Gervais' show is so unusual, and his performance as David Brent is so painfully specific -- and sometimes just so flat-out painful -- it's hard to imagine how anyone else can make it work. [23 Jan 2003]

The funniest thing you're likely to see all year.

The first time you watch the show, you really don’t believe what you’re seeing. Each moment feels so real, it’s hard to tell if the actors are improvising brilliantly or just delivering their lines with incredible conviction. Like the best moments of 'This Is Spinal Tap' or 'Waiting for Guffman,' 'The Office' offers up breathtaking slices of deadpan humor and amazing comic timing.

Wincingly funny ... It's the details that make the show so funny, not to mention the awesome veracity of the acting.

In 10 years of reviewing film and television for various publications, no comedy has given me as much pleasure as The Office.

It takes a little while to get into it (episode two clinched it for me), but once you get used to the accents and dry humor, you're hooked. [23 Jan 2003]

It's a wonderful, subversive concept, and by failing to romanticize the players, "Office" remains true to its ghastly, funny self. [23 Jan 2003]

One of my favourite comedy shows of all time, and the one that introduced me to Ricky Gervais / Steve Merchant which in turn pointed me at Karl Pilky via the XFM Shows.

The Office” has a weird way of taking the mundane and turning it into something funny and exciting. It shows us that there is comedy everywhere we look, even in our coworkers and our offices and our cubicles. It is for this reason that I love this show. It takes this completely innovative story and blends it perfectly to create this show that has spawned many a spinoff, including the much loved U.S version. It has great acting and characters, as well as a great script. The only demerit in my eyes is that the plot is kind of hard to follow, especially if you are used to traditional shows.

Created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant The Office is quite rightly considered amongst the greatest British sitcoms of all time. Shot in a documentary style the six episodes in this first series introduce us to some of the best comedy characters of the last twenty years, none more so than David Brent himself. Brilliantly played by Gervais his fruitless attempts to be ‘a friend first, boss second’ provides awkward comedy at its best. Episode four in particular, that sees the staff take part in team building activities, must rank amongst the funniest half hours of comedy ever shown on TV. A special mention must also go to the ongoing ‘relationship’ between Tim and Dawn. Avoiding the usual ‘Ross and Rachel’ clichés in favour of a more realistic, and therefore more interesting, example of the difficulty of romance it is impossible not to route for them to get together.

The best comedy of all time. Gervais and Merchant are utter genius. So clever and original. The whole vibe of the show captures office life perfectly.

Dry comedy. Too dry. The creators had a great idea but they didn't put enough effort into it. I have NEVER actually laughed out loud at this show. I have only smirked. 90% of the actors are horrible for their character. And yes, I understand British comedy. The British insist that Americans do not get the humor, when in fact it's the British who are too used to amateur material. Like it or not, America is the birth place and king of cinema and it's not even a close race. Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer and the rest of The Office (US) took this great idea and created one of the best shows on TV. Yes, the US show is in decline, but even at it's worst, it's leagues ahead of the original British version. Ricky Gervais (who NEVER gives credit to his co-creator Stephen Merchant) is the truly "ungrateful" **** (As he called Steve Carrell, who made him millions.) The only reason that this show doesn't have any poor reviews is because no one cares to watch it. I'm sure that the small percentage that at least tried to watch it, only got through the first episode. I've seen it all. The Office UK is "rubbish" as the Brits would put it. I would rate this a 0 to hurt the rating, but I'm an honest person, unlike many here and will give this show an honest rating... which is that it's good for a smirk. It's not horrible but it isn't good either, at all. Brownies points for the good idea.