The Office (American Version)

I watched the premiere of the american "Office" tonight. It was on after a rather decent "Apprentice," and here are my thoughts:

-- The jokes that worked for me best were the new ones, not the one's copied over from the British version. These included Michael's citation of God on his list of people who've impacted the world the most, and the resulting use of "incalcualalabale," and the preview skit from next week when he makes fun of the Indian woman by acting like a convenience store owner.

-- The actor playing the Timothy character is trying to mimic the British actor's mannerisms.

-- Steve Carrell has his own style of delivery that doesn't generate the same level of annoyance that I felt for Ricky Gervais. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. He's basically not as smarmy.

-- The actor playing the uptight Assistant Regional Manager is no Gareth. Not by a long shot. Those are big shoes to fill though.

-- I'm curious to see how the show's pop culture references are americanized. They've already thrown in "Punk'd" and "The Million Dollar Man."

Um, that's it. I'm so thoughtful. I know Jude & Fran will have a lot more to say.