Which is the definitive version of The Office? The British version came first, but the American one lasted far longer and has become one of the world's greatest sources for reaction GIFs. Now, even the British Office's co-creator Stephen Merchant has suggested that the American version of the show is the definitive version.
On the podcast Mike Birbiglia's Working It Out, the host pointed out, "It's funny that people refer to it as the British Office. It's The Office, and then it's the American Office. Do you ever take umbrage with that?"
Merchant responded, "Not at all — no, no, no. Because I've done too well out of the American Office. As far as I'm concerned, that's The Office."
Later in the episode, Merchant and Birbiglia discussed the influence of The Office on current sitcoms, pointing out how The Office inspired Modern Family, which then went on to establish the style for modern TV comedies. Merchant told a story about when he made a guest appearance on Modern Family, revealing, "One of the people on the crew, not realizing who I was, said, 'Hey, y'know, the unique thing about this show is, it's shot like it's a documentary.' I'm like, 'Oh, cool!'"
Check out the podcast discussion below.