My impressions after the premiere as a long time BBC series fan:

Not as bad as I had feared after first hearing about it. In fact, much, much better. It's a bit weird to see a show use nearly the same script as the BBC show, but feel quite different -- primarily due to the acting and the way they shot it. But it did not make it worse. Worse would have been a crappy impersonation of the BBC series (which I loved).

Steven Carrell is very funny. Big difference here is he is more obviously playing a part, whereas Ricky Gervais absolutely was David Brent. In fact, that seems to go at least somewhat to all of the actors. The BBC actors it seemed were given their lines to say, but for the character essentially brought themselves to the role to fill in the rest.

It had a much less dreary and depressing feel than the BBC version, but I think that will help it with the overall US audience. That starkly cringing and hopeless atmosphere could never last over a long episode run anyway. Way too dark to carry an audience for any extended length.

Carrell's character has the same overinflated ego and oddities as Gervais', but the difference to me was Carrell's is more oblivious to his gaffes and absurdities. Gervais' character often seemed to understand that people thought he was daft, but just couldn't understand why or seem to do anything about it -- therefore the incredibly defensive nature of his personality. Carrell's boss is more...uhm...stumbly(?).

I also preferred the new Dawn (more human). I think the new Gareth is his own character...related but very different. the new Tim seems OK, but probably is IMHO one of the weaker new version in this limited sample. The lady boss was very good. They could do well with a new Finchy. We'll see.

I miss Keith. I miss him a lot. I hope they don't even try. In fact, in the BBC series he was supposed to be background, but Gervais found him to be so weirdly and naturally funny that he expanded his part later. I hope they don't try to catch that lightning in a bottle again.

It has none of the horror taint that was the American version of Coupling. That was... probably best left unsaid. One of the funniest shows I have ever seen turned into one of the worst cataclysims in TV history. Blech.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and hope it gets a good long run to get it's own groove going. But so far, so good. And it's already much better than 80 or 90% of what is on. I will be assigning a much hallowed spot on the DVR for this series.

And for all of you haters, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant themselves were around after casting for read-throughs and liked what they saw. So there.

I disliked the pilot for two primary reasons:

1) It felt to me that those who were appropriating jokes from the BBC script did not actually understand what made the jokes funny in that script. For intsance, I laughed at David Brent imitating basil fawlty imitating hitler (Remember not to talk about the war!)...but I did NOT laught at michael imitating adolf hitler because that's just not funny in even a painful to watch context

2) I felt that the jokes were much more forced and not natural like the BBC version was.

I really really disliked this episode BUT if they're moving to original material I will give the show at least a couple more episodes to see if the characters can find a fit with american original scripts.

Here's hoping,

Michael

I have to admit I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and there were a few belly laughs for me during the episode, especially during the "Six Million Dollar Man" sequence. And I will keep watching because of what I heard the series only gets BETTER once the original stories start.

And I guess I don't understand why people have to be down on these American remakes. American TV has been remaking Brit-coms for years. Watch the Three's Company pilot then watch the Man About the House pilot for an example, and you will see two shows very identical to each other. And there are just so many others, but I guess if Man About the House had been a cult favorite in America before Three's Company, there would have been no way for Three's Company to survive on it's own.

I just hope people give this show a chance, even if you are new to the series. I know people who didn't "get" the Office at first (BBC version) but came to just fall in love the series after only a few episodes.

And this show is being looked over by the original creators, so that can't be that bad, can it?

The main thing I didn't like was the girl who plays the secretary (I forget her name off hand.) I don't feel a chemestry between her and Tim, like I did in the UK version.

I enjoyed this episode. I've seen about 3 or 4 episodes of the british version and found this one to be just as enjoyable. Hopefully they original episodes will be good as well.

For all the people who love the british version and hate the american, as Mitch Hedberg would say, you are not the target audience. Perhaps the new episodes will be enough to keep you watching, perhaps not. Only time will tell. It will be annoying, however, if we're into episode 9 or 10 of the new series and people are still bitching about how the british version is better. Hopefully, it will not come to that.

I miss him too. I hope they do try though. The entire episode I kept looking in the background to see who could possibly be "Keith".

weakness: exzema.

The fact is that stuff from other countries needs to be 'dumbed down' for Americans because Americans are well ........

So i'm sure this dumbed down version of the Office will appeal to Americans quite well, i mean americans love the Simple life and other fucking dumb shows like that, they will like a crap version of a British masterpiece

Comparing that Steve whatever his name is dick to Ricky Gervais is like comparing a lump of dog turd to a room full of gold bars.

nice.



Yet you have no problem watching a lot of US tv shows, now do you?

Disagree with the Steve Carell comment, he is fuckin genius!!

But ya, i was a huge fan of the BBC show and i odnt get why the fuck they are using the exact same jokes and everything, that is JUST NOT FUCKING COOL AT ALL! Seriously, why even bother to make the show, people who like the BBC show are just gonna watch that, and people who dont like/havent seen the BBC one arent going to be interested in this show because it has no laugh track and is way to original for mainstream americans to comprehend!

also, i FUCKING hate when the network premieres a show and then moves it to another time slot, especially one competng with House and Veronica Mars, best of luck , NBC continue the view from 3rd place itn he ratings dumbasses!

Yet you have spent almost six years on an internet forum whose membership is about 98% American.

Weird.

Don't even start a US vs. British television war.

As mentioned a few times in this thread, the pilot used the same script as the first BBC episode, after this episode it's all original scripts.

That comment came from a guy in the country that gave to the world of humor Crocodile Dundee.

Paul Hogan, Jacko, and Yahoo Serious. If he's not in a position to talk intelligent comedy, I don't know who is.

Actually i was born in England, i hate Crocodile Dundee and Paul Hogan as much as you do

And yeah you guys are so predictable

In contrast to the nitpicking and jingoism in this thread I walked into this pilot with a completely open mind and an affinity for Steve Carell.

I thought the show was very funny and if it gets better from here I'm in for the long haul.

YES!!!!!

Because Benny Hill and The Young Ones were written by Oscar Wilde!

I did not have high expectations, have not seen the original series...and I really liked this show. The pauses seemed a little too noticeable, but I was thankful it was being done, as compared to "fill every moment with sound" as is normal... and of course the absence of a laugh track was a good thing.

I am looking forward to the next week's episode.

I am a huge fan of the BBC Office and I thought the show was fairly decent. I tried to view it like I hadn't seen the BBC version and tried to let it stand on it's own. I'm holding judgement until I see some original episodes, but I wasn't appalled by it like I thought I would be.

Oh, Jesus Christ......

Benny Hill and The Young Ones ARE a lot more entertaining and smarter than the shit that passes for sitcoms here in America.

And let me be one to say that The Office remake sucked and that it made the Coupling remake look like Arrested Development in terms of what a sitcom should be.

After watching both seasons of the BBC version, I don't think they would have been able to film some of the episodes for US consumption anyway because of the language used (mainly to cover verbal sexual harrassment scenarios or inappropriate discussions in the workplace). The BBC version has language that's true and raw, and not quite what you could get away with on the US airwaves (no wouldn't be a problem on preminum cable channels, though).

By 'smart' you mean fanny slaps and torrents of mucus?
Lets call a spade a spade...shit is stupid all over.

What I dont get is that the office haters here are calling it 'dumbed down' and 'a word for word ripoff' at the same time...wtf is that?

BTW...if the fee's for television in the US were forcibly siezed from you by te government like they are in the UK, programming would be different too.

Ill take the free-market sucess of Seinfeld over BBC Coupeling and a telivision tax any day.

The first three seasons of Coupling are all far superior to the entire series run of Seinfeld (the last and final season of Coupling was simply terrible, but there were a few gems to be found among those episodes). Hell, I'd rather just have a television and a DVD player and I'd be fine. Hell, I'd rather pay for quality than not pay for complete shit on television 24/7. A majority of the programs I watch are on cable (which I pay for) and I barely watch anything on network television anymore (other than say The Apprentice and Arrested Development).

Entertainment is entertainment. The British do their slapstick with a sense of pride and class, most Americans can't execute slapstick and pratfalls if their life depended on it. Just because YOU don't find it funny (fuck, I'll be shocked if you actually find things funny), doesn't mean the majority doesn't. Are you going to tell me next that Monty Python was complete shit and didn't make any sort of dent in comedy?

How, exactly, was this "dumbed down" in comparison to the original?

I knew that I wouldn't like the pilot since it was using the same script as the BBC show. It was very surreal watching scenes and lines I am very familar with being performed by such different people. As if I was to see a theatrical version of Pulp Fiction or something.

But like most other level headed people, I'll wait until next week's original episode before passing any final judgement. Hopefully the show will take off and find jokes and rythems that suit their cast. Let the show be a true adaptation rather then 'copy'.

There is no way this show was 'dumbed down'. It looks and feels much more like the little independant shorts that are always running on CBC then a big network sit-com.

I agree with those who didn't take to the new boss. There was something likeable about Brent. He had joy and ambition, which made his muck ups all the more funny and heartbreaking. I think I could have been friends with Brent. The new boss was cold and dull.

Am very interested to see the new episode, and hope that it can make the boss's personality work.