US viewers turn off The Office remake

The American remake of hit British sit com The Office got off to a rocky start when test audiences gave it the thumbs down.

The award-winning Ricky Gervais comedy, which has been recast with American actors, bombed when it was screened for a select group of viewers this week.

“It was painfully clear that nobody was liking it. The lady next to me said she found it depressing,” wrote one reviewer on the showbiz website Imdb.com.

The Golden Globe and Bafta winning series developed a cult following in the US when it aired on the BBC America cable channel.

It was such a hit that NBC decided to remake the show with an American cast and a new office manager, David Brent, originally played by Gervais.

The new boss is played by US actor Steve Carell.

Despite poor reviews, Gervais said he was a fan of the new version of his comedy.

“It’s very flattering that it is faithful to ours,” he told TV Week magazine.

He praised Carell’s David Brent: “He plays a different Brent, and that’s good.

“He’s not as pathetic and weaselly. His main obsession is much more the comedy and less of the philosopher,” he said.