Quote:
Originally Posted by Darkspeed
Wrong. The US version bites. Lacks the original subtleties in the David Brent character as well as any GOOD humour whatsoever. How could you even compare!!!!!!! Thread closed?
Kidding. But I prefer the UK one. I hate bad American rip-off versions.
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Interesting how opinion on this is divided. I'm British and tend to, without thinking or trying, be anti-American in many ways. And I'm pretty well versed on the history of UK comedy, the actors and writers involved and the general quality of each [1]. Yet, I just found the US Office to be so much more engaging/involving. Brent is not a likeable character on any level (especially his intentions), which limits the appeal of the show since he is the central character. Scott is likeable, because he has a childlike innocence. You find yourself /siding/ with him which makes all the schemes even more hilarious and in many cases, touching in a comitragedy kind of way. It's an anomaly because usually a US version of a UK show can only reproduce one level, usually the one liners. There are many degrees of subtlety, hidden in the rich regional culture, in the best British comedies. The UK Office is pretty one-dimensional. You dislike "these guys" and you like "these guys". The US one, you pretty much like everyone on varying levels for various reasons[2], no matter how insane or stupid they are (many women all love Kelly and I, personally, think Dwight is quite brilliant). The plot is so much richer as a result. The US Office went on to run much longer and for at least three (long) seasons, just got better and better. The UK one was very short yet you couldn't even sustain it beyond where it went.
[1] Are You Being Served? is pretty famous for being utterly terrible. Keeping Up Appearances likewise isn't actually that good at all (even though I did watch it all originally when I was about 7 years old). And Last Of The Summer Wine has amazing scenery, but I can't see the appeal to anyone under the age of 70. It's 30 years of programming about three old guys wandering around doing stupid things with bikes and falling into bushes.
[2] Dark and depressing may appear to be what makes many British comedies, but it's always based on character-driven humour, and the characters themselves are always people you get behind, regardless of how insane they are. There are obvious examples.