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The Office (Australian TV series)

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The Office is an Australian mockumentary sitcom television series based on the British series of the same name created by (and starring) Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The series stars Felicity Ward in the lead role, with the supporting ensemble cast including Edith Poor, Steen Raskopoulos, Shari Sebbens, Josh Thomson, Jonny Brugh, Susan Ling Young, Raj Labade, Lucy Schmidt, Zoe Terakes, Pallavi Sharda, Claude Jabbour, Jason Perini, Christian Manon and Olga Tamara.

The Office
Promotional teaser poster
Genre
Created byRicky Gervais
Stephen Merchant
Based on
The Office
by
  • Ricky Gervais
  • and Stephen Merchant
Developed by
Starring
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes8
Production
Executive producers
  • Kylie Washington[1]
  • Julie De Fina
  • Jackie van Beek
  • Sophia Zachariou[2]
Producer
  • Linda Micsko[3]
CinematographyBevan Crothers
Editors
  • Ian Carmichael
  • Matthew Evans
  • Alex Boyd
Camera setupSingle-camera
Production companiesBBC Studios ANZ
Bunya Entertainment
Amazon MGM Studios
Original release
NetworkAmazon Prime Video
Release18 October 2024 (2024-10-18)

It is the first female-led series in The Office franchise, and the 13th overall adaptation. It is the third English-language version of The Office, after the British and American iterations.

Premise

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Hannah Howard is the managing director of Sydney's branch of Australia's fourth largest packaging company Flinley Craddick. When she gets news from Head Office that her Rydalmere-based branch will be shut down and everyone will go remote, she goes into survival mode, making promises she can't keep in order to keep her "work family" together.[4][5]

Cast and characters

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Main

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  • Felicity Ward as Hannah Howard, the managing director of Flinley Craddick, Sydney[6]
  • Edith Poor as Lizze Moyle, the receptionist, front desk executive and productivity manager[6]
  • Steen Raskopoulos as Nick Fletcher, a sales representative[6]
  • Shari Sebbens as Greta King, a sales representative[6]
  • Josh Thomson as Martin Katavake, the head of human resources[6]
  • Jonny Brugh as Lloyd Kneath, the head of IT[6]
  • Susan Ling Young as Tina Kwong, a sales representative[6]
  • Raj Labade as Sebastian Roy, an intern[6]
  • Lucy Schmidt as Deborah Leonard, the head of finance[6]
  • Zoe Terakes as Stevie Jones, the head of the warehouse[6]
  • Pallavi Sharda as Alisha Khanna, the regional director of Flinley Craddick Australia[6]
  • Claude Jabbour as Mason, Greta's boyfriend[6]
  • Jason Perini as Johnny, a warehouse staff member[6]

Guest

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Episodes

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No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal release date
1"IRL"Jackie van BeekJackie van Beek18 October 2024 (2024-10-18)
2"The Wake"Christiaan Van VuurenJulie De Fina & Jackie van Beek18 October 2024 (2024-10-18)
3"Melbourne Cup"Christiaan Van VuurenJesse Griffin & Julie De Fina18 October 2024 (2024-10-18)
4"Tax Dodge"Jessie GriffinJulie De Fina18 October 2024 (2024-10-18)
5"Pyjama Day"Jackie van BeekJulie De Fina & Jackie van Beek18 October 2024 (2024-10-18)
6"Women in Business"Jesse GriffinJesse Griffin18 October 2024 (2024-10-18)
7"Away Day"Jackie van BeekJesse Griffin18 October 2024 (2024-10-18)
8"The Sales Report"Jackie van BeekJulie De Fina & Jackie van Beek18 October 2024 (2024-10-18)

Production

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Development

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An Australian adaptation of The Office was first announced to be in development in May 2023. The series is the 13th adaptation in the franchise, and the third English-language series. It is co-produced by BBC Studios Australia & New Zealand, Bunya Entertainment, and Amazon MGM Studios, and is based on the BBC series of the same name created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The adaptation was developed for Australia by Julie De Fina and Jackie van Beek, who both serve as executive producers along with Kylie Washington and Sophia Zachariou. The series is produced by Linda Micsko.[6] Gervais commented on the series, stating "I'm very excited about Australia remaking my little show from the turn of the century. Office politics have changed a bit in 20 years, so can't wait to see how they navigate a modern-day David Brent."[7]

Casting

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Felicity Ward portrays the first female lead in The Office franchise.

Felicity Ward stars in the leading role, portraying Hannah Howard, making the Australian adaptation the first series in The Office franchise to have a female lead.[7][8] The series has been described as female-led, with many of the characters which male in the original and American iterations being adapted as females.[9]

Filming

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Principal photography took place in mid-2023, in Rydalmere, Sydney.[10]

Release

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An official trailer for the series was released on YouTube on 18 September 2024 and was met with a mostly negative reception.[11] All eight episodes were released on 18 October 2024 on Amazon Prime Video, with the series being available worldwide except for the United States.[6]

Reception

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Pre-release

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Upon both the series' 2023 announcement and 2024 trailer release, The Office has been negatively compared to other Australian comedy series, such as Utopia and Deadloch.[12][9]

Critical response

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On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds a 69% rating with an average rating of 6.1/10, based on 10 reviews.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Kylie Washington : General Manager and Creative Director, BBC Studios Australia". 2024 Winner: Outstanding Alumnus Award (Arts, Education and Law). Griffith University. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  2. ^ "Sophia Zachariou". SCREEN FOREVER. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  3. ^ Bennett, Steve (18 August 2024). "First look at Felicity Ward in The Office : News 2024". www.chortle.co.uk : Chortle : The UK Comedy Guide. Retrieved 17 October 2024. Set-up director: Jackie van Beek
  4. ^ "The Office". Prime Video.
  5. ^ Ritman, Alex (19 August 2024). "'The Office' Australian Adaptation, Starring Franchise's First Female Lead, Gets October Release Date". Variety. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Prime Video releases the official trailer Australian Amazon Original Series The Office". AU About Amazon. 18 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Felicity Ward to lead The Office Australia". tvtonight.com.au | TV Tonight. 31 May 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  8. ^ Ritman, Alex (19 August 2024). "'The Office' Australian Adaptation, Starring Franchise's First Female Lead, Gets October Release Date". Variety. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  9. ^ a b Kain, Erin (24 September 2024). "New Female-Led, Australian 'The Office' Remake Looks Genuinely Terrible". Forbes. Retrieved 14 October 2024. And frankly, if you want an Australian version of Michael Scott, you should go watch the excellent female-led cop dramedy Deadloch instead. [...] I've also heard good things about the Australian office comedy Utopia, though I've never watched it myself.
  10. ^ "'The Office' Australia has released its first trailer, and it's as neurotic as the original". Esquire Australia. 19 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Fans slam Australian version of 'The Office' after first look trailer". News.com.au.
  12. ^ Ridgen, Clare (3 June 2023). "An Aussie remake of The Office? When we already have the faultlessly awesome Utopia?". The West Australian. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  13. ^ "The Office (2024) | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
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