I watched the American version first, before I ever saw the BBC Office, and I'm honestly not sure at this point which one I would say is "better". I'm fans of both, though. It took me some time to get into the British show at first, because the whole tone is so different from the NBC series, and some of the jokes were even recycled as part of the early American episodes, so they didn't work for me. I thought the British show improved a lot in its second season. Gervais' boss becomes much more pathetic (and thus compelling) after they introduce his rivalry with Neil. Also, the writing seems tighter in those later episodes, as they come up with new ways to play with the characters. While the American Office is usually willing to undercut an awkward or uncomfortable moment with a punchline or by cutting to another joke, the British show is more about letting those painful embarassing scenes linger, and I think that's really why people love it as much as they do. It isn't a conventional comedy, but there is some hilarious material in it, and I'd say its worth checking out more than a couple episodes before passing judgment. But then it isn't everybody's cup of tea, either.