The Office USA

[hinge1967]

Any one see it tonight and if so was the there any point?

[Peri]

On what station.

[hinge1967]

bbc3

[Peri]

oh. dont have it. Believe show did not go down well in US

[spikeybob]

started watching that last night for about 5 mins. couldnt see the point myself I think the Americans do some tremendous comedy when written by themselves which we cannot match, but it just goes to show that Ricky Gervias was an absolute master at David Brent it reminded me of a kids school play it was embarrasing to watch but not for the reasons Ricky did it

[hinge1967]

I'm glad you said that Spikeybob because I watched it and thought it was dire, but wondered if it was just me being unfair. It was remade, and looked almost shot for shot yet lacked any warmth or believability. I had hoped that the American perspective would bring something new rather than take things away, but it was just a poor pointless copy, wasn't it?

(PS Notice that I've been edited but can't see any difference to the question I asked......I don't understand!!! Even my typo is unchanged!)

[hinge1967]

Oh, I see moved to Film and TV, thought it was too chatty a subject for the Topics. I get it....

[elgroucho]

I watched it but found I was comparing it too much to the original. Give it a chance though, all the other episodes are new, and not as close to the originals as the one last night.

[hinge1967]

Wise words elgroucho.

[butter1]

what time is it on, on bbc3?

[hinge1967]

Tuesday at 10.30pm and notice its repeated this Friday at 11.00pm.

[littleoldme]

This is more a general comment than one aimed at The Office specifically, but I'm of the firm belief that American TV stations frequently make a big mistake in making American versions of British comedies, wrongly believing their audiences to be too stupid to 'get' British humour.

Yes, there is a difference between British and American humour, but I'm sure that an American audience, knowing a comedy show to be British, would be able to "tune their brains in" to our style of humour to be able to cope. After all, we don't often remake American shows (anyone remember The Brighton Belles?), but simply import them as they are. There may be the occasional reference we don't understand, but on the whole we laugh at The Simpsons, Frasier, Will & Grace, Scrubs etc because we're able to appreciate them as they are.

When the TV companies try and Anglicise an American comedy (or Americanise a British one), they produce an uncomfortable hybrid - one nation's actors trying to do the other nation's humour, and - quelle surprise - it doesn't work.

Coo, don't I go on once I get started? : -)

[hinge1967]

littleoldme, you go on very eloquently!

I've never bought the American's have a different sense of humour thing, and think the obsession with remaking britsh comedy is more to do with how the Nation's history is still young and has always been about much more about bringing in people, ideas and cultures and creating their own from them. It reknowned as being very insular and I just think it fits better there.

What's the thing on the Statue of Liberty: "Bring Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses, your really good sitcoms, yearning to breathe free." Its a culture created solely from immigration , but once there its somehow thought better to be all american.

Mmmmmmm.............I hope that doesn't sound offensive........any american's (native or otherwise) with a point of view?