The Office

I just watched the first season of the British version on DVD last night.  I think it was better, but only slightly (this was after hearing from multiple friends that it was vastly superior).  I guess I'm sort of lukewarm on both versions - they have their laugh-out-loud moments, but certainly not the funniest things I've seen on TV.

the british have less regulations and can do more in a show.

Proletariat wrote: the british have less regulations and can do more in a show.

That's for damn sure.  That big inflatable appendage that Tim got for a birthday gift?  You'll never see that on NBC. 

The us version !

I watch it every thursday.

BroSpence wrote: the UK version was briliiant and kills the US one by far.  David's monologue about being asked to be the godfather of a young greek employee's child was fantastic. Then stupid writers decided "hey lets take that wonderful, hilarious quote and americanize it".  So they did.  Changed greek to mexican and added crap into the monologue somehwere.  It was horrible.

by far?

The USA Office didn't win an Emmy for nothing

I know the British versions inside out, but I've only seen a few episodes of the US version. I need to see the whole thing and get a feel for the characters. It looked ok, but not as good.

One thing really stood out in the first episode of each. When the boss in the US office introduced his receptionist he said something like 'I'm sure everyone in the office will agree she's a bit of a 'hotty'' In the UK version David Brent introduces receptionist, Dawn by saying 'I'm sure at some point every bloke in the office has woken up at the 'crack of Dawn''

Thats the difference. On UK TV we can be as vulgar as we like after 9:00pm, and we find vulgarity hilarious. Well I do anyway!

Edited by Blacksword - April 25 2007 at 08:06

Blacksword wrote: Thats the difference. On UK TV we can be as vulgar as we like after 9:00pm, and we find vulgarity hilarious. Well I do anyway!

This is also why the most popular recent American shows like Sex and the City and Sopranos have been on HBO (cable television) and not the regular networks - no rules, they can swear and be as raunchy as they like. 

Drew wrote: BroSpence wrote: the UK version was briliiant and kills the US one by far.  David's monologue about being asked to be the godfather of a young greek employee's child was fantastic. Then stupid writers decided "hey lets take that wonderful, hilarious quote and americanize it".  So they did.  Changed greek to mexican and added crap into the monologue somehwere.  It was horrible.  by far? The USA Office didn't win an Emmy for nothing

Award shows are showbiz politics.

I've seen enough to know that UK > US

Pezmerga wrote: I think the US version is funnier, but the UK Version is so much more uncomfortable with the stuff Gervais says. So I like em both the same really, but for different reasons.

This is the principle difference between the two versions, and hi-lights the basic difference between what makes a US audience laugh, and what makes a UK audience laugh. I know the UK version was a big hit in the US, but to reach the biggest audience possible, the focus of the humour had to be 'tweaked'

For some reason British people love comedy that makes them cringe, and I'm no exception. I sat through that Borat movie watching through the gaps in my fingers thinking 'Oh God no, he can't say that surely! He's going to get shot if he keeps this up!' But I loved it.