Which Version of "The Office" Do You Like Better?

When John Krasinski went in for his audition to get the part of Jim Halpert on the American version of The Office, he said something along the lines of, "I hope they don't mess it up," referring to the legacy of the British version of the show. Unfortunately, he happened to say it to someone who worked high up on the show. He obviously got the part anyway.

If you look at the ratings, people seem to agree they didn't mess up the American version. But a debate rages as to which is better. In my opinion, they both make great TV. To satisfy my curiosity whether one edges out the other, however, I developed my own rating system. There are definitely television spoilers below, so don't read on if you don't want to know how certain aspects of both series play out!

BEST COMPANY NAME With a name like Wernham Hogg, they have Hogg to give it the silliness factor. But Dunder Mifflin is a perfect name, too, summoning up the image of a dunderhead. Business in Pennsylvania has never been the same since the fictional Dunder Mifflin moved into Scranton.

TIE! British

TIE! American

BEST ROMANCE It's so hard to rate the romances, because both couples are charming.

WINNER! British: Martin Freeman as Tim Canterbury and Lucy Davis as Dawn Tinsley Like Jim and Pam, Tim and Dawn were made for each other. But where they win out over the Americans is that their romance was finally realized at the climax of the series, leaving us to think only good things about their future relationship for me.

American: John Krasinski as Jim Halpert and Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly It was a tough call giving this to the Brits. There's something satisfying about watching Jim and Pam revel in their relationship and build it over time. But the nagging question of whether they'll stay together casts a slight shadow over their relationship for me.

MOST CRINGE-INDUCING BOSS Both Ricky Gervais and Steve Carell try hard to make you cringe at their characters' flaws. David Brent and Michael Scott court the mockumentary camera crew, trying to get the focus on them alone. Both also flaunt their selfishness as if it were a positive attribute.

WINNER! British: Ricky Gervais as David Brent Thoroughly self-obsessed, Brent is the clear winner in this category. The way he sucks in his lip and mugs when he gets caught telling a lie, making a rude remark or just being a fool actually makes me squirm.

American: Steve Carell as Michael Scott Michael Scott can definitely make you cringe, but he shows more vulnerability than Gervais's Brent, which softens his character a bit. Brent benefits from that vulnerability; it's just that it doesn't win him the title of most cringe-inducing boss.

BEST PRANK This is another category that's hard to call, because the writers of both shows were so good at coming up with ways to get the best of the characters.

British: Tim and Dawn were the main practitioners of winding up Gareth. Between the two of them, they glued Gareth's phone receiver to the base, teased him endlessly using Territorial Army-related jokes, encased his stapler in Jell-o, and generally tortured him. All great fun, but because the series was short, they didn't have time to develop the same level of pranksterism as the Americans.

WINNER! American: You may have your own favorites, but there are two pranks that stand out to me in the U.S. version. One was when Jim threw sales guy Andy's cell phone into the drop ceiling and then called his cell number over and over. The other was when Jim and Pam inserted all of Dwight's desk items into the vending machine and handed him a cup of coins so he could retrieve them. The creativity of these stunts makes the American version the winner in this category as far as I'm concerned.

BEST DANCE Both Ricky Gervais and Steve Carell are accomplished physical comedians, so this was another one that was hard to decide.

British David Brent's one-ups-manship of Neal and Rachel's Saturday Night Fever Dance led him to produce his own impromptu dance that was part robot, part gibbon. When he added his signature lip bite to it, he was not only funny, he made me cringe. As hilarious and off-the-wall as this dance was, however, it didn't quite have the physicality of Steve Carell's dance.

WINNER! American Carell's booze cruise dance, which can be seen in its entirety in the DVD bonus features, was inspired. Flopping around on his belly on the dance floor like a fish out of water, he gets so far out there, you don't know where he's going to take it. This one wins the category if for no other reason than it looked like Carell had to be in intense physical pain to accomplish such a bizarre act.

So, there you have it: it's a tie. No wonder I like both versions so much.

Want more information about either version?

To read British version cast bios, watch clips, read episode guides and read David Brent's translation of UK slang, visit the BBC's site.

To watch full episodes, see deleted scenes, get Hollywood celebrity news and view a variety of extra features regarding the American version, visit NBC's site.

For even more information, visit the Internet Movie Database pages for the American and British versions.