When a British TV series is remade for American television the inevitable comparisons will come out. The case is even more so with a show like The Office which had 5 million regular viewers in the UK and gained a cult following in the US big enough to garner two Golden Globes, one for Best Television Series and another for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series for its star and co-creator, Ricky Gervais.
Now when The Office was announced for the NBCÂ’s lineup some fears were quelled when the brilliant comedic actor Steve Carell was cast in the lead role and the fact that King of the Hill co-creator Greg Daniels was the showrunner.
New fears leaped to fore when the first episode aired and it was such an exact recreation of the first episode of the original show Office that even Gus Van Sant would admire. But the show soon leaped past its British roots, came into its own and created some memorable episodes. Standouts episodes include episode number four, Basketball, where the entire administrative staff gets trounced by the loading crew in a game of basketball and number six, Hot Girl, when a purse salesman comes to the office to sell her wares and Michael Scott [Steve Carell] alienates everyone in trying to get her to go out on a date with him.
The DVD set is pretty good buy at $29.98. the transfer is crisp and clean but the extras are a bit nil. There is some commentary and a few deleted scenes.
The American version of The Office is a great buy and will prime you for the upcoming in second season.
AndersWolleck
Astoria, NY
February 2003
AUG 25, 2005 11:57 AM