The Office | |
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Genre | |
Created by | Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant |
Based on | |
Developed by |
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Starring |
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Country of origin | Australia |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 1 |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Executive producers | |
Producer |
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Cinematography | Bevan Crothers |
Editors |
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Camera setup | Single-camera |
Production companies | BBC Studios ANZ Bunya Entertainment Amazon MGM Studios |
Original release | |
Network | Amazon Prime Video |
Release | 18 October 2024 |
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.
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.
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]
No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "IRL" | Jackie van Beek | Jackie van Beek | 18 October 2024 |
2 | "The Wake" | Christiaan Van Vuuren | Julie De Fina & Jackie van Beek | 18 October 2024 |
3 | "Melbourne Cup" | Christiaan Van Vuuren | Jesse Griffin & Julie De Fina | 18 October 2024 |
4 | "Tax Dodge" | Jessie Griffin | Julie De Fina | 18 October 2024 |
5 | "Pyjama Day" | Jackie van Beek | Julie De Fina & Jackie van Beek | 18 October 2024 |
6 | "Women in Business" | Jesse Griffin | Jesse Griffin | 18 October 2024 |
7 | "Away Day" | Jackie van Beek | Jesse Griffin | 18 October 2024 |
8 | "The Sales Report" | Jackie van Beek | Julie De Fina & Jackie van Beek | 18 October 2024 |
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]
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, and many of the characters, which were cast for males in the original and American iterations, are cast for females in this production. [9]
Principal photography took place in mid-2023, in Rydalmere, Sydney. [10]
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]
Upon both the show's 2023 announcement and 2024 trailer release, The Office has been negatively compared to other Australian comedy series, such as Utopia and Deadloch . [12] [9]
The Office is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as The Office in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as the boss and main character. The two series were broadcast on BBC Two in 2001 and 2002, totalling 12 episodes, with two special episodes concluding the series in 2003. A follow up movie starring Gervais and featuring his David Brent character was released in 2016.
Douglas Eric Liman is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing the films Swingers (1996), Go (1999), The Bourne Identity (2002), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005), Jumper (2008), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), American Made (2017) and Road House (2024).
The Office is a British mockumentary television sitcom first broadcast in the UK on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, it follows the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictional Wernham Hogg paper company. Gervais also starred in the series as the central character, David Brent.
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Set-up director: Jackie van Beek
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.