It's The Office but set in Australia and with a woman in the David Brent role.
You can review this new series starring comedian Felicity Ward in one sentence. From the first awkward glance at the documentary cameras to to the last popularity-contest-pranks from boss Hannah Howard (Ward), this new series feels like a beat-for-beat remake of the original with a touch of the US Office lobbed in for a bit of variation at times.
And this is despite the fact that the scripts are original. In this new set-up Howard is the manager of Sydney box company Flinley Craddick. The staff have been working from home during the pandemic and the bosses see this as a chance to close the office and cut their costs. Howard, however, has other ideas – because, selfishly, the office is her family/life – and cuts a deal that if everyone stays at work and productivity increases the office will stay open.
Judging by the early episodes, this post-pandemic plotline is really the only way things differ from the original. The unspoken Tim/Dawn romance is replicated in Nick (Steen Raskopoulos) and Greta (Shari Sebbens), and Hannah has a devoted Gareth-alike sidekick in Lizzie (Edith Poor). I didn't see a stapler in jelly but that is surely only a matter of time.
It is inevitable that this version - the first with a woman in the main role – will be judged against both the original and the American version, which many think pulled off the trick of improving on the BBC iteration. The best thing here is Felicity Ward. While she has all the Brent please-like-me vocal tics she also brings some bad outfits and added physical clowning to the role, imposing herself on situations and having no idea about boundaries and personal space.
Ultimately though, there is an odd feeling watching this and not just because the docu-comedy style suddenly feels dated. It's like where you go to a cheap supermarket and buy a packet of bisuits that are basicaly Bourbons but not allowed to be called Bourbons. They might taste just like Bourbons, but somehow you just can't bring yourself to like them as much as Bourbons.
I guess there will be Australian references that will make it work better down under, but it's Ward who I know from the stand-up world that kept me watching. Though every now and again I was distracted by The Office boxed set that has been lodged next to my DVD player for at least ten years. I took every fibre of self-control in my body not to put that on instead.
The Office Australia is now streaming on Prime Video
Picture: John Platt/Prime Video
