Addicted to The Office

Earlier this week I had a nasty sinus infection and was trying to recover the old fashioned way- by laying in bed watching nearly endless amounts of TV. To cheer me up, my roommate introduced me to the highly addictive show The Office.

While watching the fourth straight hour of the US version of The Office, I got curious about how many versions of The Office existed. Of course, there was the original British version, but I wondered if that was it... so I checked handy dandy Wikipedia. It turns out there is a British, US, French, German, and French Canadian version of this hilarious show.

Besides my amusement about the universal appeal of the working world, I began to wonder if The Office counts as a brand. NBC sells DVDs, clothing and other paraphernalia based on The Office, so I think it does. If The Office counts as a brand, I think the introduction of multiple series in different geographic locations is brilliant. Not only because British humor does not always translate across the ocean, but also because it gives the series endless possibility.

Before my mini Office marathon, I had never considered a television show a brand, much less one that can be successful in different countries with very different senses of humor.