Stromberg

This may be a ripoff of the original British comedy "The Office", but at least it's a very worthy one. In fact it's one of the best series ever to grace German small screens. Personally I am especially fond of the fact that all the characters are displayed as human, vulnerable, and yet utter bastards, constantly trying to get one over their fellow human being. Never before has stark realism been so entertaining.

However, I must admit that the fact that different instances of this series have been successful in the UK, the US and Germany chills me to the bone. It is unsettling to think that, across different continents and cultures, large parts of mankind are busy nicking boxes of toner from the office supplies cabinet, ogling their female desk-mates and mobbing their hapless, pudgy colleagues just to make themselves look better by comparison. It simply doesn't bode well for mankind.

I love The Office, I've seen the UK and US version several times and I'm also a fan of Ricky Gervais work.

Because I'm not a German native (B2 level) I didn't have high expectations for the German version. But boy I was so wrong, the humor, the mimic and the sayings are just outstanding, I laughed a lot and I think it's on par with the other versions.

Herbst is genuinely funny and acts masterfully, and the character interactions are realistic.

I really don't get why this show isn't more popular, at least in Europe. Maybe because it comes only with German subtitles!

Netflix should do better with this comedy gem, it should provide subtitles at least in English, they are so rare and these days there's no comedy anymore, everything is controlled and politically correct.

I am rewatching this in 2022 and I cant believe how politically incorrect TV Shows were allowed to be back then. The humour is as black as it can possibly be and it shows the dull and crazy life in an insurance company. I have neither seen The Office (UK) nor the US version (I switched it off after 10 minutes because I just couldnt bear it) so I cant compare them. The german office has sooo many akward moments in it and it is just great. Each episode covers everyday problems, thus making the show very relatable. Since the humour is very dark and also offers many moments of second hand embarrasment it is not recommended to watch it if you are highly sensitive in terms of me too, racism or discrimination. The humour is very VERY dark. Trust me.

Stromberg is definitely one of the best and funniest shows on German TV.

I have seen both, the British original and the US remake of The Office. Personally i prefer the US version of these two. Don't get me wrong i usually love British humor (Peep Show, Shameless, IT crowd for example are some of my favored shows) but i think the American series has a better 'flow' and the funnier boss character (Michael Scott is as hilarious as Bernd Stromberg).

The humor in the German Stromberg is also probably closer to the American version of the Office. The character of Bernd Stromberg is like a Michael Scott with a German attitude. Both actors are awesome.

A big plus of Stromberg is that it is not really a remake. It is a series for its own only roughly based on the original concept. It perfectly describes the typical German work environment, spiced up with a lot of satire off course.

Based on the extraordinary successful British original 'The Office', the first episodes of 'Stromberg' had a huge legacy to carry. Anyhow, the German adaption is a very good fit to the original. The main strength of the German version lies in its leading actor Christoph Maria Herbst, who plays the head of a department in an insurance, the counterpart of the role British comedian Ricky Gervais plays. Christoph Maria Herbst impersonates perfectly the German lazy, sexist and totally political incorrect office-worker, who is mostly hated but also commiserated by the viewers. I would even say he is a better fit to that role than Ricky Gervais, because he behaves, mimics and looks ( the bold head - perfect ! ) more like the typical office-worker, but maybe thats just my German-office-worker influenced view. The whole episodes are just like the original made up like a documentation, which means unsteady zooms and shots, less cuts and camera-angles and people who feel embarrassed to be filmed, which all together gives it the realistic appeal. I have seen only a few episodes of the British original, so I do not want to say 'Stromberg' is better, but if the original is better, 'Stromberg' is very close behind it. Everyone around Germany should look forward for the second season of 'Stromberg', coming in fall 2005, and I hope it will be more successful than the first, this show definitely deserves it.