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The Office (UK): Season 1
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8.9 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 23 Ratings

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  • Starring: Stirling Gallacher, Ralph Ineson, Martin Freeman
  • Summary: "Trust, encouragement, reward, loyalty... satisfaction. That's what I'm..you know. Trust people and they'll be true to you. Treat them greatly, and they will show themselves to be great." - David Brent. The Office tells a story of a few people working in a British office working hard to not lose their jobs. This hilarious comedy won a Golden Globe award for best comedy series. It was created by Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant. David Brent (Ricky Gervais) is a manager of low intelligence and has no sense of humor, but is convinced that he is the best, the most entertaining and the most well liked boss of all time.Today the show has been sold in more than 60 countries and it even had a remake in America. The Office is the first non-American show nominated in the category of best television musical or comedy for a Golden Globe Award; and Ricky Gervais was the first non-American actor nominated for the lead role in a television comedy for the same award. The Office won both awards and left Sex and the City & Matt LeBlanc empty handed. When the series aired the first season, they did not even know how popular it would get in some future episodes. The fact that its release on the DVD format proved to be the BBC's best selling comedy release shows its mass popularity and appeal.The writers at the start did not imagine that a second season would be created and after bowing to pressure to create one they would not do it again for a third. The show ended on a high note after two Christmas specials which tied up knots and rounded off wonderfully the first two seasons.Opening Theme Song: "Handbags and Gladrags" performed by Fin.WARNING: some episodes contain quotes with strong language.… Expand
  • Genre(s): Comedy

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  1. Positive: 1 out of 3
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  3. Negative: 1 out of 3
  1. thedanprout
    10
    Arguably the funniest series ever made, The Office (UK) was a watershed television comedy, spawning a huge number of spinoffs around the globe. Using realism to leverage Ricky Gervais's gift for uncomfortable humor, the Office ratchets up the awkwardness, the so-called uncomfortable humor, to (hilariously) painful heights. The absence of the usual trappings of sit-coms, (e.g. studio laugh tracks, colorful sets, overly good looking actors/actresses, and well timed zingers) in favor of handheld shaky cams, a drab office set, and sidelong glances of mundane office drudgery benefits the show quite a bit, and it mainly serves to augment Gervais's genius comedic performance as the imbecilic, approval-seeking, white-collar middle manager, David Brent. Gervais humanizes David Brent just enough so we still care about him at the end of each episode, which is quite a feat, considering that with each episode, David manages to get himself into what would qualify, for most people I suspect, as a peak moment of utter mortification in front of peers. And yet we care because David exists in a world that is so similar to our own, inhabited by people and things so similar to us, and because we can spot the almost imperceptible yet definitely there moment when David's Cheshire grin crosses those razor thin lines from mirthfulness to desperation, finally settling on concealed humiliation. Also noteworthy, Martin Freeman turns in a fine performance as Tim, an underachiever fighting to stay afloat the a sea of mediocrity surrounding him. We learn about these characters and get to know them more intimately than we would on a standard sitcom. In keeping with the documentary conceit, the characters are given a chance to share their thoughts, one-on-one with the camera man. Of course, as is the case with all reality show soliloquy , the less said the better, at least for the one being interviewed. Overall, there is really no excuse not to invest the three hours or so it takes to watch Series 1, especially for fans of mockumentaries like Spinal Tap, Best in Show, and of course the American Version of The Office. P.S. Tip for fellow Americans: Watch it with the captions on for the first viewing if you are having trouble breaking through the accents.… Expand
    • 4 of 4 users said yes
  2. TheChaser1985
    5
    Dry comedy. Too dry. The creators had a great idea but they didn't put enough effort into it. I have NEVER actually laughed out loud at this show. I have only smirked. 90% of the actors are horrible for their character. And yes, I understand British comedy. The British insist that Americans do not get the humor, when in fact it's the British who are too used to amateur material. Like it or not, America is the birth place and king of cinema and it's not even a close race. Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer and the rest of The Office (US) took this great idea and created one of the best shows on TV. Yes, the US show is in decline, but even at it's worst, it's leagues ahead of the original British version. Ricky Gervais (who NEVER gives credit to his co-creator Stephen Merchant) is the truly "ungrateful" **** (As he called Steve Carrell, who made him millions.) The only reason that this show doesn't have any poor reviews is because no one cares to watch it. I'm sure that the small percentage that at least tried to watch it, only got through the first episode. I've seen it all. The Office UK is "rubbish" as the Brits would put it. I would rate this a 0 to hurt the rating, but I'm an honest person, unlike many here and will give this show an honest rating... which is that it's good for a smirk. It's not horrible but it isn't good either, at all. Brownies points for the good idea.… Expand
    • 0 of 3 users said yes
  3. AtTheMovies
    3
    It tried, and it failed. This is not funny at all. It is far too dry for any sane persons liking. I respect it for spawning the U.S. Office, but that is all that it did.… Expand
    • 0 of 3 users said yes

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