I always knew that the show was based on a hit BBC comedy, but I was so satisfied with my viewership experience that I never had an inclination to watch the U.K.'s Office. I have, since, watched a few episodes of the U.K. Office, and I think I know why the American version has run seven seasons longer than its predecessor.
It's all about character development. I know, this sounds cliché, but I think it's true. Michael, played by American Steve Carell, and David, played by British Ricky Gervais, star as the bosses of their respective offices. Michael is a lovable, innocent, crude child, while David is a mean-hearted and petty authoritarian. No matter how ridiculous Michael is, the workers, along with the audience, pity and coddle him. On the other hand, David is hated by his employees. Watching nine seasons of Michael's Office is much more enjoyable than watching David's wrath.
Nevertheless, it is undeniable that the U.K. Office came first. The U.K's Telegraph posted an article that compares the characters of the different shows. The article supports the concept of the American show being a copy of the British one.
So why has the American version been so much more successful? I first thought that maybe its because Americans watch more TV. The American Media Usage and Consumer Spending Report chart by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that Americans spend approximately 1,650 hours per year watching some form of television, while BARB's British Television Usage shows that the average Brit spends 1,460 hours per year watching television. Americans do watch more TV, but this increase, although it may seem large, is not large enough to exclude the watching of an entire show such as The Office.
I believe that the reason the American version of the show was wildly more successful has to do with its American-ness. Princeton's site provides an explanation of Herbert Schiller's ideas of media and cultural imperialism. He says that certain societies are brought into the global community by institutions like Hollywood, and this shapes those societies mind sets to believe that what Hollywood says is good, right, true, normal, etc. Hollywood reigns over all other film industries. It is idolized. I remember, on one of my travels to Africa, wondering why only American movies that I was already very familiar with were being shown on the TV.
The U.S. Office is globally popular. Hollywood, because of its legacy and its skill in such arenas as character development, as I mentioned above concerning Michael Scott's lovableness, is highly influential over Americans and foreigners. This enables it to generate successful film and TV.
For further investigation into the power of Hollywood, watch this video. It's a glimpse into stars' understanding of the City of Angels, and it helped me understand how idolized the place really is.
Sources:
Steve Carell and Ricky Gervais
The Office
Jim and Pam
This article in The New Yorker
article that compares characters
U.S. Census Bureau's American Media Usage and Consumer Spending Report
BARB
BARB's British Television Usage report
Schiller's cultural imperialism (via Princeton.edu)
this video on the influence of Hollywood
