The Office has an AMERICAN version?

Cafe Society
1

With Steve Carell?

Now, hold on, I know I’m on the trailing edge of Pop Culture but bear with me for a moment.

When I first heard of The Office, I heard good tidings. I loved Office Space, and, well, they’re both comedies with “Office” in the title, so it must be good too right? So I eagerly put one of the season’s DVD’s on my Netflix queue, and sit by the window with my tongue out awaiting its arrival.

Now, I normally like “dry” humor. But this show was dry like the Sahara. It was worse than the Sahara, because at least the Sahara has oasis… oasises? (wow, never had to spell that one before). I sat through an episode and a half before I fell into that void where you forget your name and the existence of anything going on around you.

I briefly snapped out of it, which was just enough time for me to regain control of myself and hoist the devil’s tool into its appropriate sleeve & postage pre-paid envelope, casting it into the fiery pits from whence it came. Nary did I lend another thought to the matter, until today…

Routinely logging onto Netflix, I notice on my “personalized” recommendations page… wait, is that? It can’t be… (Bet you can’t guess what it was by now)

Yes, it was The Office. The Office, I spat at thee and you dare come back for more? Talk about a glutton for pain!

But wait! It has… Steve Carell? I love Steve Carell! Is this some cunning manipulation of my imagination to torture me further?

I rub my eyes and by the heavens, it is real! So now I sit by the window in equal anticipation of the second round of likely, but not guaranteed, disappointment. And it fills my heart with joy. I have read some of the reviews, and while many of the favorable ones are by those who enjoyed the British version, I still cling to my hope that there is yet life to be enthused into the concept of office-based humor, and that Steve Carell has done it. Will I be vindicated?

2

The US version of the Office started by re-doing the English episodes verbatim. If you hated those, you will probably hate the first few episodes of the American version.

3

Linky
I do believe it is in it’s second season, no less.

4

And it’s the best show on television.

And yes, there were plenty of people who enjoyed the British version (though I didn’t enjoy it as many others here)

5

I caught part of an episode, and while I’m not in to the type of comedy they’re doing, I can certainly see it could get the laughs (Steve Carell is quite the actor).
I can say it’s by far the funniest show to have made it through the “Americanization” process; usually you yanks manage to suck even the tiniest bit of funny out of the most hilarious show. (Men Behaving Badly / Coupling, anyone?)

6

Then it must be quite a feat that it has eclipsed its British pregenitor ;).

7

We have South Park.

Nothing more needs to be said.

8

I was terribly disappointed in Office Space, after the build-up it got from so many US Dopers, while I really like both incarnations of The Office. So if you enjoyed the former, don’t expect to necessarily like the latter. They have a similar premise, but approach it from completely different angles, and the US version of The Office is much closer to its British namesake than it it is to Office Space.

9

Yeah – Office Space is extremely underwhelming. It’s only remotely funny when Stephen Root is onscreen (and, granted, some of that is quite funny) – the rest of the time it is dull. It helps confirm a theory of mine: that later scenes of a movie are how we decide if something is good (the final scene has Root in it).

I’ve seen very little of The Office, but it’s nice, subtle deadpan humor, and I plan to watch more.

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I have to agree about Office Space, btw. Very overhyped movie. Decent, but nothing that great.

11

:eek:

Well, that just sort of voids all of your opinions when it comes to humor then. :stuck_out_tongue:

12

Funny, I was about to say the same thing after reading your reaction to The Office…

13

Maybe it just voids yours :D.

14

I don’t see how that could work. How could I void the usefulness of my own sense of humor to myself?

I’m not saying you don’t have legitimate opinions about other things, but if you forsake Office Space, how can I trust you? HOW?!?

15

You didn’t say “to yourself” however :p.

Because it just isn’t that good. You can admit it. Come on.

16

Only the first episode. Given that, the first season isn’t as good as the 2nd.

17

Oy, I have to agree. Office Space, while not always laugh-out-loud hilarious, has great dry humor and gets funnier to me every time I see it. It’s not a great comedy but it’s highly amusing. It’s one of the most quotable movies out there too (at least, to other Office Spacers).

It like, I’ll never trust Ebert’s negative opinion of quirky comedies because he just didn’t get Raising Arizona or Oh Brother Where Art Thou? or Life of Brian. He may be my Go To guy for classic movies, but not comedy.

18

Agreed.

Everything based on the BBC version is pretty weak (as is the BBC version.) Since NBC’s version moved to original content, it’s been gold. Even when it was following the BBC version, the original parts were always the best. The British just aren’t funny.

19

I suppose it depends on your sense of humor. The first time I saw The Office I was confused. After about three episodes, I was convinced it was the funniest show on TV, up there with Arrested Development. The Brits are hilarious.

20

I cannot watch the British original of The Office; it’s just too painful.

The first season of the American version is not as painful, but it’s not great.

The second season of the American version is the best comedy on TV right now.

Office Space is brilliant.