it must do after 6 seasons...

Having watched all 5 boxed seasons in a marathon month recently (and started watching season 6 online ) , I have to say that it isn't true at all, you'll be glad to hear.

The breadth of the storylines get a lot wider and take it into places that you'd never have thought of. There is also the introduction of a few new main characters that give much more scope. (All are as good, if not better than the main core ones.)

Relax guys, you have another 40 great episodes to look forward to !

[Paulo]

I loved the UK Office

I tried watching the US version when it first started and hated it.

I saw a few episodes on TV a couple of years later and thought it was hilarious.

Now I think the US version is far, far better. It's a classic!!

[York Minster]

I would also say it's not true at all that it took a dip, although I haven't seen season 6 yet. In season 5 some of the episodes get very divorced from reality in a fun way, but that's not a bad thing. It's still one of the only shows that I laugh out loud at many times per episode. I do feel like the characters are getting a bit "locked" into the personality written for them, yet that explains the more gonzo episodes.

[York Minster]

Also, Pam is still looking quite nice. Gotta like that Jenna Fischer.

[le petit corbusier]

Well, as my signature shows, I'm a huge fan of The Office. The Uk version is more about unconfortable moments than the US version, and, as you say, it was perfect. 2 seasons and thats it. The US version is far more for the masses, and I love it as well. I just think that this 6th season isn't as funny as it should. And the whole Holly Flax issue... when is she supposed to come back, for god's sake!!!

Any IT crowd fan, by the way?

[le petit corbusier]

Talking about Holly... don't you all love that chapter where she's on the floor, trying to fix her chair, then Michael appears talking like Yoda, and she replies talking the same way, leaving Michael astonished!! It was an amazing moment!

[Paulo]

Yeah, Holly was great. I hope she comes back as well.

Don't get me started on The IT Crowd. Now that's some funny shit as well. The episode where Jen gets employee of the month and does the speech about the internet was repeated here this week. Best episode ever. And the whole "I'm used to be a Man"/"I'm from Iran" confusion

[glennjridge]

I liked the british version so much I couldnt watch the american version, and actually wanted it to suck and hate it so I could just say... a ha! it could never be as good.

but it slowly won me over. and because its rolling along longer with more episodes than its british counterpart, the characters are fleshed out more and its not so much michael the boss show and everyone else second banana fodder for his character like the UK version seemed to be.

dwights awesome. but I dont care for pam that much. karen and that other secretary are hotter.

[redsock]

Just been watching a few over breakfast ...

Series 6 - Episodes 4 & 5 (Niagara) Too funny !!!

[VinnyM227]

even though I am american I would rather they didnt. for me the appeal is that it is british. besides they ruined cracker one of the other shows I like from over there.

Haha, the US office is my favorite (and one of the only) TV shows. I've seen the British Office, and it's good, though the miking is poor and I can't understand what's being said half the time. Some of the characters in the Brit version are also not as charasmatic, like their "Pam".

I like Both Ricky Gervais (and his recent movie Invention of Lying was hilarious and way to subversive for America) and Steven Carell (although I just saw his Dan movie, and WOW SO BAD SO BAD, my guinea pig could have written a better script...well, no, not really, my pig is a horrible little man).

Any other US Office fans? Who of the Brits thought our version would make it to a 6th season?

It's kind of funny that this thread dates back to WELL BEFORE the US "The Office" even debuted!

After season one (when they stopped using the UK scripts and trying badly to be note for note the original), it found it's voice and it was good. Season 3 was even better than second with Seasons 4 and 5 being overall very strong, too. Now this year....I don't know. Of all the NBC Thursday sitcoms, it might be my least favorite (except for "30 Rock", which comes and goes, too), but I still really like it. It's just not as strong as it used to be. Pam and Jim are parents now....is it going to the newlyweds with kids? It got less interesting when they were officially a couple but I think the "Michael Scott Paper Company" helped break up the monotony a lot! They need something like that and being bought out by Kathy Bates (who is great, though) isn't it.

As for the differences between the UK and US office, it's apples and oranges at this point. I think the US office is well over 100 episodes, while the UK had about 14 (counting the Christmas special as two....I think it was that long). I loved the UK version and I find Ricky's movies and other projects fantastic. That being said, even though I own the DVDs and the show airs (or aired) on Adult Swim here in the US recently, I just haven't watched them in forever. But it's sort of it's own thing and while the side characters were great, they obviously didn't have nearly enough time to develop. And the tone with that second season was SO dark. It's hard to compare. I would say maybe the US one is funnier for cheap laughs, but the UK is easily the stronger series when it comes to story telling. I've noticed that the US version lately leaves a lot of small recurring characters just out there in the universe with no explanation...unless I'm not watching that closely. OK, at some point Jan will come back, but any chance we'll learn that her assistant is the real father of the baby that she claims she got from a sperm bank? Maybe the writers are thinking of that....but did they ever explain why Oscar suddenly considers himself single even though he had a live in boyfriend? What happened to that woman that Kevin met at a mixer for the entire building (she appeared in "Cafe Disco" as well).

Needless to say, I watch the show.

As for "Invention Of Lying", I find it funny but it's certainly tries to put it's wit before the laughs and even the story telling (it dragged for a while then had a tacked on ending). That being said, yes, it's cleaver (it took me a second to think about how they made movies. I much prefer the simple and sweet "Ghost Town". I think that's a movie anybody could enjoy.

[glennjridge]

there was some article that went to explain that whenever a sitcom character has a baby, its pretty much the sign that the writers are running out of steam and are going for the cheap laugh and emotional manipulation that they use so well when babys are written into the story.

and yeah sometimes the US versions characters do seem disconnected compared to the UK version.

I remember there was an episode in the US one when michael had to fire someone.....and he did,it was some worker that was working right in their office....yet I'll be damned if I ever saw him before. I was like,whoa....this dude worked in the same room with all of them and we never met him?aparently he was created and written into the script and episode just to be fired.