It took me a while to get around to giving the U.S. version of The Office a fair shake. While the U.K. original, starring Ricky Gervais, is one of my favourite TV comedies in years (and perhaps ever), the few episodes of the American remake I’d seen hadn’t impressed me, especially the ones that followed the original scripts.

But the show’s had time to grow, and I’d heard nothing but praise for it, so with the second season having just been released on DVD I thought I’d give it another chance. And you know what? It’s pretty darn good. Steve Carell, who replaces Gervais, is always fun to watch, and while the show isn’t as consistently funny as the original, and the subtle dynamics of the original are a bit more spelled out, it’s nonetheless a very entertaining show. Next to any other network sitcom it really shines; you’ve just got to avoid comparing it to the British Office. That was a work of genius, while the remake is simply a very good comedy, and there’s nothing wrong with that. —Mark Slutsky