I've never quite got why people are so quick to dismiss the American version of The Office. The prevailing wisdom among the chattering classes is that it is a pale imitation of the genius that is Ricky Gervais. That is if you believe Gervais is a genius, as opposed to a short egocentric whose talent is being stretched to the point of transparency.
Gervais's version of The Office takes place in a paper company in Milton Keynes run by David Brent, a deluded autocrat with dreams of fame. The American version takes place in Scranton, Pennyslvania in the office of a paper company this time managed by Michael Scott, played by Steve Carrell. The UK version ran for two seasons and stopped, the US version is currently on season six although we are currently only up to Season Four here (ITV4, Mondays and Wednesdays).
Again the prevailing wisdom is that two seasons in the UK left us with a gem of comic brilliance in which Gervais and co exited at the top of their game leaving us wanting more. Wrong. Given that the US series shows no sign of dropping its quality in six series we can only assume that Gervais either got bored or ran out of ideas. The UK version of the show is an exercise in egocentricity; David Brent is not a character he is simply a collection of characteristics. The supporting cast, with the exception of Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Crook and Lucy Davis, merely stand around rolling their eyes or looking aghast at Brent's antics. It doesn't help that Gervais is a very limited actor.
The American show however is a masterpiece of ensemble comedy. Steve Carrell's Michael Scott is a touching buffoon with a completely rounded set of unrealistic hopes and dreams and thwarted ambitions. There are no background artists in this show, there is no one here to make the central character look good, they are all fully realised characters with storylines and internal lives that contribute to the overall narrative arc.
There really is no comparison between the two shows. The US version is far superior and illustrates that while in the UK we often have the better ideas, US television is structurally set up to get the best out of those ideas.
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