When The Office debuted last March, it differed only slightly from its precursor, which was one of England's most beloved comedy series and a cult favorite here after a BBC America run. The paper company was relocated to Scranton, Pa., but the first episode's script was a near-verbatim copy of the British pilot. While character names were changed, the archetypes remained the same: Carell's boorish Michael futilely tries to prove he's the funniest man — and coolest boss — alive. Dwight is Michael's quirky acolyte, while Jim (John Krasinski) is the directionless sales rep who torments Dwight (e.g., relocating his desk to the men's room) when he's not pining for receptionist Pam (Jenna Fischer), who's engaged to loutish warehouse worker Roy (David Denman). And permanent temp Ryan (B.J. Novak, also a writer on the show) hovers on the periphery as he tries to avoid Michael's mentoring, which often plays out like a devoted heterosexual man-crush.
Fans and insiders alike who lived through NBC's disastrous transatlantic transfers of Coupling and Men Behaving Badly dreaded someone tampering with their cherished Britcom. ''I tried to get a couple of [writers] to help me with it,'' says exec producer Greg Daniels (King of the Hill. ''They were like, 'Naah, it's a suicide mission.''' But the skeptics weren't nearly as big a problem as the uninitiated viewers, who decided to ignore the show on its own merits. The Office's style and humor — marked by uneasy silences and painful inappropriateness — proved a tough sell, and the cast ended the season assuming their branch would be closed. ''It's not what a U.S. viewing audience is used to,'' says Carell. ''The tones and rhythms of the show are not very conventional.'' Says writer Paul Lieberstein, who also plays HR drone Toby: ''There was this feeling that we were doing this for ourselves. We've got our little vanity project, we're going to do it as well as we can, and big hugs and good luck on your next project.''
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