Comparing The Office, British and US

I’m posting this in an effort to help out fans of The Office on NBC during the writer’s strike. If the strike goes on for very long it will be a while before we get new episodes. To help with the withdrawal you might consider renting the original British version. If you haven’t considered it, you should. It’s a great show. However, the story of Wernham-Hogg is somewhat different from the wacky antics at Dunder Mifflin.

To help get you up to speed I’m going to lay out a few of the similarities and the differences.

Similarities

Both the British and the US TV shows are are filmed as documentaries covering a branch of a paper company. The British show is set in Slough, Berkshire. The US show is set in Scranton, Pennsylvania. How similar these two cities are I have no idea, but on the TV shows both cities are sometimes referred to with a bit of disdain.

Characters

David Brent is Regional Manager of the Slough branch of the Wernham-Hogg paper company. His incompetence in business is only rivaled by his (imagined) musical talent.

 
Michael Scott is Regional Manager of the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin paper company. His incompetence seems to know no bounds, but neither does his loyalty.

Gareth Keenan is a self important military wannabe who jumps at any chance for power over his coworkers. Gareth is often the target of pranks and jokes perpetrated by Tim Canterbury. The phrase that best describes Gareth would be “Pathetic Prat”.

Dwight Schrute is a morally superior know-it-all who works at Dunder Mifflin for recreation. Financially he doesn’t need the job since he has inherited the family beet farm. The phrase that best describes Dwight would be “Weird and Creepy”.

Dawn Tinsley and Tim Canterbury are best friends. Tim has a crush on Dawn even though she’s engaged to Lee, a dockworker at Wernham-Hogg. Mutual interests include tormenting Gareth and getting the hell out of Slough.

Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly are best friends. Jim and Pam are now a couple after dumping their significant others. Mutual interests include tormenting Dwight and working as little as possible.

Differences

If you’re a fan of the US Office trying to fill the Thursday night void by watching the original British program, be prepared for these differences. A few of them could come as a surprise.

Format

While both shows focus on a “real” office the type of programs being filmed is different. The British show seems to be an ongoing documentary about the Slough branch of Wernham-Hogg. The US show is more of a reality TV show that follows the lives of the people working at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. That may not seem like a big difference, but it adds an element of drama to the British show that is often missing from NBC hit.

Tone

American viewers of The Office have come to expect wacky hijinks, such as Michael leading a raid on another branch of Dunder Mifflin to steal their copier. The British show has more subtle, almost painful, humor. Workers at Wernham-Hogg are faced with the crushing depression of being in dead end jobs, something the NBC show quickly moved to the back burner. Both shows use the strengths of their cast to it’s fullest. Here’s a good example…

• The laughter caused by David Brent often comes from sympathetic embarrassment, a type of comedy that Ricky Gervais is a master of.

• Steve Carell excels as the lovable and clueless goofball. Michael Scott is a fine example of this.

 Conclusion

This is a wonderful opportunity to take a look at the roots of The Office. There are differences, but don’t let that stop you. Don’t focus on what’s different. Just enjoy the similarities when they show up. Both the British and American versions of The Office are excellent shows.

I love ‘em both. If I had to choose between them? That’s hard.

That’s what she said.

: Fadoms, TV, Comedy, The Office, British, American, NBC, BBC, Writer’s Strike, Ricky Gervais, David Brent, Gareth Keenan, Mackenzie Crook, Tim Canterbury, Martin Freeman, Dawn Tinsley, Lucy Davis, Steve Carell, Michael Scott, Rainn Wilson, Dwight Schrute, John Krasinski, Jim Halpert, Jenna Fischer, Pam Beesly

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