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The Office

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This article is about the television series The Office, comparing the UK and USA versions. The two series are discussed in separate articles: The Office (UK TV series) and The Office (US TV series).
File:The Office cast.jpg
The cast of The Office (second series, UK)

The Office is the name of two television comedy shows created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The first was the UK version, which was initially broadcast on BBC Two on 9 July 2001 and ran for two series and a pair of Christmas specials. Gervais and Merchant were then commissioned by NBC to create an American version, which premiered on 24 March 2005.

A French adaptation of the series, retitled Le Bureau, aired in Spring 2006 on Canal+.[1]. There will also be a Quebecois version of the show, produced by Anne-Marie Losique called La Job, which will premiere in the Fall of 2006. The German series Stromberg also used The Office as a basis, but is not considered an official remake.

Version comparison

File:Office us cast.jpg
The cast of The Office (US), as of Season 3

All of the core elements of the UK series were brought over to the U.S. version. Both are structured as mockumentaries, without laugh tracks. Both are set in the offices of a paper supply company, with a boss whose high opinion of his own managerial skills (and his sense of humour) are not shared by his employees. Both feature an irritating "assistant to the regional manager" and two characters, an in-house sales representative and a receptionist, who are good friends with an apparent chemistry between them that hints to the viewers that their relationship could go beyond friendship if the receptionist were not already engaged.

The UK original is set in the town of Slough, Berkshire. The fictional paper company in the show is called Wernham-Hogg. The U.S. version is set in the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, at a paper company called Dunder-Mifflin.

A January 2006 Los Angeles Times article commented briefly on some of the changes that the producers of the U.S. version have introduced as the show has developed. NBC's entertainment president Kevin Reilly, whose support kept it on the air during a period of dismal initial ratings, characterized the differences in the characters this way: "I think Americans need a little bit more hope than the British." Reilly was talking about such differences as making the boss be a bit more competent, and plots that are slightly more upbeat, with humour less cruel.[citation needed]

Also, the temporary employee in the American version, played by B.J. Novak, has much more of a presence than the equivalent role in the British version, played by Oliver Chris. In the British program, this character was only present in a secondary cast for the first six episodes. In contrast, the American temp is billed as the fifth lead character of the show.

Character counterparts

English language

Occupation UK Character UK Actor/Actress US Character US Actor/Actress
Regional Manager David Brent Ricky Gervais Michael Scott Steve Carell
Sales Representative Tim Canterbury Martin Freeman Jim Halpert John Krasinski
Receptionist Dawn Tinsley Lucy Davis Pam Beesly Jenna Fischer
Assistant (to the)
Regional Manager		 Gareth Keenan Mackenzie Crook Dwight Schrute Rainn Wilson
Office Temp Ricky Howard Oliver Chris Ryan Howard B.J. Novak
Finance Dept. Keith Bishop Ewen Macintosh Kevin Malone Brian Baumgartner
Warehouse Employee
(Receptionist's Fiancé)		 Lee Joel Beckett Roy Anderson David Denman
Travelling Sales
Representative		 Chris Finch Ralph Ineson Todd Packer David Koechner
Corporate Head Jennifer Taylor-Clark Stirling Gallacher Jan Levinson(-Gould) Melora Hardin

French language

Original Character French Character French Actor/Actress Quebecois Character Quebecois Actor/Actress
David Brent Gilles Triquet François Berléand David Gervais Antoine Vézina
Tim Canterbury Paul Delorme Jérémie Elkaïm Louis Tremblay Sébastien Huberdeau
Dawn Tinsley Laetitia Kadiri Anne-Laure Balbir Anne Viens Sophie Cadieux
Gareth Keenan Joël Liotard Benoît Carré Sam Bisaillon Paul Ahmarani

Trivia

  • The series was parodied in a sketch on the animated show Robot Chicken using action figures from the Cobra Organization in the GI Joe toy line.
  • The parody was named "The Terrordrome" and the Ricky Gervais character was portrayed by a Major Bludd figure.
  • The U.K. version of The Office is currently running on some PBS stations in the U.S.
  • The U.S. version of The Office is currently running on Network Ten in Australia

See also

Wikiquote has quotations related to The Office.
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