The Office (US) Season 1 Review


Downsizing.

The Office (US) season 1 attempts to imitate its British counterpart, however the result feels underwhelming and disappointing as the show struggles to create its own identity.

That isn't to suggest that this season was awful, because it wasn't. I still enjoyed many a laugh across the six episode long debut series, its just that the standard has been set so high by the UK version of the show. There are some things however, which were certainly improved in the American counterpart.

 The first of these is Michael Scott. Personally, I loved David Brent as the world's worst boss in The Office (UK), but the character's trademark savagery and rudeness meant that he alienated many viewers, including at times myself. By contrast, Steve Carell delivers a more nuanced performance, as his character manages to maintain as inappropriate as his British counterpart, albeit with a more lovable personality than Gervais' Brent. I already feel as if I am going to become more attached to Michael than I am currently to David.

 Jim and Pam are more realistic than Tim and Dawn, although I already feel animosity towards John Krasinski's Jim. The aloof salesman feels overly confident and despite longing after Pam, rarely seems to suffer any hardships during the season or make any mistakes. He is slightly too perfect for my liking and I hope this is rectified going forwards, else I am going to struggle to connect with this central character.

 The other huge improvement in this series is that there is a larger roster of background characters in Dunder Mifflin than we ever explored in Wernham-Hogg. This means that more personalities clash in the workspace, creating more drama and comedy in the process.

 Despite these improvements, as I previously mentioned this season lacks the spark that enabled The Office (UK) to become a cult classic. In order to grip me the way the British version did, I believe that The Office (US) needs to forge its own path with new character arc for characters we have seen much of before. If it can find its own comedy niche, which I am sure it will, then The Office has potential to be one of my favourite comedy shows of all time.

 RATING: 7.7/10

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