March 28, 2005 - Fans of the BBC comedy The Office have been sounding off on their general displeasure about the US counterpart, which premiered last Thursday.  That series, starring Daily Show alum Steve Carell on the part that helped with the series and its creator, Ricky Gervais, two Golden Globes, premiered on NBC last Thursday and starts its Tuesday run this week.  And if you're not someone strongly invested in the original series, it's surprisingly funny.

For those that aren't into the comedies that run on BBC America, The Office is a faux-documentary series set in your standard office setting, hence the name.  The people that make up the office staff are archetypes for everyone you've ever seen or, even more likely, worked with.  There's the manager who is far less beloved than he thinks he is, the paranoid office guy and the cute-but-not-gorgeous girl at the desk that every male in the building, especially the aforementioned manager, fantasizes about because they see her every day.

The pilot episode for the US series was deservedly panned by fans of the show and many critics for using too many gags from the original, some of which really didn't transfer as well as hoped.  Fortunately for the producers and the audience, the series veers away from its source material this week, focusing more on situations faced by the American work force.  This results in a show that should connect with more of its intended audience and, if played correctly, could become a solid performer for a network that desperately could use a hit.

The series is never intended to be a gut buster; the style of humor is like a half hour of observational comedy – amusing but never intended to be a solid hour of laugh out loud vaudeville comedy.  It's the kind of humor that will stick with you after it's over and make you take a different look at the people you work with.  In that respect, it's possibly one of the most unique comedies on US television and for that reason alone, deserves a shot at survival.  It runs the risk of being "too hip for the room" but for those that are willing to change what they expect from a network comedy, it may be one of best surprises of the season.

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