The highly anticipated reboot of The Office has a little Australian twist, bringing the same laughs and feel-good vibes to audiences here in Australia. The show, which gained popularity in the UK thanks to Ricky Gervais and in the US thanks to Steve Carell, will visit an Australian office, now freshened up with Felicity Ward, and set to breathe new life into the long-running favourite. Here’s a closer look at what The Office Australia has to offer.
The Office Australia offers a light, funny take on the Australian workplace grappling with the recently introduced remote working policy. The series will air in its entirety – eight episodes – on Prime Video on October 18, 2024, making it just the right treat for fans of the series.
In this new adaptation, Felicity Ward plays the eccentric and bumbling managing director of packaging company Flinley Craddick, Hannah Howard. She learns that her branch is closing and she has to work from home, and tries to hold on to the things in life that matter: her “work family”. With its razor-sharp, quirky, very British office antics mixed with a dash of Australian flair, this show really does offer another lively and relatable take on workplace comedy.
The Office Australia is blessed with a whole host of comedic talent from Australia and New Zealand. Alongside Felicity Ward, the main cast includes Edith Poor, Steen Raskopoulos, Shari Sebbens, Josh Thomson, Jonny Brugh, Susan Ling Young, Raj Labade, Lucy Schmidt, Zoe Terakes, Pallavi Sharda and Claude Jabbour. There are also a number of special guest stars including Susie Youssef, Justin Rosniiak, Carlo Ritchie, Rick Donald and Chris Bunton. Many of these actors have worked on projects such as The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Thor: Love and Thunder, What We Do in the Shadows and Deadloch – there is no doubt that the acting talent will be experienced and versatile.
At its core, it’s about Hannah’s desperate attempt to save her branch from closure. A series of absurd, hilarious schemes are put into action as she tries to meet unrealistic targets set by head office. According to Prime Video, Flinley Craddick employees must “endure Hannah’s outlandish plans” while also dealing with issues surrounding her impending transition. According to the show’s description, it’s “wacky and hilarious,” with Hannah always teetering on the brink of disaster, making for “perfect television.”
This Australian reboot is the 13th adaptation since the British original of The Office over two decades ago. Prime Video said the nature of the workplace has changed dramatically – especially since 2020 – and yet the physical office is still “a timeless place for comedy.” As long as the characters are real, recognizable, face relatable dilemmas and – most importantly – are funny, audiences will naturally follow them anywhere.
Even though a trailer for The Office Australia hasn’t been released yet, expectations are pretty high as to how Australia’s very distinct dry humor will blend with the franchise’s already established style. With the series just around the corner, everyone is waiting and hoping to catch a glimpse of what has been touted as a wonderful, rather interesting addition to The Office universe.
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