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The Office - US Version

Vice

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Dai Mentor

Dai

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Season 2 and 3 (2 in particular) were brilliant. On memory, every epsiode of Season 2 is gold. Its started to go downhill a little now, but it is still superb. Every episode has a load of little jokes, which is something I like. The current season hasnt been brilliant, but theres been plenty of good stories and good laughs (the Holly character was great I thought, Toby, Pam/Jim story, Andy being given more attention, etc etc). The thing with The Office is that its got so many great characters, and great actors playing them, that even an "average" episode is still funnier than pretty much anything else shown currently.

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herbie747 Veteran

herbie747

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I tried watching it before a didn't like it - but I had only dipped in & out of random episodes - so I decided to give it another shot based on feedback here. Downloaded all 3 seasons. Season 1 finished last night.

 

I just finished watching Ep01, and it's IDENTICAL to the UK Office - WTF?? Script is almost word for word, as well as all the scenes, characters, main plot, sub plot, camera-work, editing, colour/appearance, & overall theme.

 

Edit: I feel I have to quote this idiotic statement again:

All the comparing it with the UK show is stupid

 

They are two different shows. TWO DIFFERENT SHOWS!!!!

 

Well, Mr. Cleaner - it felt like I was watching a shit version of the SAME SHOW.

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Astro Hollywood Grand Master

Astro Hollywood

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I tried watching it before a didn't like it - but I had only dipped in & out of random episodes - so I decided to give it another shot based on feedback here. Downloaded all 3 seasons. Season 1 finished last night.

 

I just finished watching Ep01, and it's IDENTICAL to the UK Office - WTF?? Script is almost word for word, as well as all the scenes, characters, main plot, sub plot, camera-work, editing, colour/appearance, & overall theme.

 

Edit: I feel I have to quote this idiotic statement again:

All the comparing it with the UK show is stupid

 

They are two different shows. TWO DIFFERENT SHOWS!!!!

 

Well, Mr. Cleaner - it felt like I was watching a shit version of the SAME SHOW.

 

Season one is a carbon copy of the original, and a not that great one. From Season 2 though, it immediately forges its own path, and I'd put it up there with Arrested Development as the best sitcom of the 21st century. It's miles above the other hundred identikit American sitcoms, and from S2 onwards, I'd say it was far better than the British version. There's definitely less of a reliance on "nigger" *reacts* type stuff than you get with the original, and because of the much longer runs, the background characters are fleshed out way better.

 

The first episode is identical, because it was the pilot.

 

 

TL;DR - stick with it.

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tiger_rick Grand Master

tiger_rick

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I have a couple of friends who both gave up because of the carbon copy episodes and never returned to watch it. I wonder how many people in the UK did that. I can't believe it hasn't had a run on a mainstream channel over here, it's far too good to be buried on ITV2.

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mikey Rising Star

mikey

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I have a couple of friends who both gave up because of the carbon copy episodes and never returned to watch it. I wonder how many people in the UK did that. I can't believe it hasn't had a run on a mainstream channel over here, it's far too good to be buried on ITV2.

 

I am one of those people.

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Famous Mortimer Proficient

Famous Mortimer

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I have a couple of friends who both gave up because of the carbon copy episodes and never returned to watch it. I wonder how many people in the UK did that. I can't believe it hasn't had a run on a mainstream channel over here, it's far too good to be buried on ITV2.

 

I am one of those people.

I nearly did too, but then I gave season 2 a try and it really came into its own. A genuine TV classic.

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Vice Collaborator

Vice

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the camera has to be in some really weird positions to capture everything).

As much as I utterly love the show, I do have to agree with that. Car journeys are the worst, as if the documentary camera crew and riding in front of the car and somehow still manage to capture all the dialogue too.

 

The only other gripe I have is that: (season 3 Spoiler for those who haven't seen it)

 

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

Jim moving to the Stamford branch, it dissolving, him returning with a few employees and then most of them being fired pretty immediately was rather convoluted.

 

[close spoiler]

");document.close();
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Famous Mortimer Proficient

Famous Mortimer

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The only other gripe I have is that: (season 3 Spoiler for those who haven't seen it)

 

<-- click on 'spoiler' to show/hide the spoiler

Jim moving to the Stamford branch, it dissolving, him returning with a few employees and then most of them being fired pretty immediately was rather convoluted.

 

[close spoiler]

");document.close();

See, I didn't mind that. And I can't see why we should be spoilering stuff that happened two series ago :) I like how it gave them a bunch of new storyline ideas, and stretched the similar idea from the British version out over several episodes without making it appear thin.

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LaGoosh Grand Master

LaGoosh

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I got season 3 for Christmas and it's utterly fantastic. It's so different from the UK one, and as many have said the other office characters are fleshed out(I fucking love Angela) which allows a bigger variety of jokes and unlike the UK version (which I do love) the US version can be really heart-warming. I also find the Pam/Jim storyline alot more interesting than Tim/Dawn ever was. A really good difference I think they made was Pam's boyfriend Roy actually being somewhat likeable which can atleast explain why Pam was engaged to him, in the UK version Dawn's fiance was a complete cunt all the time making it totally illogical as to why she was with him.

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nwaRaven Newbie

nwaRaven

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I had never watched the UK Office, but saw the US version on Paramount and loved it, got all the seasons on dvd. This xmas i got the uk ones and i've just got to series 2 and havent laughed or sniggered yet. It's rubbish.

Jim in the US does the whole interaction with the camera thing a lot better then the uk guy, the ribs played on dwight are better, michael scott is miles better in every sense then david brent.

Thats what I reckon anyway.

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LaGoosh Grand Master

LaGoosh

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Just thought I'd bring this back up. I'm halfway through season 5 and it's without a doubt miles better than the UK version. I know it's not really fair because the US one has had a lot more episodes but fuck it. For me the scene where Dwight starts a fire in the office as a safety test is a hundred times better than the Brent dancing scene. All of the characters and their interactions with eachother are brilliant and while the UK version was surely a revolutionary and important comedy show...the US show is alot funnier.

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