More than 20 years after the original UK version of The Office went off air, Prime Video is set to debut an Australian adaptation… and the new trailer isn’t very promising. Watch it below.
Admittedly, it’s an uphill battle to play up an office environment for laughs after the pandemic revealed just as much — if not more — work can be done from home. And with corporate bosses increasingly pushing for five days a week in the office, overall worker morale is at an all-time low. So, writers Julie De Fina and Jackie van Beek’s version of The Office has inauspicious timing for its arrival.
Based on the new trailer, the show’s attempt to put a different spin on the concept is leaning into a dated girl boss parody from David Brent/Michael Scott stand-in Hannah Howard (Felicity Ward), who manages Sydney-based packaging company Flinley Craddick. “Promoting women into positions of power — that’s my mantra, really,” she says. “My back hurts from carrying all my sisters all the time.”
Other all-too-familiar characters are Gareth/Dwight stand-in Lizze (Edith Poor), Tim/Jim stand-in Nick (Steen Raskopoulos), and Pam/Lucy stand-in Greta (Shari Sebbens). As a reboot, it’s apparent that the Aussie adaptation is banking on nostalgia rather than bringing anything new to the table, but why watch the Temu version when the US and British versions are readily available on Peacock and Hulu?
Regardless of one’s thoughts, there’s a big catch for American fans of The Office who want to give the Australian version a chance. The US isn’t among the 240 countries and territories worldwide where it will debut October 18th on Prime Video, though that’s nothing a VPN workaround can’t fix.
Perhaps it’s simply worth waiting for The Paper, the upcoming spinoff series from original US Office showrunner Greg Daniels. It will be set in the Midwest and stars Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore.
Be sure to check out Creed Bratton’s picks for 12 desert island albums every music fan should own.