The British office series The Office UK, by and starring Ricky Gervais, is legendary and is considered by many to be one of the best comedy series of all time. How can you top that? The American remake that I am going to discuss comes pretty close. Personally, I think it even surpasses the original. Before I go into this further, the following might be a fun fact. I didn't know that there have already been about fifteen remakes of The Office UK. Germany, Brazil and Canada, among others, have made their own version of The Office UK. These versions have not achieved the success of the original or the American remake, but it is fun to see what a good concept can achieve.
The Office is set in the office of the fictional firm Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton (Pennsylvania). The boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell) thinks he is the best boss you could wish for. He tries to be funny and friendly to his staff and sees them as his family. He is told by the head office that he has to downsize, but he has a hard time with this and tries to postpone it. His assistant Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) thinks he has the say in 'The Office' and hopes for a promotion, which he does not get. Furthermore, there are romances, fraud and the necessary accidents.
I already mentioned that it is difficult to surpass the original. Nevertheless, NBC dared to make an American remake of it. At first, this attempt seemed to fail. The first season was not received positively by everyone. The makers tried to retell the storylines of the British version with little success. From the second season onwards, the writers started to come up with their own stories and jokes that were more in line with the American office culture. As a result, The Office, after a faltering start, grew into one of the most popular comedy series of the past decades. Much less cynical than the British series, with a great Steve Carell as the ever unworldly Michael Scott.
If you look at further differences with the original, there are some nuances to discover. For example, the original is known for its dry, uncomfortable humor with an undertone of pure misery. The Office, on the other hand, is more focused on optimism and at times heartwarming moments. Due to the longer duration of The Office, there is more room for character development, also of the supporting characters. This means that there is plenty of attention for, among other things, the relationship problems of the characters Jim and Pam, but also for example for the unorthodox relationship between Dwight and Angela. Although it is a remake, both versions have their own charm and unique style.
Ultimately, The Office lasted nine seasons. The comedy series is now also a great source of inspiration for other office comedies such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Parks and Recreation. The Office scores high among the members of MySeries.tv. Based on these pearls of wisdom and my personal opinion, I conclude that The Office has become a successful remake.
