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The Office: An American Workplace
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The Office: An American Workplace
Genius: Steve Carell and team ... The Office: An American Workplace

A bat flaps anxiously around the offices of Dunder Mifflin, Scranton, Pennsylvania. "Poop is raining from the ceiling," says puritanical accountant Angela. She wrinkles her nose. "Poop!"

This isn't a particularly unusual situation for the characters on the US version of The Office. As with the original UK series, the show is a mockumentary set in a struggling paper business, where plans rarely pan out, and employee relations are a minefield. And at its centre is a sad, offensive, attention-seeking boss.

Given its similarity to the British version, why watch it? Well, partly for Steve Carell's genius performance as said boss, Michael Scott. Carell has said that he's only ever watched about half an episode of Ricky Gervais playing David Brent, for fear of copying him. That caution paid off, because while Scott has many of Brent's traits - the belief that he's a born entertainer, for instance - he also provides unexpected glimmers of sweetness. It's there when he tries to bring his employees together - by letting down their tyres. When he admits that as a kid "the lunch lady was actually the person I hung out with the most". When his girlfriend dumps him and he lies beneath a desk: "It hurts my heart. It hurts my stomach. It hurts my ... arms."

Fans of the original might want to skip the first series, where the show sticks most closely to its source material. But, from there, it opens out. While Gervais and co made only 14 episodes, there have so far been more than 90 of the US series, allowing space for the incredible ensemble cast. And so we meet hangdog Stanley, borderline-criminal Creed, bubbly, banal Kelly, profoundly put-upon Toby, and hollow, ambitious wall-puncher Andy. It's a perfect depiction of a disparate group thrown together in a small room, given a boring, repetitive task, and struggling desperately for human connection. It's everyday life, in other words. But with much better jokes.

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