Everything old is new again. But not that new, it seems—as the Australian version of the American version of the British era-defining cringe sitcom The Office heads our way. Doing the url hyperlinks for this piece is going to be a goddamn nightmare.
How to watch The Office Australia in the UK
The Office is now streaming in the UK exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.
The Office (Australia): Season 1
What is The Office Australia about?
I mean, it’s The Office…you know what it’s about. Not to be confused with The Office or The Office, or any of the many other versions made around the world (there are 15 in total at last count), The Office takes place in Australia, where the hapless employees of packaging company Finley Craddick must contend with work life under the leadership of their cringe-inducing, well-meaning, utterly inept boss Davi… we mean Micha… that is to say, Hannah Howard. Hijinks ensue. Many people will look directly at the camera.
The cast of The Office Australia
Felicity Ward is Hannah Howard; Edith Poor (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) is Lizzie Moyle; Shari Sebbens (The Sapphires) is Greta King; Australian comedian Steen Raskopoulos is Nick Fletcher; Pallavi Sharda (Life of Pi) is Alisha Khanna; New Zealand comedian Josh Thomson is Martin Katavake; Jonny Brugh (What We Do in the Shadows) is Lloyd Kneath; and Susan Ling Young, Raj Labade, Lucy Schmidt, Jason Perini, and Talk to Me‘s Zoe Terakes round out the cast. Exactly who is an analogue of who in previous iterations of the franchise is left as an exercise for the reader.
The Office Australia trailer
Why we’re excited about The Office Australia
Hmm. Early reactions to the trailer have not been kind, to say the least. That’s a pretty great cast right there, but we’re not seeing a lot to distinguish it from its forebearers. There’s a chance the series might surprise us, and plenty of great comedies haven’t found their identity until a season or two deep. But will The Office get a chance in the current environment? We will say, however, that is commendably bold to do a Melbourne Cup episode in a series that appears to be flogging a dead horse.
