'The Office' Remake That Was “an Offense to the Original” Finally Has Its Fate Sealed a Year After Its Debut

The Office Australia premiered in October 2024, and made one big change to the franchise by casting Felicity Ward as the first female lead after the previous 12 international versions of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s British hit stuck with male leads. While this should not have made any difference to the show, the original announcement that the series was daring to gender-swap its main character gained a lot of noise online at the time, and for a certain group of people would make the series an instantly avoidable release. Along with Ward, the series starred Edit Poor, Steen Raskopoulos, Josh Thomson, Shari Sebbens, and Zoe Terakes.

The Office Australia centers on Hannah Howard (Ward), the Managing Director of Flinley Craddick – a packaging company in Australia – which is about to have branch closures. In order to try and avoid her branch being shut down, Howard begins making changes that not everyone is on board with in an attempt to meet impossible targets.

Critics were reasonably happy with this 13th take on the dysfunctional office premise, scoring it 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. For several reviewers, changing working environments and the years that had passed since both Gervais’ original and the hugely successful U.S. remake of the series ended allowed The Office Australia to find a place in the world. However, audiences did not take to the series in quite the same way.

Audiences Were Negative Towards ‘The Office Australia’

Prime Video

It is not unusual for international locations to want their own versions of some popular shows. While reality shows and quizzes are usually top of the list for dozens of interpretations around the world, dramas and comedies also often find their formula being adapted for new audiences. The Office pushed this to new limits when The Office Australia became the 13th iteration.

Although the series did have some fans, many found it impossible to get through the first episode, let alone the whole season. This could go some way to explaining why the show has been in limbo for a year and has now, finally, been put out of its misery. Some called it “horrendous,” while others said they “felt uncomfortable” because the show was so bad it was “an offense to the original.” The general feeling was that the series’ comedy elements were so weak, that fans might as well go and watch one of the other versions out there.

While The Office Australia has been dealt the same fate as Howard’s office faced in the series, the U.S. The Office spinoff, The Paper, scored a strong debut and seems set to continue on for at least another season, keeping the memory of The Office alive in a new format with plenty of familiar aspects. The Office Australia can still be watched on Prime Video, while The Paper is streaming on Peacock.

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Release Date

October 17, 2024

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  Felicity Ward

  Hannah Howard

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  Steen Raskopoulos

  Nick Fletcher

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