The Office - Golden Globe winner

[TylerD]

The British comedy The Office has just won best TV comedy at the Golden Globes, the first time a British sitcom has won in this category, yet it is suggested that many Americans have never heard of it. So I'm interested to know if any (American) 2+2ers have seen it and what they think of it. It is being remade with American actors and modified for your culture, do you think it will work?

[MaxPower]

I would guess that the vast majority of Americans have never heard of it. I have seen it a couple of times on BBC America. I doubt that BBC America is available on that many cable systems and probably get very low viewership where it is available.

The Golden Globes are given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press, which is a group of at most 100 foreign reporters based in Hollywood. Apparently you can get a Golden Globe if you schmooze with the members or buy them gifts. They are not at all representative of Americans. Frankly, I don't think anyone really cares about the Golden Globes, I didn't even realize that they were on last night.

The Office is not the best show I've ever seen, but I thought it was funny. From what I've seen the show doesn't have any likable characters, which is usually a requirement for success in America (except on Cable). Most likely it will fail in America as most new shows fail.

[Cyrus]

I don't know which series won the award but the 1st series was brilliant. Absolute genius. (And the direction will affect a lot of future TV, you'll see.) A devastating, very, very funny reproduction of the hell that is boring office work.

The 2nd series was a disappointment, in that it made the boss a caricature and pretty much exonerated the place itself for the utter agony, boredom and horror experienced by staff among its walls, by definition. Still crazily funny - but the writing lost its directional surety.

...Note un-American economy of storytelling (only 2 series X 8 episodes each!) and compare with rubber-stretched bonanzas such as Friends.

[superleeds]

Yes it is very very funny. The humor is very British and I think the average American will miss a lot. I mean no offence but some of the best lines allude to British culture/language/TV progs etc which I doubt will translate so, no it will not work.

Whenever successful programs are changed to suit a different market it almost always ends up being crap. As an example the American Programme 'The Golden Girls' was remade in Britain and it was disaster.

[TimTimSalabim]

I love it, I've seen all 12 episodes from season (or series as you guys over there say) one and two on DVD/BBCAmerica . However, I agree that the average American will not like it that much. On American television, you have to spoon-feed the jokes and tell the audience when to laugh or it will not go over. Not to mention you can't say half the stuff on American TV (or show something like Dirty Berty for example). Plus I think you have to have British actors who understand the timing and nature of British comedy. Just look at what happened to Coupling.

[KJS]

I saw the first season on VHS with a British friend here in Thailand. It is an absolutely brilliant show. The wit is super sharp, the concept (a show about an office but no one ever does any work) is great and the rapport amongst the actors is top-notch.

I am not sure if it will work in America or not. The closest thing I have seen is the better improvised bits in Christopher Guest films (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show). If the Americans can find good improvisational comics, and keep the genuine feel that the British show has (nearly every actor is only average looking, for instance), they might pull it off.

KJS