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Recently over the holidays I had a chance to watch the UK version of The Office’s Christmas special. It had been some time since I watched this brilliant series and now that I have watched most of the US version it is interesting to compare the two.

I never thought I would take to Steve Caroll as the loser boss but I would have to say him and Ricky are neck and neck for the best. I think David Brent will go down as the king simply because he is the origional but Michael Scott is a classic in the making as well.

I also never would of imagined that the supporting cast of the US Office would live up to the UK crew. Garreth was a creation of genius but the Dunder Mifflin gang may be better than the Hogs. Toby, Creed and Angela are outstanding on a weekly basis and they truly make me think of people I have worked with over the years.

My next doubt was the romance between Tim/Jim and Dawn/Pam. The UK version did it so well and made you truly care and cheer for Tim that I did not think the US version could remake that. Well once again they did. Every week you pull for Jim and Pam and want them to finally get together. Not since Ross and Rachel has the American public cared so much.

Recently Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant wrote and episode of the US Office and to be honest I did not know which one it was. Now that I know it was the episode titled The Ex-Convict, it is no suprise that it was one of the funniest episodes of the shows run. Ricky and Stephen are brilliant at mixing funny and awkward and still making it relatable to our lives.

Here is a clip from this episode, so funny.

The New York Times ran a great article comparing the two versions of The Office and I highly suggest you check it out. It goes very deep into the whole comparison of the two versions and points out a lot of stuff you may not of ever thought about.

I think now is when the true test starts for the US Office. They are well past the ideas and story lines from the two seasons of the UK version so in a way they are without a safety net. I am quite confident it will continue to be gold. Ricky would pull the plug if it started to suck because when it all comes down to it, The Office, no matter what language, is still his baby.

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