‘Office’ wars
For some reason I had the urge to watch “The Office: Special” DVD the other day. Probably because Christmas is on the horizon and it’s one of my comfort DVDs — a good watch whenever I’m bored.
It’s flawless. The special, and the series. I’ve claimed ever since completing the first season that the British phenomenon was the second best thing to ever hit TV, behind only “The Simpsons.” It’s the perfect mix of drama and comedy.
The last episode I watched of the American version coincidentally was also its “Christmas show.” So it hit me it was time to compare the two.
Even though the news of an American “Office” had most fans of the original moaning and groaning (like the rest of my family), I was willing to give it a chance. Sure, I knew American producers would likely sex up the show, make it more over-the-top and even threaten to taint the original, but I liked the idea of Steve Carell as the American David Brent since I had been a fan of his from his “Daily Show” days.
And that’s saying a lot because I regard David Brent at the best non-cartoon TV character of all-time. But I had a feeling that Carell would bring his own hilarious slant to the character of a clueless manager of some small branch of some company in some run-down city.
Carell indeed carried the show through its infancy, and the rest of it has managed to catch up in a very successful second season.
After a run as a suspect mid-season replacement show this past spring with a lukewarm reception, “The Office” barely made it into NBC’s regular rotation for the fall. And thank God it did because the second season has brought a lot more creativity in terms of episode storylines and allowed the show to take a refreshingly different path than that of its British father. Two highlights of this season for me have been the Chilis epsiode where Carell’s character — Michael Scott — and one played by Tim Meadows end up getting giddy over some awesome blossoms, and, of course, the Christmas show, where secret santa suddenly turns into yankee swap.
Anyway, here’s how I see them stacking up:
David Brent vs. Michael Scott
Again, this is sort of unfair because Brent has set the bar so high. It’s not that Michael is lacking in any way, he’ll just never be able to compete. Even though both hardly get any work done and spend their time trying to make themselves look good, the characters are different. Brent wants to be everybody’s pal, and contrary to some horrible reviews of the show you may have read, he’s not the boss from hell. If anything, he’s a dream boss because he could care less about work ethic. He’ll do anything, even if it means telling an inappropriate joke about the queen, to be popular. Meanwhile, Michael is a little more absent-minded or aloof, and as a result he’s prone to stepping on some of his workers to come out on top.
EDGE: Brent
Tim Canterbury vs. Jim Halpert
Each is supposed to be the real centerpiece of the show, even though the bosses are the focal points of the comedy. This really didn’t work well with Tim, but that’s only because Ricky Gervais was so fucking brilliant as Brent. Only late in the series did you get the sense that Tim’s drama was supposed to be taking over Brent’s, and Brent’s still was more sympathetic. In the American version, it’s pretty clear that Jim is it. He even seems to get more face time than Michael. With all that said, I still think Tim did a much better job of relaying the lovable loser. You could see a guy like that living with his parents and spending most of his time mired in regret. Jim just seems too much like a jock — a cool jock, like Drew Bledsoe or something — or a guy that wouldn’t have trouble getting the girl.
EDGE: Tim
Dawn Tinsley vs. Pam Beesley
My mom was all worried the new Dawn was going to be a much prettier version, a very common practice here in America as we all know too well. To the show’s credit though, it stuck with the idea of a plain receptionist to be the target of Jim’s affection and actually ending up finding a better actress in Jenna Fischer. I say better, but not funnier — that one goes to Dawn through her facial expressions caused by the embarrassing actions of Brent. Overall though, Pam has more depth, which, like with Jim, might be the result of more screen time.
EDGE: Pam
Gareth Keenan vs. Dwight Schrute
Probably the biggest mismatch of the bunch. Gareth also falls into the exclusive club of the best TV characters of all-time as a weasel-faced ass that takes his job way too seriously, to the point where he’s Brent’s sycophant. Dwight, on the other hand, is just too forced, too over-the-top. This totally goes against the vibe “The Office” initially set out to capture, which you can deduce by shots of people just typing at their desks and staring at their computer screens. The comedy sometimes is in the subtleties, and Dwight is anything but subtle.
EDGE: Gareth
OK, so you get the point, the British version of “The Office” is better than the American one (we didn’t even get to Keith yet). But I have to give the writers here in the States credit for what they’ve produced to this point because they’ve kept up the feel of the original while aiming for their own niche. It’s been so successful this season that it was recently moved to the primo NBC time slot of 9:30 p.m. on Thursday nights.
I’ll try to get my parents, my brother and his wife to watch now. After that, it’s up to “The Office” to make them believers.
December 19th, 2005 at 11:17 pm
i haven’t seen the original british version of the show but i enjoy the american version a lot. i’ll be sure to check it out though.
“That is a perfectly good mini Christmas tree. We are going to sell that to charity because that is what Christmas is all about.”
December 20th, 2005 at 7:50 am
as with eslice, i have never really given the brits a chance, i love the american version and would love to check out the original to see how they stack up. thanks for the insight, mark.
December 20th, 2005 at 10:03 am
I’ve watched many of the British episodes and I watch the American version religiously and I honestly like the American version a lot better.
December 20th, 2005 at 10:12 am
I think the thing about the American version is that it’s more attuned to the general American sense of humor. There’s plenty of stuff in the British version that’s far more subtle, and it’s just easier to miss. Prime time is no time to have to think, so they’ve had to get more in your face. It works, but it’s a different show.
December 20th, 2005 at 10:16 am
i like subtleties, but british humor is often lost on me, maybe it’s just the accent, like i said, i still want to see some of the british version before i make an assessment…
December 20th, 2005 at 1:03 pm
The UK version will always be the best, but, having said that, the US version stands-up well on its own. Only the pilot show of the US version uses exactly the same script/premise as the UK version and if you can break away from comparing the two versions, the US version works well. Furthermore, it’s teaching Americans the subtlety of dry humor and highlighting the difference between political incorrectness and mocking people who ARE politically incorrect — something which Americans have never quite understood.
December 20th, 2005 at 2:04 pm
i know that the us version is moving to thursday nights next month. the ratings must be pretty high for a new show to be pushed to a major prime time slot (if my memory serves me correctly, ‘friends’ used to own thursday evenings on nbc).
dwight: the problem, jim, is that people who are really suffering from a medical condition won’t receive the care they need because someone in this office is coming up with ridiculous stuff. count choculitis?
jim: sounds tough.
dwight: why did you write that down, jim? is it because you know i love count chocula?
December 21st, 2005 at 1:25 am
I like the American version of The Office simply because it is more office. I mean, the British was vary good (I mean, some of it was so awkward that it was as hard to watch as Pulp Fiction when the ball gags come out. seriously, it’s some powerful stuff.), but only twelve episodes and that hour special? The concept deserves more, and the American version gives it.
December 22nd, 2005 at 9:06 am
Ho, Ho, Ho, Pimp!
December 22nd, 2005 at 9:26 am
[…] I have found that I am addicted to NBC’s The Office. This show is so funny and so real when it comes to what happens in a corporate office environment, especially in an Information Technology environment. As I had mentioned before, I missed the last episode when the had their Christmas part so I downloaded form iTunes and now I am happy I did because I have watched it several times over and laugh every time. I found on CrapFilter.net that the show is based off of a British version. I wasn’t aware of that and will definitely have to research that further so I can watch it. I love British humor so I am sure it is a must see also. Check of the comparison on both shows over on the CrapFilter. Technorati Tags: NBC Television The Office […]
December 22nd, 2005 at 2:23 pm
feeling uncomfortable and upset after each episode is what sets it apart from those other shows on tv. don’t be mistaken. this “uncomfortable and upset” is not the same as the “uncomfortable and upset” after watching, say, The View.
December 26th, 2005 at 8:21 am
Santa hooked my ass up with the British version and I spent a good portion of xmas watching the series. A pretty big fan of the American version, I must say I like the British one more. A LOT more. It’s definitely more subtle and, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but the Brit version of Dwight — Garreth Keenan — is much better. His whole brown-noser stealth undercover vibe is uproarious and the way Dawn and Tim it is terrific. Get the Brit version on DVD - it’s worth it.
February 1st, 2006 at 11:00 am
[…] Thanks for indulging my thoughts on the Office wars that fellow Craphead, Mark Bodenrader brought to The Filter audience not so long ago. I know that here at this site I am indeed in the minority, but as I previously said, I will forge ahead and not give up yet. Perhaps the magnificence that so many here and elsewhere have discussed will hit me in the future (and if so, I imagine it’ll huit me like a tons of bricks)… until then I’ll be watching NBC’s Thursday nights and laughing my ass off. […]