BBC's "The Office"

[davefb]

missed coupling the first time round,, i think i was put off because it was put forward as being a british "friends".

is it true the us version got cut because it was too rude ? or was it just bad ?

-dave-

 

[PaulS]

missed coupling the first time round,, i think i was put off because it was put forward as being a british "friends".

is it true the us version got cut because it was too rude ? or was it just bad ?

The US version was pulled because you managed to butcher everything that was good about the show. It was also banned in a couple of states for being too "rude", despite being considerably toned down from the British version.

 

[Gollum]

Never seen The Office, but we've got what I think is supposed to be a local remake of it here in Germany and its ... kind of lame. Not really fair to draw any conclusions on the original from that though. I also might add that I never worked in any such kind of office, so many of the analogies to real life are probably lost on me.

As for Coupling, I never really got into it while it was on TV over here (dubbed), but once I checked out the original language version, I liked it quite a bit. The characters, accents and dialogue are great once you get used to the overall oddness, really a shame they do so few epsides per season.

The sitcom I found myself enjoying the most since ... well ... basically since Seinfeld went off the air ... is Scrubs though. I usually don't dig hospital shows at all, but I just love the characters, the variety added through the fantasy shots/surreal sequences and the queerness of the dialogue. Brilliant show, hope it gets to live a long and healthy life...

PS: As if having to wait at least a year longer for new seasons of a show than viewers in the US/UK wasn't bad enough, having the show ruined by bad dubbing really manages to ruin the day every time. There aught to be a law against bad dubbing, or at least a decent TV station that shows the original english versions...

 

[rabidrabbit]

Never seen The Office, but we've got what I think is supposed to be a local remake of it here in Germany and its ... kind of lame. Not really fair to draw any conclusions on the original from that though. I also might add that I never worked in any such kind of office, so many of the analogies to real life are probably lost on me.

As for Coupling, I never really got into it while it was on TV over here (dubbed), but once I checked out the original language version, I liked it quite a bit. The characters, accents and dialogue are great once you get used to the overall oddness, really a shame they do so few epsides per season.

The sitcom I found myself enjoying the most since ... well ... basically since Seinfeld went off the air ... is Scrubs though. I usually don't dig hospital shows at all, but I just love the characters, the variety added through the fantasy shots/surreal sequences and the queerness of the dialogue. Brilliant show, hope it gets to live a long and healthy life...

PS: As if having to wait at least a year longer for new seasons of a show than viewers in the US/UK wasn't bad enough, having the show ruined by bad dubbing really manages to ruin the day every time. There aught to be a law against bad dubbing, or at least a decent TV station that shows the original english versions...

Heh, what's the point in making a local remake of a show, that was already sort of remade (dubbing)
Also, I don't understand why make a US remake of a british show, with often the same story and dialogue, but with much worse actors (at least that was the case with Queer as Folk)
I watched a couple of episodes of Office. Thought it was OK.
Also watched some episodes of Coupling when it was showing here about a year ago, was ok too.
Other brit comedy series that have shown here recently, and I've watched:
Smack The Pony, The League of Gentlemen, Spaced, Ali G.
My favorite has been The Royle Family, and Keeping Up Appearances (I know, it's something your gandmother likes to watch).

 

[London Geezer]

PS: As if having to wait at least a year longer for new seasons of a show than viewers in the US/UK wasn't bad enough, having the show ruined by bad dubbing really manages to ruin the day every time. There aught to be a law against bad dubbing, or at least a decent TV station that shows the original english versions...

You can take the UK out of that sentence. If what u said wasnt bad enough, the UK has to wait sometimes LONGER than other EU countries to get THE SAME VERSIONS, since we do not need dubbing, be it fiction or movies or games or anything. Monalisa Smile just came out here. My friends in freaking Italy watched it before Xmas... Not like i'm actually interested in that movie, i'm just giving you an example...

But we've been through this many times already...

 

[Simon F]

im getting the office soon from netflix. A little off topic, but how good is the show the kumars on 42nd street. I think thats the name of the show.

The actual title is "The Kumars at No. 42" - we don't call street names by numbers here in the UK!

FWIW, the "42" is chosen because of the THHGTTG. IIRC, Sanjeev Bhaskar (who plays Sanjeev Kumar) sponsored "Hitch Hikers" in the recent "UKs Favourite book" program.

 

[Simon F]

Coupling is a must see for anyone.

Strange really, as the couple of episodes I've seen were bollocks! I've got a few friends who like it but just can't see why myself...

No! "Coupling" is genius (well, at least original UK version). It is a very funny lesson in dating, relationships and sex

really a shame they do so few epsides per season.

Well, there's only one guy doing the writing so you don't get the volume of the "factory" sit-coms but it makes up for it in, I suppose, clarity. I would say the same for "Fawlty Towers" - that was from a team of two.

 

[Gollum]

Well, there's only one guy doing the writing so you don't get the volume of the "factory" sit-coms but it makes up for it in, I suppose, clarity. I would say the same for "Fawlty Towers" - that was from a team of two.

That explains a lot, each writer has his own pace. I'd expect most professional screenwriters should be able to get more than 10ish half-hour comedy scripts done a year. Not really complaining though, as long as the quality is right I can live with the lack of quantity!

 

[KBeee]

I've got to say that I watched "The Office", but only in the same way as you'd watch a car accident. Some parts were so cringe-worthy that I couldn't watch. Not because it's bad, but because it's true. The Boss promoted above his competence because he knows the right Management Speak... the losers that joined for a year or two till something better comes along and are still there 5 years later... people that KNOW life is slipping them by and their aspirations are crumbling, but are afraid to give up their security...
As for Gareth, the Part Time Soldier I'VE MET HIM!!! You can even see a version of him in a current UK TV ad for Army recruitment. "I'm a bridge-builder, a mine disposal expert..." and he's shown sitting watching a movie on TV with his girlfriend and commenting on a bomb-disposal scene "That's rubbish that is..."

 

[Simon F]

I've got to say that I watched "The Office", but only in the same way as you'd watch a car accident. Some parts were so cringe-worthy that I couldn't watch. Not because it's bad, but because it's true.

Apparently Fawlty Towers was inspired, in part, on a really bad hotel that the Monty Python team stayed at.