Back in 2001, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s The Office was released in the UK. Following its success, the US released a version that went on to have a life of its own and became highly successful. So when the trailer for the Australian version of The Office dropped, it’s not surprising it was met with groans. There were the questions of whether this would stray away from its predecessors and bring something new to the table or would just repeat the same formula with recycled characters and plotlines. It is a remake, but that shouldn’t stop it from dipping its toes into something fresh. Particularly now that workplace culture has shifted dramatically in a post-COVID world. 

Does this show manage to do that? To an extent. The Office Australia finds itself with some similar plotlines and characters, and it still largely follows the same formula; but, it does have its moments where it shines.

The series is set in Sydney at a packaging company called Flinley Craddick, where we meet managing director Hannah Howard (Felicity Ward) as she receives the surprising news that all branches are being shut down and going remote. She decides that everyone should work full-time in the office to reach outlandish sales targets in order to save the office. Hannah does share similarities with The Office UK’s David (Gervais) and US’s Michael (Steve Carell). She makes tone-deaf comments, can be extremely unprofessional, and is under the impression her employees share the same enthusiasm for work as she does. 

Halfway through the first episode, you’ll already have a good idea of which character is supposed to be which from its other versions. Lizzie (Edith Poor) is similar to Dwight, the overly enthusiastic and loyal secretary (and productivity manager). Then we’ve got Greta (Shari Sebbens) and Nick (Steen Raskopoulos), who share the budding romance seen previously between Tim and Dawn (Martin Freeman and Lucy Davis) and Jim and Pam (John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer).  

These characters and archetypes were all fan favourites in the previous two series, so it makes sense that this iteration would adopt them. But it would be nice to have a fresh spin. Do we really need to see this play out again?

The cast does have great chemistry, but certain characters interact very little outside of their usual coworker cohort. Greta, for example, shares little screen time with any other character other than Nick. Hopefully, as the show progresses there will be more exploration of character dynamics, but so far the series has only dealt with bonds and characters we are all too familiar with from the two previous series. 

Hannah’s character is someone audiences will be familiar with due to her likeness to David and Michael. Felicity Ward is having a lot of fun with this role. She brings a heart to the character and showcases that underneath the character’s excessive personality, Hannah loves her work and wants to be liked by her coworkers. She loves her “work family” so much that she lands herself into bizarre situations to save her branch from closing.  Hannah even organizes an impromptu work excursion after overhearing sales representative Tina discussing another job opportunity, thinking she will cause a mass exodus.

Everyone else in the show is fun to watch too. We have HR’s Martin (Josh Thomson) exasperated attitude towards Hannah’s shenanigans, Lizzie serving as Hannah’s eager confidant, and a pyjama day with a guest speaker who discusses workplace boundaries, which leads to several awkward exchanges. 

But the humour of this show falls flat at times. While it is a delight to watch Hannah embarrass herself in front of a coworker she’s crushing on or Lizzie hijack a forklift, the humour lacks wit. Iconic comedies such as Kath & Kim worked because its humour was uniquely Australian. You could argue that the comedy was exaggerated but it was dry and sarcastic.  The Office Australia tries to replicate the humour of the US version, while failing to embrace its new country of origin. It can be enjoyably slapstick but the jokes and banter between the characters undermines the series’ overall impression. 

The Office US eventually found its footing, distancing itself from its predecessor, so it’s worth giving The Office Australia a chance. It does follow the same familiar formula, but it has heart and its characters can be amusing. Perhaps with time, it could prove itself to be a unique remake.

The Office Australia‘s first season is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.