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The Office inherited some of the finer tropes of the workplace comedy (mostly involving tossing together a group of weirdos overly invested in their jobs) while also launching a million mockumentary-style shows. Running for nine seasons, it was one of the most popular shows of its era—and still is, on streaming, despite one of its stars claiming it could “never be made today” (sighs exhaustedly while pointing to the ongoing spin-off). Here are some other great workplace sitcoms to watch if you’ve exhausted the entire Office catalog.
Abbott Elementary (2021 – )
Quickly establishing itself as one of the great workplace mockumentaries, Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary portrays its cast of (mostly) well-meaning characters running up against an American educational system that doesn’t always reward good intentions. The 2022 Emmy win for the great Sheryl Lee Ralph became a viral moment, if only because it was so well-deserved by an actress representing an incredibly talented and brilliantly funny cast. Stream Abbott Elementary on Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max.
Parks and Recreation (2009 – 2015)
Amy Poehler stars as Leslie Knope, a can-do spirit in the sleepy town of Pawnee, Indiana. Irrepressibly perky, she’s the deputy director of the local Parks and Rec Department, with ambitions that extend to the White House. Her ambition is as inspiring as it unhinged, but she’s hard not to root for—at least a little. In the best workplace comedy tradition, her office is filled with lovable oddballs: gruff libertarian Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman); cynical underachiever Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari); and saucy Donna Meagle (Retta), whose mysterious but definitely wild personal life is only ever alluded to. Stream Parks and Recreation on Peacock.
St. Denis Medical (2024 – )
St. Denis Medical co-creator (alongside Eric Ledgin) Justin Spitzer was a writer and producer on The Office back in the day, so any similarities aren’t 100% surprising. The popular show takes place in the title’s St. Denis Regional Medical Center, following the medical staff dealing with demanding patients on one end, and an even more challenging medical system on the other. Allison Tolman leads an impressive cast that includes Wendi McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier, the show blending some very funny workplace-mockumentary comedy style relatable themes about how much it kinda stinks to be a practitioner or a patient in the American medical system. Stream St. Denis Medical on Peacock.
What We Do in the Shadows (2019 – 2024)
This vampire sitcom might not seem, on the surface, to have much to do with The Office beyond its format, but the similarities in tone run a bit deeper than just pretend camera crews. The Staten Island vampire polycule is made up entirely of weirdos entirely unfit for the present day, and for whom every run-in with modernity is hilarious. Mark Proksch’s “energy vampire” Colin Robinson, the only one to hold a regular office job, would fit right in at Dunder Mifflin. Later seasons see Harvey Guillén’s Guillermo de la Cruz strike out into the white-collar world himself, drawing even more Office parallels. Stream What We Do in the Shadows on Disney+ and Hulu.
Veep (2012 – 2019)
Veep is a more cynical show than The Office, and with ostensibly higher stakes, but the air of awkward desperation hangs heavy over characters in both shows. Veep asks: What if the worst people imaginable had control of all the levers of power in America? What would that be like? Julia Louis-Dreyfus brilliantly plays Vice President Selina Meyer: part icon, part worst-case-scenario for the feminist dream. The supporting cast consists almost entirely of entitled rich people climbing over each other for infinitesimal extra bits of power while trying to appear as folk heroes to the rubes (us voters). Stream Veep on HBO Max.
Archer (2009 – 2023)
An animated workplace sitcom disguised as a spy spoof, Archer stars H. Jon Benjamin, lovable schlub of Bob’s Burgers, as Bob Belcher’s polar opposite: a handsome spy who’s also a deeply narcissistic womanizer with an endless capacity for alcohol—and not nearly the most ridiculous character at the New York–based freelance intelligence agency, led by Jessica Walter’s hard-drinking Malory Archer. Some of the team’s missions aren’t all that much more silly than the plots of more overtly serious spy movies and shows, but at least as many stories deal with the day-to-day goings-on in the office. Addictive and irreverent, the show includes one of TV animation’s best-ever voice casts, including Aisha Tyler, Amber Nash (as wildly inappropriate HR head Pam Poovey, and Judy Greer as the sociopathic secretary Cheryl Tunt. Stream Archer on Hulu and Disney+.
Superstore (2015 – 2020)
Workplace comedies usually revolve around white-collar office environments (The Mary Tyler Moore Show, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, etc.). Superstore, instead, revolves around the staff of Cloud 9, a big-box retailer. The show’s deep bench and diverse cast are largely, and appropriately, focused on the jokes, but much of that comedy revolves around the relatable situation of working a job that demands both commitment and a happy, smiley attitude in the face of both entitled customers and obnoxious bosses. Stream Superstore on Disney+, Hulu, and Peacock.
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Scrubs (2001 – 2009)
This scrappy sitcom was resuscitated at least once during its initial run; finally declared dead after an impressive nine seasons; then revived again more recently. Zach Braff star as J.D. Dorian, who begins the show as an intern at the fictional teaching hospital Sacred Heart, alongside Sarah Chalke, Donald Faison, and John C. McGinley. While it played with slapstick and incorporating dream sequences, the show earned high marks from medical professionals, who apparently found it fairly accurate in depicting details of hospital life compared to many prestige medical dramas. Stream Scrubs on Disney+ and Hulu (both the original and the revival, though they’re listed separately).
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970 – 1977)
It wasn’t the first workplace sitcom, but it’s the one that made workplace sitcoms like The Office a a thing. It threw together a talented cast of awkward goofballs in a newsroom—an environment that’s simultaneously high-pressure and also, somehow, high-downtime. It’s not that the stories write themselves, but throw enough weirdos together and the possibilities become limitless. Buy The Mary Tyler Moore Show from Prime Video.
Corporate (2018 – 2020)
There’s a lightness to many of these shows that counterbalances the dark sides of American capitalism. The same can’t be said of Corporate, which is much darker than almost any other workplace comedy. It’s set in an office of Hampton DeVille, a fictional and fairly evil megacorp that produces everything from pharmaceuticals to armaments. Jake and Matt (Jake Weisman and Matt Ingebretson, also the creators), are executives in training—mid-level managers who hate themselves and hate their jobs, even more so for feeling like sellouts. Stream Corporate on Paramount+.
