>>>It's just the cringe-worthiness of Ricky Gervais; he plays such a creep, so convincingly that it's like a slo mo car-crash and you find yourself, well, cringeing and begging for the tension to ease.
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>>I think that's the difference between the two versions - I don't think the US version makes anybody look like a creep. Sure Steve Carrell says some incredibly stupid things, but all of the characters are loveable. Even Dwight Schrute.
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>You hit the nail on the head.

That's it for the US audience though - everyone has to be loved (maybe for fear of being type-cast). It was for this reason that Anne Robinson was the one to do the US "Weakest Link" (which she's always hosted in the UK) - cos they couldn't find a US host who wanted to risk being hated.