The Office

Most of the reviews seem to be based on the first 15 minutes of episode 1, which, admittedly, is quite bad. However, by the time I reached episode 6, I found myself laughing a few times. The criticism that it's "trying too hard" is, ironically, part of the charm of every version of The Office, whether it's the UK or US. The first season of the US Office was just as awkward as this Australian version. There's nothing particularly groundbreaking about the first season of any Office series, but they all progressively get funnier, and I expect the same for the Australian one. The casting could be stronger, but the characters are starting to grow on me. It's not a great start, but then again, that seems to be the case with all versions of The Office.

As a longtime fan of The Office (US), I felt compelled to leave a review. The original series was nothing short of a masterpiece-witty, heartfelt, and endlessly rewatchable. To this day, I still revisit episodes. Unfortunately, this Australian version is a major disappointment. The new Michael lacks the comedic charm of the original, and the new takes on Jim, Pam, and Dwight fall completely flat. The humor just doesn't land. The only thing remotely amusing was the new Michael's facial expressions, which oddly reminded me of Krusty the Clown from The Simpsons. Other than that, the characters are unlikable, and the show feels like a desperate, try-hard attempt to cash in on the brilliance of the original. It's an uninspired, lackluster imitation of a show that set the bar incredibly high. I'd recommend sticking to the US version.

Based on the reviews, I started watching this expecting it to be terrible. I have watched both versions of the office, there are good and bad episodes in those versions (especially at the beginning). Honestly the Australian version is good! Set your expectations aside and give it a go. It's not the US Office or the UK Office, it's the Australian Office. They give it their own Aussie spin, with some familiar tropes certainly, but it works! There are some genuinely funny lines and it's extremely watchable! The jokes aren't recycled, they're new and hilarious. Ignore the neckbeard reviewers. This show is light and funny, that's all it needs to be.

The original British was trashed at the beginning, but people started to love the characters. The first season of the office, an American place, had bed reviews, but then they found their feet and once again we, the viewers, fell in love with the characters. The first view episodes are straight, because, most of the characters, we recognise, but they aren't the actors we fell in love with. So give this show a chance. Give this show to develop, like we did with the American version. It's interesting to see different versions of the same concept, set in different Countries. The first season gave me a lot of laugh out loud moments. Give it time.

Office Australia will face the same problems Inbetweeners US faced; it wasn't a terrible show, but it was nothing in comparison to the original and that sours the remake.

Office Aus has an even bigger problem, there's many different versions, most notably the original UK and then US ones. The characters are likeable, but mirror their mannerisms too closely with their UK/US counterparts. The show does add some originality with updated storylines that will resonate with a younger audience - or anyone who has worked in an office after Covid.

I feel the same writers, crew and cast could have created a watchable original show, it's a shame they went down this path instead.

I won't be leaping to watch Episode 2.