The Office

[Shlup]

So I just heard that someone heard on E News that The Office is planning to keep with their real-timeness and skip ahead in time past the writer's strike. That means we're missing out on five months of storyline because of that stupid strike. In addition, Jim and Pam started dating over the Summer so we're missing like the first nine months of their relationship development after waiting three years for them to get together in the first place.

And Dwight was trying to win Angela back while she was dating Andy, and they're just going to skip ahead in that.

I think I can hear my heart breaking.

[Tavrobel]

This is either a very big joke, or the missed episodes will be shown in flashback. Either way, if they do it well, it should still be hilarious. Flashbacks will kind of lose the documentary feel of it, though. That's part of what makes the show, the show.

Or they have episodes anyways, and are jerking us around for the sake of epic lulz.

[Captain Maxx Power]

I'm amazed The Office is still going in the US. In the UK The Office lasted two seasons and two specials which rounded the series off nicely. Gotta hate the Americans and their need to suck franchises dry constantly. That's not say it's a bad show per say (though the episodes I've seen pale in comparison to the originals), it's just the basis of it shouldn't last as long as it has.

[Tavrobel]

I believe that somewhere in the commentary, they stopped the UK version in order to prevent the possibility of the series being sucked dry (I have the UK version on DVD). 12 episodes and a special seemed to work, but it was a little short for me.

I don't see how the franchise is getting sucked dry. If anything, it's taken on a life of its own; the first season sucked, but once you give it its own due (ie, second season), it's certainly a great show to watch. I doubt the English could have thought up "Dickin Flicka." True that any comedy show needs an end (Friends should have ended around season 7, if that), but for the Office, hopefully the Writer's Strike didn't single out a premature end.

[Shlup]

The US version isn't going on longer than the UK version because they're trying to suck it dry--it's going on longer because it's entertaining.

I like it better than the UK version anyway.

[Jess]

It is a mystery to me how the US version could possibly be percieved as better than the UK version -- there's no Ricky Gervais in the US version!

[Shlup]

But Ricky Gervias works with the show and tells them all the things he wishes he would've done with his version. And Jim and Pam are hot. Almost unbearably show.

Every single character on that show is awesome. All of them.

[Miriel]

I'm amazed The Office is still going in the US. In the UK The Office lasted two seasons and two specials which rounded the series off nicely. Gotta hate the Americans and their need to suck franchises dry constantly. That's not say it's a bad show per say (though the episodes I've seen pale in comparison to the originals), it's just the basis of it shouldn't last as long as it has.

You're entitled to your opinion, but my opinion is that you are soooooo wrong.

I've watched both seasons of The Office, ALL THE WAY THROUGH. And I've watched all the seasons of the US Office and there is absolutely no comparison.

US Office >>>>>>>>>>> UK Office.

Shlup's right. One of the greatest things about the US Office is that pretty much every. single. character on the show is fabulous. You love them all. UK Office had like... 2 characters you could love. A couple more you kinda like. Maybe. With the US Office, you should want to steal all of the characters and put them in your pocket.

And Ricky Gervais may be brilliant, but in the lovable department, Steve Carrell kicks Gervais' ass. So hard. UK Office, you want to punch David. US version, you want to punch Michael and then give him a big ol' hug. <3

The real time thing, sounds absolutely stupid and somehow I don't really believe that's something they would do. =/

[PeneloRatsbane]

i love both, but i was suprised to here that the american one was still going on.
in the english one i was glad tht the last one had Dawn and Tim (uk equiv or pam and jim) get together at the end and then end cos, showing them in a relationship would never have been as good as seeing them get together, it just made sure it ended happily

[Heath]

I'm amazed The Office is still going in the US. In the UK The Office lasted two seasons and two specials which rounded the series off nicely. Gotta hate the Americans and their need to suck franchises dry constantly. That's not say it's a bad show per say (though the episodes I've seen pale in comparison to the originals), it's just the basis of it shouldn't last as long as it has.

You're entitled to your opinion, but my opinion is that you are soooooo wrong.

I've watched both seasons of The Office, ALL THE WAY THROUGH. And I've watched all the seasons of the US Office and there is absolutely no comparison.

US Office >>>>>>>>>>> UK Office.

Shlup's right. One of the greatest things about the US Office is that pretty much every. single. character on the show is fabulous. You love them all. UK Office had like... 2 characters you could love. A couple more you kinda like. Maybe. With the US Office, you should want to steal all of the characters and put them in your pocket.

And Ricky Gervais may be brilliant, but in the lovable department, Steve Carrell kicks Gervais' ass. So hard. UK Office, you want to punch David. US version, you want to punch Michael and then give him a big ol' hug. <3

The real time thing, sounds absolutely stupid and somehow I don't really believe that's something they would do. =/

The fact that a lot of the characters weren't likeable was one of the things I liked about the British version. The characters don't need to be - and aren't meant to be - liked. Brent is supposed to come across as an utter berk. Like how in the Christmas special when he's trying online dating and when he tells a woman over the phone he was in The Office (the documentary) she says something along the lines of "oh, you weren't that really awful boss were you?". It's supposed to be realistic and funny and that every character should be likeable and nice simply isn't true to life. Hence the lack of a laugh track, the whole premise of a documentary and so on and so forth.

I found the US version paled compared to the British, but I attribute that mainly to differing tastes. Aside from cartoons (Simpsons, Futurama, South Park, Family Guy as a guilty pleasure), Police Squad! and the odd episode of Frasier/Cheers, I don't find American comedies to be that great. And of those, only the animated ones and Police Squad! are the only ones really worth bothering with.

Edit: I tell a lie, Dawn and Tim are probably supposed to come across as likeable. Brent, Gareth and the rest are mostly either background and not liked by the majority or simply unlikeable. Except Keith who - naturally - was brilliant.

[Miriel]

Michael is a ignorant jerk too. Doesn't stop me from loving him.

Toby is way too passive, to the point that you want to shake him, but I still love him.

Stanly HATES his job, and he barely talks, but I love him!

Dwight killed his girlfriend's cat. On purpose! But I still love him.

Angela is a cold bitch. Love her.

Creed is sooo freakin' creepy but in such a hilarious way that I love him.

I didn't say that the characters were all happy caring beautiful people. I said they were lovable. Realistic flaws and all. This can be attributed to great acting, great chemistry between the ensemble, great writing, etc.

I don't think the UK Office had anything near the same level of chemistry or the "fits like a puzzle" sort of aspect of the US version of the Office.

[Roto13]

I don't get the weird fear the UK has with allowing a show to keep going. Yeah, ending it on a high note, whatever. Do they lack the confidence to keep producing a high quality show after, like, eight episodes?

[Peegee]

It's actually for the best (better?) because now they can make anything up. It won't be silly like in Planet Terror when a film reel got 'lost' and suddenly all these zombies were closing in on the restaurant and random nonsense had transpired (though they did take a little bit of liberty in narration when they did that).

[Burtsplurt]

I've hunted out quite a few episodes of the US version now, simply because of the praise it gets here... and I still can't see how it's a patch on the original.

The whole beauty of the original (as well as it being hilarious) was how grounded in reality it was. Brent was an utter prat, but he had those moments of real humanity. Just glimpses, but you got to see the vulnerability behind the facade. I prefer things like that. Anyone can create a lovable character: a lovable idiot, a lovable rogue etc., but I don't think anyone can invest a character with humanity and make that relationship love/hate/loath/empathise/whatever. That takes depth and subtlety, which is where I think the American version lacks. I think that in general of American comedies (not dramas, though).

Maybe it is different tastes, but I've never watched an American comedy and felt really involved with it. Also, they're not very funny.

[Quindiana Jones]

The American Office is why America sucks.