The Office (UK): Season 1

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 12 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 157 Ratings

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8.5

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8.5	User Score Universal acclaim based on 157 Ratings

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The Office

Now Playing: The Office

Season Details & Credits

BBC-2 | BBC America | BBC Two | Season Premiere Date: July 9, 2001

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"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

Creator: Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant

Genre(s): Comedy

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E6. Judgement
Air Date: August 20, 2001
tbd
S1:E5. New Girl
Air Date: August 13, 2001
tbd
S1:E4. Training
Air Date: July 30, 2001

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Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Christopher Sieving

Jul 25, 2013

In 10 years of reviewing film and television for various publications, no comedy has given me as much pleasure as The Office. Read full review

100

Jul 25, 2013

It takes a little while to get into it (episode two clinched it for me), but once you get used to the accents and dry humor, you're hooked. [23 Jan 2003]

100

Robert Bianco

Jul 25, 2013

Gervais' show is so unusual, and his performance as David Brent is so painfully specific -- and sometimes just so flat-out painful -- it's hard to imagine how anyone else can make it work. [23 Jan 2003]

100

Joy Press

Jul 25, 2013

Wincingly funny ... It's the details that make the show so funny, not to mention the awesome veracity of the acting. Read full review

100

Tim Goodman

Jul 25, 2013

The funniest thing you're likely to see all year. Read full review

100

Alan Sepinwall

Jul 25, 2013

A scream, in the biting Britcom tradition of "Fawlty Towers" and the best depiction of middle management hell since Mike Judge's cult classic "Office Space." [23 Jan 2003]

Jul 25, 2013

It's a wonderful, subversive concept, and by failing to romanticize the players, "Office" remains true to its ghastly, funny self. [23 Jan 2003]

SEE ALL 12 REVIEWS

User Score

Write a Review

8.5

User Reviews

average-joe-

Jul 20, 2015

the office has to be one of my favourite tv series of all time.all of the characters work perfect together and ricky gervais as david brent had me in tears,i have yet to watch the american series but knowing how they usually make comedies,i havent got my hopes up.i cant give this series anythe office has to be one of my favourite tv series of all time.all of the characters work perfect together and ricky gervais as david brent had me in tears,i have yet to watch the american series but knowing how they usually make comedies,i havent got my hopes up.i cant give this series any less than a ten as there was not one part which didnt make me laugh.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TheIlluminati

Feb 27, 2014

@TheChaser1985 - cont'd from Bilderberg: I mean without a laughter tracker the USA seems to be a bit lost, so I’ll break it down for you. Sarcasm is when you say something but don’t mean it, like if I were to say to you ‘I respect your honest, objective and logical opinions’ I’d be lying,@TheChaser1985 - cont'd from Bilderberg: I mean without a laughter tracker the USA seems to be a bit lost, so I’ll break it down for you. Sarcasm is when you say something but don’t mean it, like if I were to say to you ‘I respect your honest, objective and logical opinions’ I’d be lying, but I’d be saying it for amusement (my own in this case). See how that works? Right, so you really don’t get British humour then, actually you don’t get anything unless it’s obviously packaged in America, has a laughter tracker, or is basic and straightforward pie-in-the-face stuff. So you’ve completely levelled any credibility you ever had, which was close to zero anyways. Great, next point.

The only reason the show doesn’t have any reviews is mainly due to the fact that metacritic kicked off majorly in the mid-2000s, i.e. after UK’s Office had finished, I’ll point out the fact that even some series of Seinfeld (particularly earlier ones) don’t have many reviews on Metacritic and that is an American classic (no sarcasm there, just to keep you informed). So that proves nothing other than the fact that Metacritic doesn’t review retrospectively and have been too lazy to pull reviews of shows from the past. For your information UK’s The Office must be close to the move universally most critically acclaimed comedy either ever, or at least since the last great, universally accepted comedy in Fawlty Towers.

The fact you speak as though you can decide what is and is not honest is absurdly naïve, deluded and arrogant (typical qualities of your creed) and is also completely contradicted by the fact you want to give the show a zero out of 10 score (an immature guise for anyone and by anyone’s gauge for immaturity, certainly when trying to be critical and fair) but you give it a 5 to protect it, thus not being honest with yourself or the greater public. You are just so confused and trying so desperately to write objectively but have no idea how.

Thanks for playing, but you and I are on different levels (I’m on the considerably higher one just to clarify, since I have to water everything down for you to understand it) which is poetic in that so are the shows we are discussing here, and once more, to clarify, that means that the USA version doesn’t even deserve to be spoken of in the same breath as the UK version due to the fact the UK version spawned it, is superiorly acted, executed and better received critically and socially, and also because of the obvious fact that the USA version went to dust right about the time it started trying to write its own material.

Brownie points to you for trying, but ultimately you failed.

Thanks in advance for taking this aboard and becoming a better person because of it… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

thedanprout

Oct 7, 2010

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 uncomfortableArguably 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

8 of 8 users found this helpful80

Themadlemon

Jul 6, 2016

The best comedy of all time. Gervais and Merchant are utter genius. So clever and original. The whole vibe of the show captures office life perfectly.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Longbottom94

May 2, 2013

A British comedy Gem, there are few shows that can match the brilliance that Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have made with 'The Office'. If you haven't seen it yet, buy it now or watch it on Netflix, you want regret it.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

ageofwinter

Mar 15, 2014

This is one of the greatest series ever made. Funny, heartwarming and cringe-worthy. Gervais' plays David Brent and he plays it beautifully. Ricky & Stephen created a gem here that should never be forgotten.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

TheChaser1985

Apr 8, 2011

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 AmericansDry 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

1 of 23 users found this helpful122

SEE ALL 23 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

97

Series Overview
Season 3

98
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: December 26, 2003
Season 2

93
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: September 30, 2002
Season 1

98
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: July 9, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E6. Judgement
  Air Date: August 20, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E5. New Girl
  Air Date: August 13, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E4. Training
  Air Date: July 30, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E3. The Quiz
  Air Date: July 23, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E2. Work Experience
  Air Date: July 16, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E1. Downsize
  Air Date: July 9, 2001
- tbd
  S1:E1. Downsize (censored)
  Air Date: July 9, 2001