#21

Close call for all other parallel characters but Kevin absolutely shits all over Keith. If it wasn’t for the Performance Review scene (one of the crowing achievements of the UK sitcom) Keith would be a generally poor character.

1 Like
#22

just stole the format from People Like Us, mate!

3 Likes
#23
8 Likes
#24

Not a big fan of cringe-comedy or Gervais, so I didn’t love it or get the hype.

The US one is comfortably better (although I only watched about 4 or 5 series).

2 Likes
#25

The Office (UK): pretty good

The Office (US): amazing (I’'ll admit it gets very shit towards the end but the best bits are perfect telly.)

One of my favourite US Office bits:

18 Likes
#26

Such a wonderful scene, that. Just upped my score based on it.

#27

The original is fucking shite. Never bothered with the US version.

1 Like
#28

so good

#29

Adore this

15 Likes
#30

Not seen either, but I’m guessing with the US one the writers and cast quickly fell in love with their characters and started writing them as just lovable oddballs instead of Actually Bad or Annoying People?

i.e the classic US sitcom trajectory

6 Likes
#31

Love the UK series, haven’t seen it in donkey’s years though.

Never bothered watching the US remake, I just assumed it would be crap, can’t believe people here are even taking it seriously if I’m honest. I imagine the humour would be very different from the intense cringe humour of the original which is basically the whole point and why it’s so fucking funny.

#32

What about the bit where he puts his voicemail on during the Training Day episode? Or the “it’s not where my passion lies, the job’s not difficult, really I wanna play in a band” line in the same episode? Both great.

#33

how could i forget about this. amazing amazing amazing.

#34

Yeah both fine.

#35

The Barack line always takes me by surprise and it does me every time

2 Likes
#36

Haven’t watched either in ages (and only seen bits of the US one), but from memory the UK one was quite subtle in how the mockumentary format worked, and how the characters interacted with the camera, while the US one eventually bludgeoned that and every character spun to face the camera every time anyone said or did anything (which then led to Parks and Rec doing that to an exponentially higher degree again).

Everyone knows that Operation Good Guys was the real pioneer of a UK sitcom in that territory anyway.

#37

it’s how it builds. from kevin smashing the vend onwards is just crying with laugher for me. incredible.

1 Like
#38

Aargh

This is equivalent to when the Big Bang Theory substitutes jokes with cultural references imo. Just so lazy and artless

1 Like
#40

Used to fucking love the UK one, and it was a massively important show in terms of influence etc. But i just don’t have any inclination to watch it again, might be overfamiliarity I guess.

The US one is genuinely one of my favourite ever TV shows. Seasons 2-6 are some of the warmest, funniest seasons of any sitcom.

6 Likes
#41
4 Likes