Beloved in its heydey and still now in its reruns, The Office‘s comedy of characters often feel so dominantly funny that the series might be challenging to match. Based on a British series of the same name and created for NBC by Greg Daniels, the nine-season show won five Emmys and was nominated a whopping 42 times. It launched A-list careers for many of its actors and, soon, will be the subject of a spinoff currently in the works at Peacock.
Starring Steve Carrell as Michael Scott, regional manager of the Scranton, Pennsylvania, Dunder Mifflin paper company, the show’s original main cast also included Rainn Wilson, John Krasinksi, Jenna Fischer, B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Angela Kinsey, Brian Baumgartner, Oscar Nuñez, Leslie David Baker and Phyllis Smith.
The show ran from 2005 to 2013 and released 201 episodes. But if you’ve just binged the show and you’re left still wanting more, here are seven other series to try.
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'Parks and Recreation'
Image Credit: Ron Tom / © NBC / Courtesy Everett Collection Also a mockumentary format, Parks and Recreation began when NBC first asked Greg Daniels to develop a spinoff for The Office. Though the resulting project ultimately became a standalone show far removed from Scranton’s antics, much of the Parks and Rec comedic style and format is reminiscent of The Office. Daniels co-created the series, which ran for seven seasons from 2009 to 2015, with The Office writer and producer Michael Schur.
Set in fictional Pawnee, Indiana, Parks and Rec follows mid-level government official Leslie Knope in her haphazard but beautifully well-intentioned leadership of the city’s parks department. Amy Poehler played Knope, with a cast that also included Nick Offerman, Rashida Jones, Aziz Ansari, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt, Jim O’Heir, Retta and, later, Adam Scott and Rob Lowe.
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'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'
Image Credit: Jordin Althaus/©Fox/Courtesy Everett Collection One could argue that another way to write a list of “Shows to Watch If You Like The Office” would be to inspect the resume of Michael Schur. After starting his career on Saturday Night Live, Schur helped shepherd The Office to success before going on to produce or create shows like Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, Rutherford Falls and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The latter, which Schur co-created with Dan Goor, follows an ensemble of clashing (but beloved) personalities in the New York City Police Department led by Andre Braugher, Andy Samberg, Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews, Melisa Fumera, Joe Lo Truglio, Chelsea Peretti, Dirk Blocker and Joel McKinnon Miller.
The show ran from 2013 to 2018 on NBC and then from 2019 to 2021 on Fox.
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'Abbott Elementary'
Image Credit: Gilles Mingasson/Disney Fans desperate for more of The Office and Parks and Recreation‘s mockumentary style, have no fear! Abbott Elementary is here! Currently headed to its third season, Quinta Brunson’s highly acclaimed ABC sitcom is often celebrated for giving a boost to network television, raising awareness for local educators and spotlighting Black protagonist characters.
Abbott sees Brunson as Janine Teagues, a hearteningly optimistic schoolteacher in Philadelphia up against severe funding deficits and corrupt — albeit hilarious — administration decisions. The cast also includes Tyler James Williams, Janelle James, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, William Stanford Davis and Sheryl Lee Ralph.
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'New Girl'
Image Credit: Ray Mickshaw/© Fox/Courtesy Everett Collection If The Office follows a group of eclectic, clashing personalities in the workplace, New Girl begs the question: What if they were roommates? Created by Elizabeth Meriwether, the Fox sitcom follows Zooey Deschanel as a quirky elementary school teacher who moves into a Los Angeles loft with three men, played by Jake Johnson, Mad Greenfield and Lamorne Morris. Damon Wayans Jr. also cycles in and out as a fifth roommate, and Hannah Simone rounds out the main cast. The show ran for seven seasons from 2011 to 2018.
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'What We Do in the Shadows'
Image Credit: Martin / ©FX / Courtesy of FX via Everett Collection The Office… but make it horror… but also comedy. What We Do in the Shadows is a comedy-horror-mockumentary about a ragtag group of vampire roommates on Staten Island. Created by Jermaine Clement and based on the 2014 New Zealand film of the same name, the show (and movie) was written by Clement and Taika Waititi and stars Kayvan Novak, Mett Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén, Mark Proksch and Kristen Schaal. The show’s fifth season ended last year. The sixth and final installment does not yet have a release date.
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'Community'
Image Credit: Yahoo/Courtesy Everett Collection If The Office charmed you for its small-town-big-personalities appeal, Community will likely also dazzle. Dan Harmon created the show based on his experiences attending Glendale Community College, and set the series at a fictional version of the school in Colorado. Stars Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Alison Brie, Donald Glover, Ken Jeong, Chevy Chase and Jim Rash play a ragtag group of students with delightfully creative and diverse backstories.
The series ran for six seasons from 2009 to 2015. Harmon was fired after the first three installments and then later rehired for the fifth season when the show moved from NBC to Yahoo! Screen. Despite the drama, the series still enjoys a devoted fanbase, and Peacock is currently developing a spinoff movie.
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'The Office' (The British One)
Image Credit: Everett Collection What better way to honor The Office than to see see how it all started? If you’ve watched every minute of America’s The Office, you should already know it was actually a remake of a British show of the same name. Created, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the original series followed a group of employees at the Wernham Hogg paper company in Slough, England. Gervais also starred as the main character, David Brent, who later became the basis of Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott. The British Office ran for two seasons from 2001 to 2003 on the BBC.
