Cast of the U.S. version of The Office. From the left: BJ Novak as Ryan Howard, Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, Steve Carell as Michael Scott, John Krasinski as Jim Halpert and Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly.NBC Universal
Culture has become incredibly nostalgic. Reboots, sequels, remakes and spinoffs are staples across all screens, and really, how can you blame anyone for tuning out reality and blanketing themselves in familiarity?
Perhaps that’s one reason The Office and its fourth-wall-breaking style remain prevalent on TV. Sure, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant weren’t the first to present a successful mockumentary (let’s not forget Monty Python and This Is Spinal Tap).
In a world where many are taught to aspire to meaningful work, The Office presents a stark reality where employees do what they must to survive another nine-to-five. There’s something universally appealing about playing a prank on a co-worker, or imbibing too much at another low-budget work party. When a character turns to the camera with an eye roll sparked by their insipid boss, it’s easy to immerse yourself in their frustration. After all, you’ve lived a similar experience.
It’s no wonder the show inspired a slew of others like it, including Parks and Recreation and Superstore on NBC, ABC’s Modern Family and the short-lived Welcome to Flatch over at Fox. Looking at current streaming options, the trend is evolving with series that build on and modernize the concept.
Look at the Emmy success of Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary on Disney+. The show is set in the workplace (in this case an underfunded elementary school) and features a hyper-realistic boss, played by Janelle James, who really shouldn’t be in charge. However, it also features a group of teachers who want a better world for the kids under their care, giving it a more heartfelt and feel-good tone than The Office and its paper-pushing salespeople.
Then there’s the new Oregon-set St. Denis Medical over at NBC/Peacock (CTV in Canada) from Superstore creator and The Office grad Justin Spitzer. The series stars Fargo’s Allison Tolman as Alex, a capable but micromanaging supervising nurse in a busy ER and The Goldbergs’ Wendi McLendon-Covey as her larger-than-life boss, Joyce. Over the first six episodes, the series delivers familiar laughs while staying out of political territory, using humour instead of soap boxes to highlight how the staff deal with budgetary shortfalls and extended hours.
Unlike most medical series it’s the nurses whose stories drive the plot, as they interact with the grumbling Dr. Ron (David Alan Grier), the self-important Dr. Bruce (Josh Lawson) and a revolving door of anxious patients that offers infinite guest-star potential. It’s an easy watch with a lot of room to grow, although it lacks the backing of a big streamer, which may result in a smaller audience. (Despite a record-setting summer viewership, Peacock averages less than 2 per cent of total U.S. TV usage.)
At this point, even The Office is trying to redo The Office. Greg Daniels, who created the U.S. version, has a series coming to NBC that features the same “documentary crew” that captured Dunder Mifflin. This time they’re installed at a dying historic Midwestern paper, where the publishers are fighting to remain relevant. It’s not a spinoff per se and production hasn’t started, but given the premise and creative team one can assume it will be a similar presentation. The question is, will a dying newspaper environment be fertile ground for compelling characters and situational jokes or a depressing mirror of reality in 2025 and beyond – or somehow be both of those things?
For now, The Office Australia is a safer bet. The eight-episode first season is streaming on Prime Video, and takes from the original while making updates. In a gender reversal it’s Felicity Ward who stars as the managing director of a shipping box company, with Edith Poor on board as her dedicated No. 2. The series still features many of the same inter-office politics, pranks and dynamics, but it’s set in a postpandemic world where working remotely and commutes are constant challenges.
It’s a much tighter first season than that of the American version (which was nearly cancelled after six episodes back in 2005), with several great laugh-out-loud moments thanks to Ward’s magnificent comedic timing. Creators Julie De Fina and Jackie van Beek have managed to capture a more contemporary workplace while basking in the familiarity of the set and tone, delivering eccentric characters with relatable qualities.
No one is reinventing the wheel, but that’s the point. With so much going on in the world, sometimes you just want to find a nice little series that strikes a nostalgic chord and makes you happy for a while, before you have to go back to your own daily grind.
