Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6249 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-01-28
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL, Colour
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 4
• Running time: 460 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Thank goodness for second seasons. While the first season of The Office USA started dubiously with a pilot that was just a poor copy of the original Ricky Gervais version, it did manage to provide enough good material to stay on the air and hint that better was yet to come. And here it is. The second season of The Office USA finds its own footing and manages to do the near-impossible by not only breaking free of the gravity of that excellent BBC version to stand solidly on its own, but establishing it as one of the best comedies on TV. Season 2 starts out strong with "The Dundies," where Regional Manager, Michael Scott (Steve Carell, The 40 Year Old Virgin) hosts the company’s annual office-awards event with his signature less-than-perfect grace. Things seem to only get worse for him this season as he bumbles a potential affair with his boss, Jan (Melora Harding), angers his employees by reading their emails ("Email Surveillance"), cooks his foot ("The Injury"), and accidentally destroys the warehouse with a forklift in "Boys and Girls," one of the season’s highlight episodes. Always at his side is the clueless paranoid Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), the Assistant Regional Manager ("Assistant to the Regional Manager," Michael always reminds him in one of the show’s running jokes).

One of the reasons for the show’s improvement in the second season is increased focus on Dwight’s character, who’s becoming something of a pop-culture icon right down to having his own bobblehead. He in turn provides so much good material for Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinsky) to play off of, to their own amusement. But of course, Pam and Jim’s simmering relationship is the real meat of the show, as their compatibility becomes more obvious, Jim’s feelings for her continue to grow, and Pam struggles with the impending marriage to her less-than-caring boyfriend, Roy (David Denman). Things have to come to a head, and they do nicely in the final episode, "Casino Night." As strong as the leading characters are in The Office, it’s the excellent peripheral characters that really make the show hilarious, especially dimwitted office-slug Kevin (Brian Baumgartner), long-suffering intern Ryan (B.J. Novak), office-ditz Kelly (Mindy Kaling), and ultra-conservative Angela (Angela Kinsey). --Daniel Vancini

Synopsis
Based on the popular British comedy of the same name, The Office takes place in and around the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Using the same mockumentary style as the original, the series succeeds in capturing the quiet desperation of the poor souls working in this socially stifling environment under the direction of their delusional boss, regional manager Michael Scott. Comic actor Steve Carell beautifully inhabits the role, playing a man so eager to be liked, he completely alienates people with one stupid antic after another. Blindly believing himself beloved by his employees for his laid-back nature, Michael fails to see that--with the exception of nerdy and bizarre Dwight (Rainn Wilson)--he is resented and despised by all. Carell perfectly walks the line between despicable and pathetic, enlisting his audience's sympathies just moments before doing or saying something horribly inappropriate. The second series features several romantic storylines getting into full swing.

Customer Reviews

The Season When It Became It's Own Show ... and The Funniest Thing on Television
This is the Season when the American version of `The Office' really hits its stride. Like most people, I didn't hold out much hope for the Americanisation of Ricky Gervais' hit show. The fact that a lot of people weren't sure if the UK Office was really a documentary or not is what made the show so unique. There was no canned laughter; no one-liners; no slick, flowing dialogue (instead people spoke with the um's and er's you get in real life) - and I think the show struck a chord because of that. To turn a show like this into Friends or Cheers - where there is an excitable studio audience, a fake, three-walled set and an obligatory not-very-bright character - would surely have ruined everything that made The Office so good to begin with. Thankfully, with the input of Gervais and his co-creator Steve Merchant (who are Executive Producers), the show abandons the traditional format of your average U.S. sit-com.

The first season of `The Office: An American Workplace' was six episodes long and the pilot episode copied the first episode of the original Office nearly word for word. I think this put a lot of people off when they were watching the show for the first time. After all, no one likes a carbon copy, "Psycho"-like remake. However, the other 5 episodes did their own thing and came up with new storylines. This continues in Season 2 (which is 20+ episodes long like you'd expect in the U.S.) and you get a sense that the actors and writers of the show have broken free of expectation and baggage that came with the award-winning UK show. For me, the show has become the funniest thing on television at the moment. This is largely down to Steve Carell who plays the David Brent character. He's a very different comedic actor to Ricky Gervais, but you still get the twinges of familiarity from him as he plays the office boss. He's also so funny it hurts - I've literally been crying with laughter watching him in this show. Indeed, as Carell's movies get bigger and bigger (40 Year Old Virgin and the Bruce Almighty sequel); it seems that everyone is discovering just how funny he is. Credit must also go to the actor who plays Gareth - he is extremely well cast and he, too, cracks a few ribs as the pedantic and annoying guy you find in every office.

I don't want to spoil the shows for you, but whether you have withdrawal symptoms for the UK Office or not, please give this a go. I just cannot describe how funny it is. But even when I've not been laughing and gasping for air at the same time, the show can resonate on a more personal level, as you recognise and see very familiar things from the grind of everyday office life. You'll be amazed at how many creative scenarios the writers can come up with for a group of people who sit at a desk and stare at a computer all day.

It feels somewhat traitorous....but give this a go
So you loved the portrayal of the worlds worst boss as provided by Ricky Gervais in the british version and the patriot in you wants to shun an americanisation?

If so you are missing out on one of the best comedies to come out of the US in decades.

The first season of the US show was shamefully similar to the first season in the UK that it was scandelous. But the second season grows into itself. There are more characters, each wuth something different to offer. Standouts are the old perv Creed, or the bible hugging conservative Angela (who has a disturbing secret romance with one of the main cast).

So the premise is the same, michael=david brent, dwight=gareth, jim=tim, pam=dawn, and temp=temp. However in the second season they become their own characters and so the show comes into its own. The tricks played on target man dwight are simply inspired, for example somehow moving all his posessions into a vending machine, and changing his award acceptance speech to one from musselini (hand gestures and all).

The david brent character is somewhat louder and more offensive but even stupider, for example burning his foot in a george forman grill whilst in bed and his annual dunder mifflin office awards - the dundies, in which he misspelled the busiest beaver award to the bushiest beaver award.

One commonality is the tim/dawn equivalent relationship which is played out fantastically well by jim/pam.

Even if you think it traitorous, this show is very, very funny, and the third season is even better.

Will it ever actually be released
This was brilliant, no doubt.

But, I've had this on pre-order since before Christmas, with the release date never more than six weeks away, and every time Amazon's claimed release date draws near, it gets revised and pushed back.

What's the story?