The Office on NBC

Tirlittan · 03-03-2005, 03:26 PM

I just got a promo in email from NBC, they are apparently starting to show The Office on March 24th. But it is not the original British version (which is awesome). From the promo "The American Office" looks like it might work good, better than their previous take on a BBC show (Coupling). Here is the website for it http://nbc.com/nbc/The_Office/ with some short clips.

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**fluff** · 03-03-2005, 04:01 PM

I haven't checked out the link, but I believe Steve Carell will be playing the boss.
I like him and think he could pull off the role as long as they do their own thing and don't try to go word for word with the scripts like they did with Coupling.
If they just use the basic idea but come up with their own scripts for the US version it might work.

mrdobolina · 03-03-2005, 04:02 PM

I don't know.....the original "The Office" was pretty good. Awkward, yes, but that was the beauty of it. It is uncomfortably funny. Which I attribute more to the players (Ricky Gervais) than anything.

The problem I forsee with the American version is that they are doing, pretty much, exactly the same thing(same stories, same characters, etc)....with american actors. One of my friends had a great idea....why not make it a "spinoff" of sorts? i.e., make it so the same "documentary crew" that "filmed" the original comes to America, and gets to show you an american office.

Board at work · 03-03-2005, 04:17 PM

Oh, I have great fear about this. You saw what they did to Coupling. And this being America, you know they aren't going to just stop it after the second season like they did on BBC. They are going to milk it until it just gets really bad. Again I say, I have great fear.

Tigrazhia · 03-03-2005, 07:41 PM

Although sceptical, I will give it a shot. I do absolutely love the original Office from BBCA, and I've got the same fears as the posters above me about the American production & their tendency to milk things until it's got a bad taste about it instead of quitting while ahead, like the original Office did.

Anyway, I hope they'll manage to make it as funny... I'll definitely give it a shot.

kcfemmefatale · 03-03-2005, 10:14 PM

Ugh - I am very tired of American TV ripping off sucessful British shows - and doing the imitations extremely poorly. Coupling, Dog Eat Dog, etc. - all butchered when "Americanized." The British Isles are small and the US is large - I find it difficult to believe that there is no creativity in the US, yet an abundance in GB. Imitation is never as good as an original. Sheer laziness on the Hollywood execs' parts...

Quick edit: Actually, I'm tired of them ruining rip-offs from other countries, also. Iron Chef comes to mind...

Nemeses · 03-03-2005, 11:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tirlittan

I just got a promo in email from NBC, they are apparently starting to show The Office on March 24th.

I got that link in my email yesterday as well and checked it out. My impression? Nice ideas, but way too contrived and straining for the laugh. The clips were actually pretty uncomfortable to watch, the jokes seemed so forced and in-your-face.

I'll probably try to catch the show a few times if I can remember, just because we all know that offices and office politics are funny when you look at them objectively. But I'm not going in with good expectations for it, based on those clips.

I really didn't find the British version that good a show, either.

SnowflakeGirl · 03-04-2005, 06:18 AM

I loved the original British series! I don't even understand why America always feels compelled to make its own versions of everything anyway. You want to watch "The Office," why not just watch the Gervais series? You want to watch The Grudge why wouldn't you just watch Ju-On? I don't see why the original work couldn't just be enjoyed on its own, accepting of cultural differences, instead of always having to adapt and bastardize everything, which hardly ever works anyway.

I'll try to stay open-minded, but I'm too embittered after having suffered many a bad American remake. I do like Steve Carrell, so that's promising. I actually like MrDobolina's idea of not doing a remake so much as a sort of spin-off--though I doubt any Hollywood execs would be as clever as MrDob. Why couldn't they do something like that, something inspired by the original series, but not so much a direct copy.

I just thank god they never got round to butchering AbFab!

Tigrazhia · 03-04-2005, 12:23 PM

Quote:

I just thank god they never got round to butchering AbFab!

Oooo....don't jinx it Snowflake! =/

I agree, it would be better if they took the CONCEPT of the show and made it into something of their own, that way we can't directly compare it to the british show itself and the American version may actually stand a chance if it's "the same but different" ...

On that note, I think the US got it right with "Office Space", why couldn't they have made a series spinoff of that instead? I think it would deal with a lot of the same issues but in a manner that speaks to most Americans instead of in a series that's tailored after "British humor", which personally I love but I know a lot of Americans don't care much for.

holly71 · 03-04-2005, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnowflakeGirl

I loved the original British series! I don't even understand why America always feels compelled to make its own versions of everything anyway. You want to watch "The Office," why not just watch the Gervais series? You want to watch The Grudge why wouldn't you just watch Ju-On? I don't see why the original work couldn't just be enjoyed on its own, accepting of cultural differences, instead of always having to adapt and bastardize everything, which hardly ever works anyway.

That is so true!

03-03-2005, 03:26 PM	#1
Tirlittan Under Investigation Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 2,084	The Office on NBC I just got a promo in email from NBC, they are apparently starting to show The Office on March 24th. But it is not the original British version (which is awesome). From the promo "The American Office" looks like it might work good, better than their previous take on a BBC show (Coupling). Here is the website for it http://nbc.com/nbc/The_Office/ with some short clips. __________________ ps. This is just my opinion in the matter. Last edited by Tirlittan; 03-03-2005 at 03:30 PM.

03-03-2005, 04:02 PM	#3
mrdobolina Can They Do It?? Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: The Miami of Canada Age: 36 Posts: 3,254	I don't know.....the original "The Office" was pretty good. Awkward, yes, but that was the beauty of it. It is uncomfortably funny. Which I attribute more to the players (Ricky Gervais) than anything. The problem I forsee with the American version is that they are doing, pretty much, exactly the same thing(same stories, same characters, etc)....with american actors. One of my friends had a great idea....why not make it a "spinoff" of sorts? i.e., make it so the same "documentary crew" that "filmed" the original comes to America, and gets to show you an american office. __________________ "You don't own a TV?!? What's all your furniture pointed at?" Joey Tribianni It's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you.

03-03-2005, 04:17 PM	#4
Board at work FORT Regular Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Richardson, TX Posts: 145	Oh, I have great fear about this. You saw what they did to Coupling. And this being America, you know they aren't going to just stop it after the second season like they did on BBC. They are going to milk it until it just gets really bad. Again I say, I have great fear. __________________ "To be is to do"--Socrates. "To do is to be"--Jean-Paul Sartre. "Do be do be do"--Frank Sinatra I'm the queen of misspelling

03-03-2005, 07:41 PM	#5
Tigrazhia Glad 4 Vlad! :) Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Good ole I.E, Southern California. Age: 35 Posts: 1,521	Although sceptical, I will give it a shot. I do absolutely love the original Office from BBCA, and I've got the same fears as the posters above me about the American production & their tendency to milk things until it's got a bad taste about it instead of quitting while ahead, like the original Office did. Anyway, I hope they'll manage to make it as funny... I'll definitely give it a shot. __________________ "He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how."

03-03-2005, 10:14 PM	#6
kcfemmefatale My Reality Rocks Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Age: 36 Posts: 224	Ugh - I am very tired of American TV ripping off sucessful British shows - and doing the imitations extremely poorly. Coupling, Dog Eat Dog, etc. - all butchered when "Americanized." The British Isles are small and the US is large - I find it difficult to believe that there is no creativity in the US, yet an abundance in GB. Imitation is never as good as an original. Sheer laziness on the Hollywood execs' parts... Quick edit: Actually, I'm tired of them ruining rip-offs from other countries, also. Iron Chef comes to mind... __________________ "Nothing intoxicates some people like a sip of authority."

03-03-2005, 04:01 PM	#2
fluff Why can't we just rewind? Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 40,228	I haven't checked out the link, but I believe Steve Carell will be playing the boss. I like him and think he could pull off the role as long as they do their own thing and don't try to go word for word with the scripts like they did with Coupling. If they just use the basic idea but come up with their own scripts for the US version it might work.

03-04-2005, 06:18 AM	#8
SnowflakeGirl Picture Perfect Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: In the Limelight Posts: 7,348	I loved the original British series! I don't even understand why America always feels compelled to make its own versions of everything anyway. You want to watch "The Office," why not just watch the Gervais series? You want to watch The Grudge why wouldn't you just watch Ju-On? I don't see why the original work couldn't just be enjoyed on its own, accepting of cultural differences, instead of always having to adapt and bastardize everything, which hardly ever works anyway. I'll try to stay open-minded, but I'm too embittered after having suffered many a bad American remake. I do like Steve Carrell, so that's promising. I actually like MrDobolina's idea of not doing a remake so much as a sort of spin-off--though I doubt any Hollywood execs would be as clever as MrDob. Why couldn't they do something like that, something inspired by the original series, but not so much a direct copy. I just thank god they never got round to butchering AbFab! __________________ *Sending good vibes and warm fuzzies your way..., SnowflakeGirl* All New AMERICA'S TOP MODEL Recaps! Premiere Pt. 1 & Pt. 2, Ep. 3, Ep. 4, Dinah's Dynamite Ep. 5, Ep. 6, Ep. 7, Ep. 8, Ep. 9, Ep. 10, Ep. 11, Finale Relive every beautiful moment of America's Next Top Model...Click here for links to prior season recaps & interviews.