NBC aired David Brent’s appearances in “The Seminar” and “Search Committee.” Ricky Gervais reprised his British character in the American version of The Office, which was broadcast by the National Broadcasting Company.
“The Seminar” aired on 27 January 2011 during the American series’ seventh season. In its cold open, David encounters Michael Scott outside an elevator and asks whether Dunder Mifflin has any job openings. Gervais returned in “Search Committee,” the two-part seventh-season finale, which aired on 19 May 2011.
A common mix-up is confusing the network that aired the American episodes with the broadcaster of the original British sitcom. The UK series was shown by the BBC, primarily BBC Two, while NBC carried the American adaptation. David Brent is not the central manager in the American series; Steve Carell’s Michael Scott fills that role.
Gervais’s cameos connect the two versions without making the American programme a direct continuation. The episodes remain part of the NBC sitcom’s storyline, with Brent applying for or asking about work at Dunder Mifflin.