I just got the entire The Office on DVD and am loving it. It’s going to be right up there with Blackadder as my favorite series. It’s so nuanced and subtle and clever. The characters are dead on. Gareth and David especially. I also like how Tim has a crush on Dawn, but nobody talks about it – in an American series, they’d club you over the head with it, but they don’t need to. That’s what I like. Not being clubbed over the head with something.
I hear there’s an American version coming. They brought the creators from England and are setting the show in Newark. I don’t know when it’ll be on or on what network, but I hope it’ll be HBO so it won’t be messed up too badly.
The Office is my favorite comedy show ever.
The American version is debuting on NBC in late March - the 22nd, I believe. It’s set in Scranton. Steve Carell of The Daily Show and Anchorman will be playing the David Brent character. I’ve actually seen the pilot (through means it would be best not to discuss). The script is almost exactly that of the original pilot, but with British references dropped (the joke about Camilla Parker-Bowles becomes one about Hilary Rodham Clinton, for example). It was painful to watch, but I will admit that I laughed hard while watching it three times - all at jokes that weren’t in the original BBC pilot. Supposedly all the rest of the episodes after the pilot in the US version will be original. It’s not a patch on the Gervais/Merchant version but it’s still better than the average sitcom. Steve Carell doesn’t imitate Ricky Gervais, so that’s refreshing. The character version of Dawn is too happy, Gareth is too weird and no one could do Tim as well as Martin Freeman. I’ll probably watch the American version for a bit, though - I’ll just have to separate the UK and the US versions in my mind.
I’ve only seen Season One so far, but I JUST ordered The Complete Collection, with both seasons and the special. Amazon.com has a great deal up right now: buy it used from a third-party seller for $29.99. (Amazon sells it new for $44 and change.) I can’t wait for it to arrive!
Be sure to watch the specials after season 2. The season 2 ending is good, but the specials ending is great. Plus, you get to see David Brent’s music video.