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A documentary film crew is tasked with recording the daily lives of the employees of the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The employees turn out to be a wide assortment of characters.

I was never interested in the US version of The Office when it was first released: in fact it has taken me 15 years to watch it! I am a big fan of the UK version and figured the US version was just an Americanised rehash of the UK version and wouldn't do it any justice.

Initially I was proved partially right as the Season 1 largely followed the UK series' plot, down to some of the scenes and jokes. It was still very good though and showed enough originality to make me continue watching. I'm glad I did.

From Season 2 the series finds its own way and what a way it is! Cleverly, charmingly funny but what sets it apart is the emotional and dramatic side. There are some wonderful story arcs and sub-plots, not least of which is the Jim-Pam story. This really is the spine around which the series is built, especially in the earlier seasons. Their story is an incredibly engaging one, made even more captivating by an incredible, off-the-charts-level chemistry between the two actors, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer.

This is not to say that the other characters and actors play second fiddle. Steve Carrell is fantastic as the boss Michael Scott - very funny and perfect for the role - as is Rainn Wilson as Jim's nemesis, Dwight Schrute. Even the secondary long-term characters have their chance to shine, there is that much breadth to proceedings.

Some of the shine did go off the show when Steve Carrell left. Will Farrell didn't work as a temporary replacement. However, the James Spader-Ed Helms period was great and saw the series almost back to its best.

In the final season you could see that it had run its course though. There was never a bad episode but the comedy didn't feel as fresh and clever as before and the emotional side was missing. This was all made up for with a brilliant, nostalgic, emotional final episode that brought everything full circle. Fantastic way to end a series.

I'm from Scotland and loved the British "Office". But I adore the American version! Steve Carell leads a great cast and I'm not surprised it has lasted so long. I'm working my way through Series 3 and have series 4 and 5 to look forward to. It's amazing how much the writers can get into 20 minutes. I like it when there is a double episode. I too am so glad there is no laughter track (which has stopped me watching quite a few comedy shows). I have noticed in this third series that the camera can be very annoying when it whizzes from character to character - far too quickly. Completely unnecessary. Steve's "Michael" conveys so much about the character - he's full of himself but so vulnerable and anxious for friends. Rainn Wilson's "Dwight" is just brilliant. And I love the company name - "Dunder Mifflin"!

The Office is absolutely, without a doubt, one of the greatest tv shows ever created and easily one of the best comedies I've seen in my lifetime! It's at the top of just about every "best sitcom ever" list for a reason...because it's incredible! Just about every episode is hilarious, which is nearly impossible for any tv show but The Office comes pretty darn close. All you have to do is read through some of these reviews to see how loved this show really is. I'll always miss it but at least we'll always have the reruns to watch!

This show really is outstanding, in fact its the only show i think i can rate as a 10.

From watching the original uk series back in 2001 on bbc TV, i never thought an American remake would stand any ground whatsoever. When the first series aired in the uk it did'nt really make its mark, and unfortunately never caught on. I was disappointed when it disappeared from our screens, and then quickly forgot about it. I thought it had 1 series and crashed and burned. Then one day i was checking out the reviews for evan almighty on IMDb and noticed that steve carel had still been making this show. I had to get hold of it and see it, And to my joy there was 5 series waiting for me. I never get into TV like i have done with this, i ended up watching 10 episodes in a day, i think i did all 5 series in just under 2 weeks. This show is funny, its acted brilliantly, its over the top, totally crazy but totally entertaining. If your ever down just bung on a couple episodes from good old dunder miflin in scranton and you cant go wrong.

Gervais said that 2 series of the office in the uk was enough. And that he did'nt want to take it further. I know he helps on the US version, and i sure he is surprised to see 6 series already of what i can only describe as the best American sitcom of all time!!

I am a huge fan of the British version of the Office. I remember looking forward to the American version when it first came out and being disappointed immediately to the point that I refused to watch it after the first episode. Almost 6 years later I gave it another go as people were telling me that it was actually quite good. I took the advice that I should start from season 2. This time around I enjoyed it more and gradually warmed to the characters that were basically copies of the British version. I can't believe that I would ever say this, but this show is as good as the British version. The bonus is that there is a lot more of it. It was certainly a knee-jerk reaction to give up on it so quickly, but it seems that a lot of people did. The Jim/Pam relationship is a clone of Tim and Dawn, but some of the pranks that they play on Dwight(Gareth in British version) are quite brilliant. There are certainly differences between the two versions, but generally the American version stays fairly true to the original.

If you loved the original, definitely give this a go.