The NBC version of “The Office”
Having just watched the clips on NBC’s website, the American remake of “The Office” looks to me like an awful idea. For one, it’s too shiny. By this I mean - the clips have a certain overly polished sheen, whereas the original version had that brilliantly awkward mockumentary feel to it. And for another, it just seems to be trying too hard to hammer in the “office life is terrible” theme. Of course, you can’t judge a show by a few clips, but this does not look promising for a show whose original incarnation I love.
I’m no Britcom snob - anyone who knows comedic history can see the American antecedents in “The Office” (This is Spinal Tap, clearly). But the American remakes of “Coupling” and “Men Behaving Badly” were terrible. And they were on NBC too, if I recall correctly…
So Google gets it right:
Hell yeah, I meant “the office” BBC.
Tangential link: my review of the original “Office”
5 Comments so far
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I totally disagree. The American version has what the UK version does not have: Comedic timing and likeable characters.
The U.S. version has excellent writing and is one of the best comedies I have seen in recent years.
By Office Fan in Ohio on 04.18.05 9:50 am
‘the office’ is terrible.It is so bad you cringe.
By terribleshow on 04.26.05 5:36 pm
I respectfully disagree with the previous comment (”Terribleshow”)– and agree with the first: It’s the best comedy on US television in recent memory. The humor comes not in the overt sitcom format comedy people may be used to, but in the quiet nuances of self-realization (or lack thereof) and embarrassment. It’s something regular people face everyday, and is well represented here: saying things without thinking; doing things because you get caught up in the moment. We’re all idiots from time to time, in our own way, and The Office illuminates that particular brand of idiocy that goes on in the white-collar world. There’s no laugh track, and we’re not even really sure why there’s a “documentarian” recording the goings-on for this seemingly dull office.
What I particularly like about The Office is that it straddles the line from absurdism to insightful commentary on human behavior.
In the latest episode “Hot Girl” (directed by the ever-talented Amy “Ridgemont High”M Heckerling) look for Dwight to be so taken by the attractive woman that he storms into the room and demands to talk to her, then slinks off when she says “No” to his advances. It’s a reaction of someone emotionally and socially stunted, but it could have been played more for laughs, than realism.
Also look for Pam (Jenna Fischer) putting on lipstick and getting embarrassed at being seen making herself look more attractive. It’s a small moment of character development, that speaks volumes about how she (an “average” woman) views herself when suddenly losing the attentions of the office males.
By Leflyman on 04.27.05 9:44 am
I have just sat and watched the US remake of The Office on BBC Three and I just didn’t get it, I can’t put my finger on what was missing, I’m just putting it down to different comedy tastes but it didn’t seem to have the sarcasms that the original had but I do have to take into account that my views are blinded by having loved the original.
This one seemed to be trying to hard to be what the original is which is never a good idea, some of the scripts are identical to that of the original but it just isn’t funny when watching the US version.
By dave on 06.21.05 1:08 pm
I really haven’t had the chance to see the American version - I hear the scripts which are original, rather than adapted from the British ones, are quite good actually.
By Daryl on 06.26.05 7:29 am
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