> And then there's the larger issue of a lot of British TV actors simply not having the recognizability of their American counterparts which is a major selling point
Just a note that I don't think any of the actors in the original version of The Office were recognizable in the UK before it aired. So either it is more important in the US to have a big name attached, or TV execs at least believe so, or they remake it for other reasons and the big name is a nice-to-have.
I think Martin Freeman was semi-established at the time, though obviously not the renowned actor he is now. And Gervais and Merchant had a small following from their radio show.
The stakes are high for primetime network television in general in the US. Only about 20% of new shows are renewed for a second season, and showrunners desperately want a multi-season TV show to put on their CV.
To add more perspective - of the projects a network picks up in a given year, only about 18% will go on to produce a pilot that same year. And usually if a pilot isn't greenlit for a project in its first year, it's effectively dead. So the fact that the IT Crowd (US) got a pilot at all is already remarkable.
Just a note that I don't think any of the actors in the original version of The Office were recognizable in the UK before it aired. So either it is more important in the US to have a big name attached, or TV execs at least believe so, or they remake it for other reasons and the big name is a nice-to-have.