DB on TV: The Office Anew, as Good as the Olde?
Published March 24, 2005
I managed to get a hold of advance episodes of the new American version of The Office, the BBC's modern sitcom classic that featured mockumentary-style realism and the most painful, awkward comedy you've ever (loved to have) been subjected to.
So, the question is: does the Yank version measure up? Or does it fall in line with the recent spate of cross-Atlantic sitcom immigrants, such as Coupling, which made me want to snuggle with sandpaper?
The answer is: The Office, American-style, is refreshingly funny, and shows a remarkable amount of potential to get even better.
The success lies in the translation. Instead of even attempting to replicate the true-to-life pauses and empty dead air that play against British societal politeness and mores, the new version, deftly co-Executive Produced by Ricky Gervais (as unique a performer as you'll ever see, he played boss David Brent in the British version), smartly targets American audiences: the editing is sharp, the jokes well-timed, the production value top-notch, and the performances for the most part are funny and spot-on.
The Office is the story of banal office life in a banal industry (the paper trade) in a banal modern city (new version: Scranton). Steve Carell, a favorite to any fan of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, quickly makes the show his own as boss Michael Scott in a commanding, often funny performance. He plays the role smarter than Gervais-as-Brent, and where Gervais used his physicality as a comic weapon (I'll never look at someone adjust their tie in the same way again) Carell uses his eyes and his natural sarcasm to great effect.
Jenna Fischer is the other standout thus far, and also plays her role with a bit more intelligence than her British counterpart (Dawn the receptionist). Fischer's withering looks at the camera as Carell plays for the cheap seats are laugh-out-loud funny, and I'm thrilled to see that level of sophistication and subtlety in the early going of a new sitcom.
That said, The Office is clearly a sitcom, and works hard to generate the laughs-per-minute required by American audiences as compared with the more leisurely, and therefore more realistic, BBC version. Luckily, the laughs hit home often enough, particularly in the second episode, "Diversity Day," in which the cast really begins to find its sea legs. Word has it that the pilot was a revamped version of the original British-version pilot, and it shows. Situations, camera angles, and even mannerisms (Tim the sales rep is screaming to rip through the belly of Jim, played by Jim Krasinski, early on) closely mirror the original version, with changes made in the content of jokes, if not the jokes themselves.
I'm curious to see how The Office will play out. The original, as classic as it already is, only totaled 12 episodes over two "seasons," with one special thrown in to tie up the loose ends. There's much to be explored among this new, talented cast (even the minor parts stood out), and it will be exciting to see if the momentum ball can keep on a-rolling.
The Office premieres on Thursday, March 24, on NBC.
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Eric Berlin is the Executive Producer of Blogcritics.org and publisher of Online Media Cultist. He's also prone to referring to himself in the third person in author bios in an attempt to make it look like someone Less Important wrote it for him.
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- DB on TV: The Office Anew, as Good as the Olde?
- Published: March 24, 2005
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- Section: Video
- Filed Under: Video: Comedy, Video: Television
- Writer: Eric Berlin
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Tom, I've not had time as yet to check out the Myspace clip, but I will. It's funny that My______.com's are still around, by the way. I worked for myteam.com (a youth sports website) in the late 90s, which later got gobbled up by a bigger, less interesting company.
I heard rumors that The Office pilot got tweaked and modified after disappointing early test screenings. If that's true, the improvements paid off.
I'm also curious to read the thoughts of those who view the premiere tonight without ever having seen the UK version.
If the American version can meet or exceed the quality and humor of the British original, it will be a rare success.
It's a somewhat different kind of show, especially tonally, but I think it's to the new version's credit. It has a shot at being a successful and highly-rated show if given a chance.
i think series 2 of the office is just about as good as tv gets. I do hope the US version is worthwhile, even if it ain't up to the standard of the original.
The second series was a little too dark for some, but I'm with you, Duke. It was brilliant because it was unique, funny, interesting, and something you very rarely find on television: unpredictable.
And that bit with Brent imitating (not very well) a fellow with a certain malady was one of the funniest scenes I've ever seen in my life.
I'm waiting for the Canadian version. Why the remake? Friends and Fraser were immensely popular in the UK, why not play the British version on Yank tv? That said, I did laugh. But then again, I also _loved_ Coupling and was willing to watch that all over again in Yanky.
But they should have made The Office in the South. You know, with a southern drawl. At least that would be different. Honestly, the UK version was in very proper London English. Easy to understand. Easy to laugh at. I just don't get it. Are they going to remake Faulty Towers or Yes Minister too? Interestingly, they never played Spin City in England. As if they were worried about poor Londoners not understanding the concept of local democracy (London was run by the central government at the time). Spin city was also an office comedy.
One last rant, minus Yes Minister, British comedies tend to be incredibly short lived. I would love to watch new Couplings, Faulty Towers, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of crisps. But British versions por favor. As intended. In closing, before you run out and subscribe to BBC America (or BBC Canada) or apply for British residency, keep in mind that The Office was the best in its genre. And their have been plenty of faux documentaries playing in the UK. Some were absolutely awful. And both Faulty Towers and Yes Minister were made in the 1970s. It is pretty bad when you have to go back 30 years when programming a network. But hey, why not.
Sam
PS If you like the office, you will love Trailer Park Boys (made in Canada, plays on BBC America)
Some of the best comedies have come out of Canada, Sam. SCTV, of course, though I'm partial to The Kids in the Hall... which may be my favorite sketch comedy show of all time: brilliant, stupid, absurd, experimental, well written, and usually funny as all get out. Comedy for strange folk, which is I.
the question is, is the US office as piercingly sharp with regards the manager's attempts at PC? will there be anything as brilliantly awful as the whole "black man's cock" malarkey?
There's kind of a somewhat toned down version of that in the second episode, Duke, with an Indian woman. It's not quite as awfully bad as the infamous original, but the entire episode, "Diversity Day" is consistently funny. There's a great bit where Michael Scott (the boss) forces everyone to wear notes on their foreheads with different "racial" backgrounds (such as "French") and then goads them into insulting one another in the name of "getting real." It's really funny -- I won't give away too much more than that.
Just found this on imdb.com, kinda shocking to me, really...
"NBC's U.S. version of the British comedy hit The Office got off to an auspicious debut Thursday. Facing only so-so competition from CBS's coverage of NCAA basketball, The Office scored a 7.5 rating and a 12 share, beating the numbers for Joey (6.0/10) and The Apprentice (7.2/11), which preceded it, and helping NBC win the night."
Maybe it will stick around long enough to develop into something truly great and rival the original...
It got a great debut audience for sure Scott, and great reviews as well as far as I can tell. Newsday, the newspaper I grew up with and, I believe, the largest suburban pub in the country called it a "masterpiece."
I wouldn't go that far, but I liked it and think the second one, on this Thursday, is even better.
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Eric, check out the 13-minute long clip NBC has put up at their Myspace . . . space. It's much funnier than the first episode. I wrote up a piece about it here.