The Ever-Rich Britain-to-America Comedy Pipeline

Michael Schur remembers the first time he saw the original version of The Office. It was 2001, and his fellow writers at Saturday Night Live had gotten their hands on DVD screeners. The British series hadn’t even premiered yet, but it already had a cult following. “It was instantly the most popular and beloved comedy show amongst comedy writers, before it ever aired even on the BBC,” says Schur.