8 Bad Pilots Of Good TV Shows
3. The Office (US)
Before it was the template for shows like Parks and Recreation, The Office was just another remake of a successful overseas show. The UK version was universally beloved, and to many, remaking it seemed lazy. The characters were just copy-pasted versions of the UK cast, with little effort made to hide that. In one case, Tim swaps out the 'T' to become Jim.
The pilot episode especially feels like a rehash of the UK version. The writers took some jokes verbatim from the UK pilot, such as Jim/Tim sticking Dwight's/Gareth's stapler in jello, Michael/David firing Pam/Dawn as a joke and then laughing about it in her face, and Michael/David calling Jan/Jennifer Hillary Rodham Clinton/Camilla Parker-Bowles.
It's not until later seasons when the show finds its stride, and heads in its own American inflicted direction. Michael works best not as David Brent 2.0 but as his own stupid yet lovable character, and once the fans and writers realized this, the show became a classic.