The Office UK vs The Office US

Both are hilarious, but which is better?

Obviously only one way to find out, and no it's not a fight.

UK Office

The Office which stars the man himself Ricky Gervais. This would be the show that would launch his career and play a huge part into getting him where he is today...writing an American version of The Office. It's also hard to believe that star of the Hobbit films Martin Freeman was a main character in this 'mockumentary'. This show also helped to put Slough on the map...and Maidenhead and even Hull! 

The main character is of course the infamous David Brent, and is accompanied by his assistant to the regional manager Gareth Keenan, receptionist Dawn, and salesman Tim Canterbury (You know, Canterbury tales...Chaucer). Each character brings a huge amount to the comedy and the storyline of the Office. The Office UK is clearly not just a comedy, the storyline is actually extremely well done, and the characters as strange as they may be are very believable which is a credit to the writers and actors on the show. 

Ofcourse though The Office UK is mainly talked about because of the comedy side. The situation comedy that it shows had me in stitches on many occasions. From the beautifully scripted awkwardness of David Brent, to the working relationship between Gareth and Tim. The only disappointment is that it did not last longer!

US Office

To put it simply, the storyline is the same, characters the same, but with different names and actors. Then again why would you change such a winning storyline. However the US version does offer a lot more seasons, than its trans Atlantic sister show. This should be thought of as an positive but there are some episodes which struggle with content and are almost nothing episodes. Steve Carell takes the role of the American David Brent, and he does do a good job. He does not have the awkwardness of Ricky Gervais but does bring in a genuine comedy feel to the character, and most importantly makes the character believable.

However in the other main roles this is where I feel the US version lacks, well when I say lacks it is more of a 'not as good' version of the UK cast. This is evident in Martin Freeman's character as the US actor isn't as likeable as Freeman's Tim. The Gareth Keenan character 'Dwight' is played by an actor who at times is hilarious, but sometimes goes a little over the top.

The US office is good, but compared to the UK version it comes a clear second in my opinion. It has some brilliantly episodes, but at times can come across not believable, which as a mockumentary should be imperative.

But emphasis must be put on my comment that the US version is good and well worth a watch, but if you are looking for two seasons of comedy gold, the UK Office is worth every second.

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