10 TV Shows That Were Nothing Like You Expected

8. The Office (U.S)

American versions of British sitcoms rarely go well, and The U.S. Office both proves the rule and serves as an exception to it. Starring Steve Carrell in the David Brent type role, the first season suffered by trying to be almost shot-for-shot, word-for-word the exact same as the U.K version, but hardly any of the humour landed and the characters were completely off. Anyone expecting anything remotely close to Ricky Gervais' hit were to be sorely disappointed, but even more unexpected was its turnaround in Season 2.

From its second season onwards, the show found its true voice: Carell came into his own, the characters were shaped differently, and the romantic relationships began to form. It took some of the U.K version's best elements but twisted them to fit, rather than offering a pale imitation, with Michael Scott more childlike, less mean-spirited, and more purely loveable than David Brent.

It became an absurd satire of the *American* workplace, and a far more sentimental affair than you'd find from Gervais. Which is better is likely to split opinion, but it exceeded all expectations by being so different while still being respectful to the original.