Usually I like Ricky and his style of humor. I love "Extras" but I really struggled through this one. I only finished it because there are only 6 hours in total without the Christmas Special. It had its moments but in an attempt to make this look like they are doing kind of a documentary on the office staff it feels stiff and studied. Characters are one-dimensional and there is almost no developement. Personally I can`t figure out why this is so highly praised.

I just recently watched this version of The Office (UK). I did watch the US version first, back when it was airing and I loved it very much at the time. For a long time I was curious to watch the UK version because of it being the original, but mostly because I've read so much praise when comparing both versions. The majority of critics I've read always put the UK version way above the US version. I discovered that I'm not part of that "majority". There is the bias of having watched the US version first, plus the obvious personal taste, and by the way, I'm not a native English speaker. In almost every way, I prefer Michael to David, I prefer Dwight to Gareth, I prefer Jim to Tim. As manager, Michael Scott had much more depth in every aspect. Dwight Schrute also was much more fun and authentic in the shoes of the Assistant (to the) Regional Manager. The UK version is also too short. The romance between Tim and Dawn, which is a big part of the show, is very unsatisfying in this short arc. We barely see the inside of the warehouse. There are characters that disappear completely for no reason at all and you never find out what happened to them (ex: Donna, Ricky). In almost every way, I prefer the US version. The length of the series is part of it, but I think that the UK version focused too much on David Brent, which made it way more dull, and didn't give enough room for diversity from the other characters.

Well, I did it. I got through the whole series, but boy was I wrong (https://trakt.tv/comments/195833) when I thought the American series would be the harder one to get through. While I don't _love_ it, at least I don't dread watching it to quite the extent I did this. As far as my series rating, it should have been 4.5 based on the average rating I gave both seasons. But in the end, looking back, I was *far* too generous with my ratings for this show. It's _boring_! Not one of the characters felt like a real, relatable person. Actually, I'm not convinced that they were even archetypes—or even stereotypes. Watching their fictional lives here was like watching paint dry. In a show that's billed as a comedy… So I ignored my usual "rule" of using the average, and went with the 3/10 I thought the show deserved. (After all, the few "actually funny" scenes shouldn't be _entirely_ punished for the sins of the vast, insufferable majority.) I'll throw my weight behind @FinFan's take, one hundred percent: > It had its moments but in an attempt to make this look like they are doing kind of a documentary on the office staff it feels stiff and studied. Characters are one-dimensional and there is almost no developement [sic]. Personally I can't figure out why this is so highly praised. — https://trakt.tv/comments/11138 @ner0p, I'm also happy to join you in the "minority" that didn't think this show deserved its critical acclaim. No, I will not be watching the specials. I'm 150% done with this show.

I’ve tried to get into _The Office US_ in the past. I never really got why people loved that show so much. Still really don’t. However, **this** was some really funny stuff. To me _The Office US_ is basically just another NBC sitcom. This series really nails the mockumentary style. It works so well because all of the characters don’t feel like exaggerated caricatures. The show is also extremely cringe-inducing, but in the best way possible. By the end of many episodes I was in tears. The Christmas Special was also really great, it worked so perfectly as a bookend to the series. Definitely worth checking out.

One of, if not the funniest show of all time. Have watched each episode over and over again and still makes me laugh out loud. No other comedy has ever been able to mix laughter and cringe both at the same time, which makes this so amazing. I learned that they made a US version and found it very funny, but they couldn’t create the same spectacular cringe factor that the U.K. version possessed.