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I recently got done watching seasons 1 & 2 of The Office on DVD. It was both amusing and painful to watch, but all in all I liked it. I just saw an ad on Salon.com for an American version of the show, and I have to say I'm pretty skeptical. They're going to do one of two things--be slavishly faithful to the original, as the US version of Coupling was, somehow managing to drain the humor from the show even though the episodes are, shot for shot, identical to one another, or sit-com it up, pretty much automatically making it suck in a different way. I'm morbidly curious to see which way they go, and unless I forget will probably watch the first episode, but I'll be very, very surprised if it doesn't suck pretty badly.
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Yeah, I like him too, but he has the unfortunate distinction of frequently being the only bright spot in otherwise forgettable shows. I expect him to be funny, but not funny enough to carry the show.
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I'm skeptical, too, but it is set in Scranton, PA, so I have to watch at least the first episode. And "amusing and painful" is the best description of the original show.
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I've never seen the original, but I just read an interview with on of the actors, who seemed from the descrption to be a main actor. (The interview was about his new children's book that's coming out soon.) Anyway, he said he has seen the first couple episodes of the American version, and he thinks they did a great job of capturing the same attitude. He also said that he wasn't involved with it at all, so hopefully that means he really means it and isn't just plugging it.
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That's Ricky Gervais. He starred and co-wrote the series. I would like to believe he was being sincere, but I guess we'll see.
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In an unrelated note, I am looking forward to seeing Steve Carrell play Maxwell Smart in the Get Smart movie. I can definately see him in that role.
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That character is so about Ricky Gervais, I have a hard time seeing Steve Carrell pulling it off, as much as I love Carrell. I'd rather they found someone who could do Gervais's character, even if they lacked a recognizable face.
Daily Show alums have a serious problem getting good work in other places, partly because they succeed by cultivating insincerity. Did anyone see Stephen Colbert on Law & Order: Criminal Intent last year? He was awful — you couldn't believe a word he said.
Casting Steve Carrell in a faux documentary is a terrible idea — he can't pull off the naive, sincere vulnerability of David Brent. His persona is a lot more like the boss in Office Space — an unmitigated jerk.
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American sitcoms are generally very, very dependent on obviousness and consequently cater to the audience as much as possible. Just for example I was watching SNL this weekend and, in the "Weekend Update" segment Chris Parnell does a rap routine. As this episode was hosted by Ashton Kutcher, his girlfriend Demi Moore makes a special appearance. In any case, Parnell appears on "Weekend Update" and announces that he will rap a song he wrote for Demi, since he idolized her in the 80s like all other teenagers. As soon as he begins rapping it becomes apparent that, while he started to sing about Demi, he is really more obsessed with Asthon Kutcher. Haha. Quite an amusing bit--but here's how it relates to the obviousness of American sitcoms--just as he is singing, he interrupts the song and announces "Now, I'm a straight male, but..." okay, the clearly obvious "joke" has to be explained to the audience!
A few rare shows manage to shine despite this clear and utter disrespect for audience intelligence, but the brunt of American sitcoms will hit you over the head with their jokes. It is impossible not to get them.
BBC's "The Office," is the sort of show that doesn't play down to you. If you miss the joke the show will not pause for you to catch up. It completely goes against the typical comedic lineup of NBC.
Even if the American version is faithful to the original--judging from the spots I've seen on NBC --a reason it may fail is because the actors will not appear sincere. This new David Brent doesn't look like a real person you feel embarrassed for--he looks simply like a wild an unrealistic character. Again, judging solely from a few spots, it appeared that the new David Brent is pushing the role more towards the satirical than realistic. I know it's silly to judge all this simply from a few spots for it...but I don't honestly expect much, though I hope for the best.
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Has the British series ended? Because if it hasn't, why does there need to be an American version? If Americans appreciate the British version and think it's funny (and painful), surely it would be cheaper to just show the same series in both countries?
If it has, and there's still a market, how come the show isn't merely continue from where it left off in England?
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My impression was that the British series was over, with just two seasons and a 2 hour special under its belt. I could be wrong though. I'd like to be.
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Teshi, what do you expect? That American audiences actually endure a show with an entirely British cast? With British things being mentioned? Parish the thought!
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quote:My impression was that the British series was over, with just two seasons and a 2 hour special under its belt. I could be wrong though. I'd like to be.
The aim of most shows over here is to get at least a hundred episodes so that they can be syndicated. I remember reading in Newsweek a long time ago that that is where most of the profit lies for a network. "Seinfeld" has undoubtedly made more money being syndicated on many networks than it did when it aired on NBC. In the UK they don't quite work the same way and television shows have a much shorter life span.
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Well, I guess on the upside of the british shows, you just get enough shows and they don't drag on past their sell-by date unless they're extremely popular or totally endless. More quality, less quantity? Or just less?
On the downside, it means less of a good thing.
One hundred shows is a lot! is that a law or something?
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Well most shows that last more than three years get around a hundred episodes. The tendency in our television is to either seemingly go on forever, or prematurely get cancelled. There isn't that much of an incentive to make mini-serieses and such, which is why they're so rare. Not enough profit in the long run. I think that "The Office" is all the more sweet for being short lived--imagine the jokes running on forever, like Niles' crush on Daphne in Frasier.
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I loved the British Sit Com--Coupling. It had the tightest storylines and scripts I've seen in a long while.
They ported it to NBC and it sunk.
People loved the Game Show "Weakest Link" in British version. The US Version could not live up to its hype.
Fox tried to do Dr. Who and it stunk.
However, since "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" made billions for a US company when it ported over, they will continue to try and try again.
Just thank God that they aren't trying it with Monty Python.
Could you imagine an American Version of Monty Python. Chevy Chase in the John Cleese parts. Sinbad doing the Terry Gillian bits. Ashton Kutcher as Micheal Palin and David Schwimmer doing the Terry Jones routines.
It is nauseatingly scarey.
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Ricky Gervais did a guest spot on Alias (and was brilliant, btw) last year and said that The Office was finished. He's writing and producing a new series and will be in Mission: Impossible 3, directed by Alias creator J.J. Abrams.
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I expect that I'll feel the same way about the producers of this American version that I felt about David Brent. Shoot them and put them out of their misery.
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Steve Carrell is hilarious. I don't think it's fair to prejudge the show based on the fact that previous British to American do overs haven't done as well.
If he wasn't in it I probably wouldn't give it a second look, just doesn't look like my kind of show, but I loved him on The Daily Show, and I almost died laughing during some of his parts in Bruce Almighty. So I'll give it a chance.
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NPR pointed out that All In The Family and Sanford & Son were two shows also copied from the British. There is hope.
Consider this, American Idol, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Constantine (Comic is set originally in Britain--Movie is set in LA), Survivor, Who's Line Is It Anyway, the Host of home surprise makeover shows, and other lesser known shows from Robot Wars to Junkyard Wars to other have all originated in Britian.
Are the Brits the Blacks of the 21st Century? (as in, we are stealing their shows as we stole African American music and claimed it as our own Rock N Roll?)
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We see something someone else has "ooo look, pretty!" and then we take it and make it our own. "Pretty Thing Made in America!"
Then we pretend that ours is the best, and that no one else made it first, it was our idea all along.
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Man, I thought I'd clicked on the dinosaur thread, so I was expecting this to be a pretty funny joke link of souped up T. Rexes and Raptors.
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Somalian, I wish I could take offense at what you posted, but I can't. :-\
Then again, if this is supposed to be "funny and painful" (as in, humiliating?) I won't be able to stand it. I hate that kind of comedy.
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Icarus, I didn't intend to offend. Anyway, I pretty much agree with the critic who said that, even if the new "Office" is a pale imitation of the original, it's still better than shows like "My Wife & Kids" and "According To Jim" Posts: 722 | Registered: Jul 2004
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You definitely won't like The Office then. If they stay true to the British version, and it seems they will since the first episode was almost an exact copy, then the humiliation will just get worse with every episode. As for the show, it was decent, but I'd rather just watch the dvds of the Brit version. It's much better. The British actors made those characters.
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Watched it tonight. Wasn't too impressed. There were good moments, but most of it was rather sleep-inspiring.
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Here's another show that is set in Scranton, which is even more painful and humiliating, but not necessarily as funny.
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Yeah Teshi, Icarus, I doubt you could stand this program (well, the British version anyway). It is incredibly funny, but there is a pathetic quality to almost every character that was hard to watch. There's just this well of despair and loneliness that underlies the entire show.
[Edited because I'm apparently finding spelling a bit of a challenge today.]
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I'd seen bits and snatches of the British version, but never sat down and really watched it. Earlier this week I watched the first episode of the American version. It was ok, but nothing that I thought particularly great. I then watched the British version (of that same first episode, and yes, right after watching the American one). I don't know quite how to describe it, but the British version seemed more real. The American version just seemed like a strange TV show. I think I'll probably stick to the British version.
quote: Yeah Teshi, Icarus, I doubt you could stand this program (well, the British version anyway). It is incredibly funny, but there is a pathetic quality to almost every character that was hard to watch. There's just this well of despair and loneliness that underlies the entire show.
I see this as tragedy, so essentially for me its like watching the saddest show in the world, written by the cruelest people. I have issues with Mr. Bean so you can see how pathetic I am. I cannot laugh at other people's distress.
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I sometimes had a hard time watching Frasier for exactly this reason. I hate cringing for characters. For me The Office was worth it, and I'll probably be renting it again in the next month or two, but I definitely don't think that you'd enjoy it.
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I rather like the show. I've not seen the original, so the problem may there lie. But its my kind of humor. Kind of.
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The American version is a bit over-the-top, and does not come close, if you're comparing it to the BBC's The Office.
For instance, I forget the names of the characters who play the roles of Tim and Gerath in the US version, but (Tim) hides (Gerath's) entire desk setup in the bathroom. Then there's the big reveal, with (Gerath) answering his phone. I know the UK version had Tim doing something similar, but we didn't get the slapstick, "TA-DAH", here's-the-gag punchline that the US version did.
If you haven't seen the UK original, and started with the US series, I could see why it would be appealing. It is shot and presented like no other sitcom on the air, but that's about as far as it goes for me. Had it not been for the original, I wouldn't have tuned in again after the first few attempts.
But it's unfair to compare the BBC's version to the U.S., since I thought the original was brilliant!
David Brent (R. Gervais) was a little annoying at times, but that was a good thing. It wasn't because of the acting, but the fact that David Brent was a believeably annoying man you'd meet in a bar, or...the office.
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