‘The Office’ UK vs US

You’ve certainly heard it said that no sitcom beats ‘The Office’ when it comes to dry humor, and we definitely agree. Never in a million years have we witnessed comedy more awkward than in this masterpiece brought to the world by the beloved Ricky Gervais. You’re probably an OG if you’ve only watched the 2001 UK version, where he plays the main character. If you’ve only watched the 2005 US version, you likely always wonder whether the predecessor was funnier. Well, here are the main differences.

British vs American Humor

Both shows happen to be a great example of the contrast between American and British humor. More than anything, the British enjoy watching a realistic plot and characters displaying savage honesty and uncomfortable behavior. Another aspect of keeping the British version reflective of real life was maintaining the general dullness of routine office life, where nothing ever changes. In contrast, the American show had an ever-shifting plot along with fun, quirky characters, to balance out the fact that the setting is restricted to office life. ScreenRant put it perfectly – “The Brits watched The Office so they could laugh at themselves, but Americans watched The Office so they could laugh at the characters.”

US Has More Character Development

Something you could easily notice if you’ve watched both versions of The Office is that the supporting cast in the US version was way more interesting. While the number of characters is more or less the same in both versions, more of the American characters had more depth, evolved gradually and were even reinvented at times. Pam and Dawn’s characters are a perfect example of this. Initially, both Pam and Dawn are presented as receptionists with reserved, unassertive personalities. While Dawn’s character remains static throughout the whole show, Pam gradually grows, becomes more expressive and confident enough to pursue her dreams.

US Has Longer Subplots

While there were obviously intriguing subplots in the UK version, they almost always came to a quick end. On the other hand, many subplots in the U.S. version were rather ongoing; sometimes, they went on for a whole season and even longer, like how long it took Jim to tell Pam that he wanted to be with her. Another one is Dwight fulfilling his dream to someday become the branch’s manager. Maybe the fact that only two seasons of The Office UK were aired as opposed to the nine seasons of The Office US helps explain this point.