Stromberg

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.

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.

It's a common mistake to compare "Stromberg" with the original British TV-series "The Office". Though characters and stories have been copied, the German producers of the series changed the tone and style of the dialogues from the beginning. It is why the German version has been such a success and has already amassed a huge fan-community. Everything said and the way it is played is 100% German humor. And it is a comedic jewel in his own right. Those desperately trying to compare every little bit of detail with the British original fail to see that you cannot successfully transfer all subtleties into a foreign format. It would never be the same anyway. Those in favor of the British original should stick with it. The German producers took the format and changed it into something new. And all the actors follow the style of the show very very accurately. For the first time, German TV-makers have changed an original into something original.

The German adaptation of "The Office" is quite impressive.

The series is very funny and with Christoph Maria Herbst in the leading role, it's just perfectly cast. Bjarne Mädel also plays his role exceptionally well.

It is also noteworthy that the characters for the adaptation were not simply taken over bluntly, but have been given their own character traits.

But the series definitely would survive today like it's original.

Sadly the society these days gets upset about every little joke and tries to cancel every human being, which is why good comedy shows are slowly dying out and the genre "comedy" with it.

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.