The Office UK Vs US: Which Characters Are Best?
2. Tim Canterbury vs Jim Halpert
In Martin Freeman and John Krasinski, both versions of The Office found perfect straight men, and both made an art of the exasperated look into the camera. While neither of them are quite as heroic as the shows would like to make out - they often descend into the role of office bully - both are at the heart of the key love story.
For this reason, Jim gets the nod. The Jim/Pam story has the edge over Tim/Dawn because it’s a lot easier to get invested in it.
The former takes the couple through to marriage and kids whereas the latter ends after the first kiss, but even before they couple up, Jim and Pam feel far more destined than Tim and Dawn, a relationship that you could unfortunately see petering out once they actually become official.
If Jim and Tim’s function is to essentially be the show’s main romantic lead, then the American version gets the nod. Both tell stories of smart guys lost in stagnant jobs, but the US series’ love story powers the first few seasons of the show.