This is one of my favorite shows, ever. I’ve watched and re-watched the DVD dozens of times. I was worried when I heard that NBC would be adapting this.
I winced when I watched the clips on nbc.com. But myspace.com has an extended (about 12 minutes) clip from one of the shows.
It looks like it might be promising, and seems to stay true to the original, and I could envision David Brent/Ricky Gervais doing everything the new guy does.
It’s only a 12-minute clip, and it’s disconcerting seeing others in the familiar roles, but I did enjoy what I saw so far. The bigest thing they screwed up on in the clip was the Brent character interacting with the Indian woman… He’d have never been so over-the-top.
Let’s hope this series works out.
I’d be interested to hear other “The Office” fans’ opinions.
I’ll have to watch the myspace clip later (I’m at work), but from the ads I’ve seen on TV, it didn’t look too promising. In fact, it looked kind of wince-worthy. I saw a couple gags copied verbatim from the British version that fell flat (IMHO). I’d like to think they won’t screw it up, but I wouldn’t bet on it.
Well, there are only a few episodes of the original version. I doubt there are even the 22 you need for a full American television season. So even if they showed the British version and it was successful, there would be no place to go.
Also, of course, some of the British humor might not translate well.
I’m definitely watching on Thursday when the show debuts, but it is with a mixture of excitement and dread. I love the British one, and it will be hard to match.
There are only 12 episodes of the BBC version plus a two-part Christmas special that wraps everything up. Besides, when do American networks ever show the original British shows and not remakes? Not counting BBCA and Comedy Central (which are cable stations anyway) or PBS, I can’t think of a single example, certainly not one that would be running through the regular TV season.
I saw the pilot for the American version a couple of months ago. The script was almost an exact copy of the BBC first ep, but with Americanized references (Camilla Parker-Bowles becomes Hillary Rodham Clinton). There were a few new jokes tossed in that I found really funny though, and since the rest of the episodes are supposed to be written original to the NBC show, this is a good sign. I liked Steve Carell as the boss - he’s no Ricky Gervais, but he’s not trying to be, he’s going at it from a different angle. “Jim” (the Tim character) and “Pam” (the Dawn character) are rather bland, though maybe that’ll change over the course of a few episodes. “Dwight” (the Gareth character) is so frickin’ weird and creepy. The awkwardness isn’t as it was on the BBC show, but I think part of that was because US shows have to be shorter so there’s less time to linger on awkward moments.
I’ll be watching the pilot Thursday, but I don’t know if I’ll follow it when it moves to Tuesdays. That’s when I watch House.
I’m a big fan of the British one, and I think that Gervais’ character is one of the funniest characters I’ve ever seen in TV or movies.
That said, I thought this looked promising.
First of all – they’re not using “pretty boys” for actors and actresses so that right there will tell you the sensibilities aren’t from the sitcom focus groups.
Further evidence of this? It’s set in Scranton!!!
It’s not driven by a big star.
They’re using the same format, and YES, some of the same jokes. It’s shot on film, no laugh track.
All of these things are very promising.
My sense is that if you are able to divorce yourself from making comparisons to the original – either “they already DID that” (yeah, no duh) or “no way would they act like that” – then it should be enjoyable. It at least shows a lot more promise than the new season of “Fat Slob, Hot Wife, Annoying Kids”.
I think that after Thursday, they’re moving it to Tuesdays, so it should get the Scrubs crowd, an audience already prepped for something a little off-kilter.
Just to reiterate, I think one is better off to compare this show to the current crop of sitcoms on American TV. If one compares it to (maybe) the funniest British show ever, disappointment is assured.
Are you people kidding? It looks like a piece of shit. Changing “it’s just a trifle” to “i’ve always been your biggest flan” in the stapler-in-jell-o scene is indicative of everything wrong with this.
From all I’ve seen, the scenes in Arrested Development set in the Bluth company offices do a much better job capturing the spirit of the original The Office than this remake does.
Carell is way too good-looking and slick to be a good stand-in for Gervais.
Let the over-the-top backlash begin before a single episode airs. Make sure you go through line by line and point out all the shortcomings that it’s going to have compared to one of the funniest shows ever.
Forget the fact that the head writer has only worked on Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, and King of the Hill.
Forget that Gervais was involved in writing the first 6 (I think) episodes.
Yeah, we’re kidding. We’re actually excited for another show filmed in front of a live studio audience with another dumb husband sitting on a couch making jokes about getting wing sauce on his shirt.
The normal TV schedule is just so chocked full with quality shows that I can’t believe they’re actually taking up a whole half-hour per week for 6 weeks just to SEE if it’s possible capture in an American-way what was so funny about the British show.
You nailed it though. Changing “i’ve always been your biggest flan” to “it’s just a trifle” is indicative of everything wrong with this. Because the entire British show was based on two-bit puns, and by God, it looks like they’ve scoured the entire script just to remove them. What could the show have left if they’re going to have all the dumb jokes removed?
Are you talking about the same big nosed, bad haircut, sawed-off, bad skin, dork of a syncophant, loser, runt that was in Anchorman and Bruce Almighty? Good-looking and SLICK? It’s not like they stuck in Jude Law in there. I’d hate to see what your boss looks like if you’re calling Steve Carell good-looking and slick. Frumpy nerd is what I see.
I’m a huge fan of the British series–I bought the complete Office set on DVD, but I’ve only seen the first season so far. That said, I’ll give the American version a chance. How bad can it be, compared to the tired dreck that’s out there already? If you ask me, there are only two funny sitcoms on anymore (Arrested Development and Scrubs), and we could use a third. At this point, a new sitcom that isn’t a Friends clone or a Raymond/King of Queens ripoff should be welcomed, even if it is a remake of a much-loved series from another country.
I’m a huge fan of the British series–I bought the complete Office set on DVD, but I’ve only seen the first season so far. That said, I’ll give the American version a chance. How bad can it be, compared to the tired dreck that’s out there already? If you ask me, there are only two funny sitcoms on anymore (Arrested Development and Scrubs), and we could use a third. At this point, a new sitcom that isn’t a Friends clone or a Raymond/King of Queens ripoff should be welcomed, even if it is a remake of a much-loved series from another country.
I must be the only person in the world who didn’t much care for the original series. (And I do generally like British comedies). I still may catch the American version because I like Steve Carrell.
How I agree with you, Lou!
Ricky G. hisself has given the American show a big thumbs up. (Of course, it greatly behooves him financially if the things scores, but still.) Personally, I’m a little tired of all the knee-jerk naysaying. Obviously it won’t match the original, but will it still be a funny show? I’m betting it just may be.