ShogunRua wrote:cameron326 wrote:I'm a big, big fan of the British "Office". For me, that and Fawly Towers are the best comedy TV ever, along with earlier Simpsons. Is the US office worth a go? Or does it pale in comparison for those who love the biting humour and realism of the original?
Opinions differ! Certainly, I find it revealing that the BBC original had 12 episodes plus 2 Christmas specials while the US version had a whopping 201 episodes. (With the last few seasons being utter cash-in crap)
However, even I (who vastly prefers the British version) admit the earlier US seasons were at least decent, if not as brilliant. And while David Brent is many times as funny as Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute is at least as good as Gareth Keenan, and I think Gareth is pretty damn hilarious.
So there is definitely quality to be found in the first few seasons of the US version.
I think the strength of the US Office is that it made the background characters more unique without spending to much time on them. Also, if you are into romance, I think most people would say that the relationship between Jim and Pam (Tim and Dawn respectively) is just as good, but gets more time to stretch its legs. I think it became a lot less interesting after the first few seasons, but that's still a lot more time given than the British Office. I would say give it a go because the first 3 seasons are undeniably good, and then after the 3rd season tap out as soon as you start losing interest because it doesn't really regain any of its momentum. Also, the first couple seasons have cameos by the late great Patrice O'neal which is a nice treat if you know who he is.