The Office

[Kosta]

I noticed a lot of people picked this BBC Comedy as a fav in QS' tivo thread.

I am kind of surprised. I think it is fantastic (I even own the dvd's) but I figured - with all due respect - America wouldn't get it. It is typical British humour, which plays well here in Australia.

Glad I am seemingly wrong.

[Karlifornia]

Subtlety is Un-American.

[Pyser]

i personally think its one of the top 5 shows ive ever seen. its just sheer brilliance.

i cant wait to see how bad the american version will be. there is only 1 ricky gervais.

"life is what happens while you're off making plans. you know who said that? john lennon. of course, he also said 'i am the eggman, i am the walrus', so i don't know what to believe." - tim

[Kosta]

i personally think its one of the top 5 shows ive ever seen. its just sheer brilliance.

i cant wait to see how bad the american version will be. there is only 1 ricky gervais.

"life is what happens while you're off making plans. you know who said that? john lennon. of course, he also said 'i am the eggman, i am the walrus', so i don't know what to believe." - tim

The ep where David Brent pulls out his guitar at the training session is absolute gold.

[Pyser]

between gareths ultimate fantasy and david singing (with gareths help), i was crying from laughing so hard

[Calis]

Far and away the best TV show in years, and possibly my favorite ever. Great stuff.

[moriarty]

Has anyone seen the two hour 'reunion' special that supposedly ties things up?

It's in my Netfliks queue at the moment, so I'm hoping it's a fitting finale.

[Pyser]

it ties it up nicely, in a kind of predictable way (but not entirely predictable). the best stuff is you get to see david brent out of the office...but i dont know about a fitting finale. i could never get enough of it, i just dont want it to end. so to say it wrapped it up well....nothing will do it for me.

[Kosta]

Has anyone seen the two hour 'reunion' special that supposedly ties things up?

It's in my Netfliks queue at the moment, so I'm hoping it's a fitting finale.

Yep, that is the "Christmas" special. Sensational. I won't post any spoilers, suffice to say that the "Brentmeister" on a couple of blind dates is absolutely hilarious.

[Glengoyne]

Maybe I need to see the episodes in some sort of order. I have caught a couple of episodes every now and again, and I made an effort to watch the recent specisl. I find myself torn between two extremes as a watch. I go from laughing outloud, to wincing at the various painfully uncomfortable moments. I like it, and I hate it. I guess I need to watch a few in a row, and maybe that will make all the difference for me.

I guess it is also possible that I'm just a shallow American, and I don't "get it".

[Solecismic]

It's just incredibly well done. I've heard there's an American version in the works, with basically the same scripts and a new cast. But I've also heard that the new cast isn't very good, and people familiar with the original are hating it.

I think it could gain a following in America. What's weird about British shows is that a season (they call it a series) lasts just six episodes. And it's rare for a show to run more than a couple of seasons. There are only about 8 hours' worth of Office material, total. That's not even one full season of an American sitcom.

And still, it's more than what's usually considered the best British Sitcom of all time, Fawlty Towers, which I think ran just 12 episodes.

[MrBug708]

Fawlty Towers is great

[Honolulu_Blue]

It's just incredibly well done. I've heard there's an American version in the works, with basically the same scripts and a new cast. But I've also heard that the new cast isn't very good, and people familiar with the original are hating it.


From all accounts this effort died a quiet death after an EXTREMELY unpopular pilot ep. I think it's dead and gone. Thank god.

[21C]

From all accounts this effort died a quiet death after an EXTREMELY unpopular pilot ep. I think it's dead and gone. Thank god.
It appears that the American version on NBC is still a possibility but there is still no firm airing date.

http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271%7C92119%7C1%7C,00.html
Still hovering in that liminal space without set premiere dates are NBC's adaptation of the Golden Globe-winning comedy "The Office" and the apocalyptic drama "Revelations" with Bill Pullman. Both series are still aiming for spring premieres.

Here is a site with some show info http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-22343/

[cthomer5000]

A brilliant show, and I'm surprised I liked the Christmas Special as much as I did (I thought the series ended perfectly, but the special is good). Easily one of the top few shows I've ever seen.

[Honolulu_Blue]

It appears that the American version on NBC is still a possibility but there is still no firm airing date.

http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271%7C92119%7C1%7C,00.html


Here is a site with some show info http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-22343/

Not encouraging.

[Mac Howard]

Did they ever bring out an American version of Absolutely Fabulous?

[Butter]

And then the Queen says "Is it a black man's cock?"

[gottimd]

I've always wanted to see "The office", it looks funny. Am I looking for something that doesn't exist when I go to Blockbuster, I thought the Office seasons are on DVD to rent there.

[moriarty]

I've always wanted to see "The office", it looks funny. Am I looking for something that doesn't exist when I go to Blockbuster, I thought the Office seasons are on DVD to rent there.

Don't know about Blockbuster, but Netfliks definitely has them.

[andy m]

the office was ok, but not a patch on 'black books' or 'spaced' - the best british stuff from the past couple of years.

[Critch]

the office was ok, but not a patch on 'black books' or 'spaced' - the best british stuff from the past couple of years.

Spaced was good, but Black Books was a lot of over-rated stinkie old poo in my humble opinion. Not a patch on Father Ted.

I'd go for The Office and The Royle Family as best UK stuff recently.

[moriarty]

OK, I need an English translation: "a patch on" = "better than" ??

[3ric]

Now "The Royle family" - that's one show that won't make it as an American version...

[Pyser]

i think spaced would do well over here just because it isnt so much british as a spoof of lots of different movies. its entertaining, but doesnt have the heart of the office.

[andy m]

Spaced was good, but Black Books was a lot of over-rated stinkie old poo in my humble opinion. Not a patch on Father Ted.

I'd go for The Office and The Royle Family as best UK stuff recently.

father ted, fair do's. i certainly can't disagree with you on that one.

black books is brilliant! you're wrong! i am right! see! i proved it by writing it down!

excellent british comedy nobody will have seen or heard of (probably) : world of pub. fantastic. 3 blokes own a pub. the pub has a different theme each week. hilarity ensues.

also, 'look around you', 10 minute shorts spoofing 1970s open university science features. very clever.

shit, i forgot about big train. surrealistic nonsense. sketch show, very funny. pre-spaced.

also -> this morning with richard not judy. amazing! lee and herring should be on tv more. i miss them. they haven't been on for ages.

the adam & joe show. wonderful. 2 nerds make a tv show about random stuff (such as making a soap opera using star wars figures, too good!)

the day today - chris morris at his best. a fake news show. funniest uk comedy that i have personally witnessed. follow up was brass eye - fake documentaries. also good. follow up was jam - which was gruesome and fucked up. not for the faint of heart. one for those who like to question what they laugh at.

[andy m]

i think spaced would do well over here just because it isnt so much british as a spoof of lots of different movies.

if that's what you have taken from spaced, then you don't really get it. i don't mean to be rude, but there is waaaaaaaaaay more to it than spoofing movies. it has this 'heart' that you refer to the office having coming out of it's ears. eww! :eek:

[Pyser]

i think i "get" it just fine. im just saying, from an american standpoint, people would like spaced immediately because theyd recognize the film homages.

that said, i like the office much better. i enjoyed spaced, but wouldnt go out of my way to recommend it to people. i smirked a lot, but didnt laugh too much. just a matter of taste i guess. (shaun of the dead, on the other hand, was probably the funniest movie this year, so, take that as you will).

[MikeVic]

Are You Being Served is an awesome British comedy! :D

[Kosta]

Here is my list of quality Australian comedy:

[AlexB]

Another fan of World of Pub - fantastic stuff! I reckon I'm in a minority here, but I think Coupling is proably the best UK comedy in the last few years: OK, it did rip off Friends' base formula, but then made it actually very clever and very funny

[WussGawd]

The Office: Great series. I don't think they could Americanize and make it work though, and I'd hate it if they even tried.

The Office Special made it onto BBC America back in October, I believe. I TiVo'ed it with the highly coveted Delete Only When I Ask option, haven't got to watching it yet.

[Solecismic]

The Christmas special was a terrific ending for the show - one of the best sendoffs since Newhart. They even (something you never see in a television show these days) showed how Brent had grown a little as a person. I'm glad they let the character go home with a bit of dignity.

[Mac Howard]

Here is my list of quality Australian comedy:

Wot? No Kath and Kim ;)

[Kosta]

Wot? No Kath and Kim ;)

I have watched some Kath and Kim... and it is just not my flavour. One-trick pony.

[Super Ugly]

I'll just have to throw my hat in the ring and say that The League of Gentlemen is the funniest, nastiest comedy I've seen in the past few years. My old girlfriend said she caught a few episodes on BBC America, so I'm sure that it crops up from time to time. Papa Lazarou is the best, but also the most frightening, character to appear on Britain's television screens to date.

"You're my wife nowwwwwwww!"

:eek:

[Tekneek]

Fawlty Towers is great

Is it unusual to find Connie Booth, as she looked during Fawlty Towers, very attractive? She was John Cleese's wife at the time, but was Polly on the show... Not that the show is not brilliant in its own right, but sometimes I realized I was watching it just to see her.

[Tekneek]

I can't imagine an American version actually working, but we'll see. I have not watched The Office enough, but can remember alternating between finding it hilarious and wondering what was actually happening (I attributed those moments to not being familiar with that particular sort of office life, or bits of brit culture I've missed out on).

[varacel]

Hogan used to be funny

And Kath and Kim is not too bad

Here is my list of quality Australian comedy:

[Abe Sargent]

It appears that the American version on NBC is still a possibility but there is still no firm airing date.

http://tv.zap2it.com/tveditorial/tve_main/1,1002,271%7C92119%7C1%7C,00.html


Here is a site with some show info http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-22343/


NBC did such a horrid job with Coupling (which is simply my favorite sitcom of all time) that they then want to try their hand at The Office as well? Sad...

-Anxiety

[GrantDawg]

Here is my list of quality Australian comedy:
Yahoo Serious.

[Kosta]

Is it unusual to find Connie Booth, as she looked during Fawlty Towers, very attractive? She was John Cleese's wife at the time, but was Polly on the show... Not that the show is not brilliant in its own right, but sometimes I realized I was watching it just to see her.

Not unusual. Polly was hot.