The much-anticipated revival of The Office comes with a little Australian twist and brings the same laughter and feel-good vibes to its audience here in Australia. The series that gained popularity in the UK through Ricky Gervais and in the US through Steve Carell is going to visit an Australian office. This is now getting a refresh with Felicity Ward, set to breathe new life into the long-running favourite series. Here’s a closer look at what The Office Australia has in store.
The Office Australia will put forward a light, funny take on the Australian workplace struggling with the recently introduced policy of remote work. It will then drop in full—eight episodes—on Prime Video on October 18, 2024, making for just the right type of binge for fans of the series.
In this fresh adaptation, Felicity Ward plays the eccentric and awkward managing director of the packaging company Flinley Craddick, Hannah Howard. She learns that her branch will be closing and working from home, so she finds herself trying to hang onto the things in life that are important: her “work family.” With its razor-sharp, quirky, very British distinctive office antics, mixed with a dash of Australian flavor, this show really does bring another lively and relatable take on workplace comedy.
The Office Australia is gifted with a powerhouse of comedic talent from Australia and New Zealand. Alongside Felicity Ward, the core 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. It also features some special guest stars, which include Susie Youssef, Justin Rosniiak, Carlo Ritchie, Rick Donald, and Chris Bunton across the series. Many of these actors have worked on projects like The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings of Power, Thor: Love and Thunder, What We Do in the Shadows, and Deadloch—leaving 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, funny schemes will be implemented as she attempts to achieve unrealistic targets set out by the Head Office. According to Prime Video, staff at Flinley Craddick have to “endure Hannah’s outlandish plots” while having to deal with issues regarding their impending transition. It is “kooky and hilarious,” per the show’s description, with Hannah always teetering on the brink of catastrophe, which makes for “perfect television.”
This Australian reboot is the 13th adaptation since The Office’s UK original over two decades ago. Prime Video said the nature of the workplace has dramatically changed—especially since 2020—and yet the physical office is still “a timeless precinct for comedy.” Of course, for as long as the characters are real, recognizable, and faced with relatable dilemmas, and—above all—funny, audiences will keep following them anywhere.
Even without a The Office Australia trailer having been released yet, expectations are quite high for how Australia’s very distinct dry humor will blend with the already established style of the franchise. With the series just around the corner, everyone is waiting and hoping to get a glimpse of what has been billed as a wonderful, rather interesting addition to the universe of The Office.
