Hannah Howard runs the Sydney office of paper distributor Flinley Craddock. Head Office is planning to shut down the office and have everyone work from home, a development that doesn't sit well with Hannah. So, with the aid of sidekick Lizzie, she tries to undermine Head Office's plan.
The original UK version of The Office was brilliant, an hilarious, intelligent blend of cringe-comedy and human drama set against the backdrop of an average office. It was so good that I initially refused to watch the US version, figuring it could not possibly live up to the original and would just be a cheap American knock-off.
Eventually I watched the US version and, to my surprise, not only was it a great credit to the original series, in some ways it even surpassed it.
So, with the legacy of being spawned by two of the greatest TV comedy series of all time we now have...the Australian version of The Office. I know living up to the quality of those two series is a tough ask but the producers and writers could at least have tried. While quite closely following the plot of those series, especially the US series, this is nothing like those series.
For a start, laughs are few and far between. Somebody should have reminded the writers that for cringe-comedy, you need comedy. This is just cringe. Characters are dull and irritating, plot-lines are irritating, the actors try to mimic the actors of the US series but don't come anywhere near to capturing what made that series so special. It's a struggle to get through an episode.
Quite embarrassing, not only as a fan of the first two versions of The Office but also as an Australian.
