LATimes.com on The Office

I was reading through an LA Times article on The Office and it helped me realize something. The Office has been getting better for me because they have been catering more towards the kind of comedy that Americans like. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve liked The Office since it first started airing here, but it has become even more enjoyable.

When I was flying home from London last Summer, I watched a few of the UK episodes of The Office on the plane. While it was funny, I had a harder time with it. It was good, but less pleasing. No offense to the UK show, but there is no getting around it. The humor in the US and in the UK are quite different. The LA Times put it right:

“The Office” presented some hurdles of its own, because the British version had become well known among many TV fans thanks to a successful run on the cable outlet BBC America…Early on, the American producers decided to keep many of the British version’s memorable touches, including the absence of a laugh track and the trick of having the characters tell their stories to documentary filmmakers. But comparisons were inevitable, and the website tvsquad.com runs a lengthy discussion board arguing the merits of each version.

The American producers eventually realized that many viewers were put off by the funny-but-pathetic tone that prevailed in the BBC series — in one famously brutal scene, David pretends to fire his secretary, who is not in on the joke and promptly bursts into tears. So this season the NBC writers have added more upbeat plot developments, such as occasionally revealing Michael’s (limited) competence. “I think Americans need a little bit more hope than the British,” Reilly said diplomatically.”

I think that’s right. Kudos to the US writers from taking something that was superb already and adapting it to the audience without taking away the greatness.

By the way, the whole article is a good read on the gamle that NBC took on the show. It can be read here

This site updates often with fun Office news. If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed or subscribe to updates by email. Also, check out the forum. Thanks for visiting!