Regular K

I’d heard many good reviews of the BBC comedy, The Office, so when I heard that there was going to be an American remake on NBC, I decided to see it for myself. I watched the first few episodes of each version, but I prefer the US one more. I think that in the end, it all boils down to hype. Whenever somebody tells me that something is absolutely amazing, I’m expecting big things. All the glowing reviews of the UK version of The Office I’d heard had me expecting the greatest comedy ever. In the end, I think it’s good, but not the best thing I’ve ever seen. I’m left a bit disappointed because of the hype.

On the flip side, the NBC remake received a lot of bad press, since die-hard fans of the original bashed it for every little thing they could conceivably critique about it. As a result, I really wasn’t expecting much. I’d seen the original and didn’t think it was incredible, so a worse version of it didn’t really seem like a big deal. My verdict: it’s good! I liked it! I wasn’t expecting much, but I ended up liking how it was done moreso than the original. The boss is less obnoxious, but still stupid and quirky, so it’s still funny - just not appalling. The funniest character is the receptionist because she’s a little bit socially awkward, which makes for good situational comedy. I still don’t really know if this show is good enough for me to watch it every week, but I did like it more than the BBC version.

The bottom line? Don’t tell me when you absolutely love something. Just tell me it’s good and leave it at that - otherwise, I’ll probably be disappointed.