I think Bill Bryson commented that, in the US, the dominant culture is an excited hope about how much better the future will be. In the UK, our culture is a mild surprise that things aren’t worse than they are right now.

Yeah look I understand the UK is a bleak and miserable place filled with bleak and miserable people, mate. But to those who have dwelt in lands with sunshine and hope the original Office is a shock to the senses.

As someone who physically lives in neither, and in the "Sunshine state" of Australia. The original office wasn't a shock to my senses. Australia is definitely closer to British humour than americano humour.

I think it'd be fair to say that the US has now somewhat embraced the less happy cheerful variety of sitcom; a lot of modern US stuff falls into that category. It definitely hadn't in 2005 when the US Office came out, though.