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The Office TV show: which is better, American or British?

By Carla Chadwick of WordPlayBlog.com

Before John Krasinski got the part as Jim Halpert on the American version of The Office, he wondered whether the uniqueness of the British version could be duplicated. In fact, when he went in for his audition, he said something along the lines of “I hope they don’t screw it up” to someone he found out later worked high up on the show. He obviously got the part anyway.

If you look at the ratings, people agree they didn’t screw up the American version. But as great as both versions are, there are differences that make each unique. In my opinion, we’re splitting hairs, because both are worth watching repeatedly. But to satisfy my curiosity whether one edges out the other, I’ve developed my own rating system:

MOST CRINGE-INDUCING BOSS
Both Ricky Gervais and Steve Carell try hard to make you cringe at their characters’ flaws. David Brent and Michael Scott court the mockumentary camera crew, trying to get the focus on them alone. Both also flaunt their selfishness as if it were a positive attribute.

 British: Ricky Gervais as David Brent
Thoroughly self-obsessed, Brent is the clear winner in this category. The way he sucks in his lip and mugs when he gets caught telling a lie, making a rude remark or just being a fool actually makes me squirm.

American: Steve Carell as Michael Scott
Michael Scott can definitely make you cringe, but he shows more vulnerability than Gervais’s Brent, which softens his character a bit. Brent benefits from that vulnerability; it’s just that it doesn’t win him the title of most cringe-inducing boss.

BEST ROMANCE
It’s so hard to rate the romances, because both couples are charming and their interactions so well written.

 British: Martin Freeman as Tim Canterbury and Lucy Davis as Dawn Tinsley
These two are so cute together. Like Jim and Pam, Tim and Dawn were made for each other. But where they edge out the Americans is that their romance was finally realized at the climax of the series, leaving us to think only good things about their future together.

American: John Krasinski as Jim Halpert and Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly
It was a tough call giving this to the Brits. There’s something satisfying about watching Jim and Pam revel in their relationship and build it over time. But the nagging question of whether they’ll stay together casts a slight shadow over their relationship for me.

BEST PRANK
This is another category that’s hard to call, because the writers of both shows were so good at coming up with ways to get the best of the characters.

British:
Tim, and sometimes Tim and Dawn, were the main practitioners of winding up Gareth. Between the two of them, they glued Gareth’s phone receiver to the base, teased him endlessly using Territorial Army-related jokes that questioned his sexual orientation, encased his stapler in Jell-o, and generally tortured him. All great fun, but because the series was short, they didn’t have time to develop the same level of pranksterism as the Americans.

 American:
You may have your own favorites, but there are two pranks that stand out to me in the U.S. version. One was when Jim threw obnoxious sales guy Andy’s cell phone into the drop ceiling and then called his cell number over and over. The other was when Jim and Pam put all of Dwight’s desk items into the vending machine and handed him a cup of coins so he could retrieve them. The creativity of these stunts makes the American version the winner in this category as far as I’m concerned.

BEST COMPANY NAME
This one was too close to call. With a name like Wernham Hogg, they have Hogg to give it the silliness factor. But Dunder Mifflin is a perfect name, too, summoning up the image of a dunderhead.

 British

 American

BEST DANCE
Both Ricky Gervais and Steve Carell are accomplished physical comedians, so this was another one that was hard to decide.

British
David Brent’s one-ups-manship of Neal and Rachel’s Saturday Night Fever Dance led him to produce his own impromptu dance that was part robot, part gibbon. When he added his signature lip bite to it, he was not only funny, he made me cringe. As hilarious and off-the-wall as this dance was, however, it didn’t quite have the physicality of Steve Carell’s dance.

 American
Carell’s booze cruise dance, which can be seen in its entirety in the DVD bonus features, was inspired. Flopping around on his belly on the dance floor like a fish out of water, he gets so far out there, you don’t know where he’s going to take it. This one wins the category if for no other reason than it looked like Carell had to be in intense physical pain to accomplish such a bizarre act.

So, there you have it: it’s a tie. No wonder I like both versions so much.

Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com
 

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