Fans Are Disappointed With New "The Office" Show, They Demand Cancellation

Backlash Over New 'The Office' Remake.

Filip

• Published in Film & TV
• September 23, 2024

A fresh remake of the iconic mockumentary The Office has stirred up controversy on social media with its seemingly gender-swapped cast. While the original British version featured Ricky Gervais as the infamous David Brent and the American adaptation had Steve Carell as Michael Scott, The Office Australia introduces Felicity Ward as Hannah Howard, the new lead character.

On Tuesday, September 17, Prime Video AU & NZ dropped the trailer for the latest version of The Office, teasing: "New Office. New Aussie Boss." The trailer, which has since attracted significant attention, introduces Hannah Howard as the weird new boss of Sydney’s fictional Flinley Craddick packaging company.

It features Hannah sharing the "good news" with her employees, announcing, “As of today, we are back in the office full-time,” hinting at a return to normalcy following the post-COVID lockdowns. Her announcement, however, is met with disinterest and grumpy responses from her team.

The storyline also delves into gender biases in the workplace, with Hannah proudly stating, “Promoting women into positions of power - that’s my mantra. My back hurts from carrying all my sisters all the time.”

The Australian adaptation of The Office also introduces a new character, Lizzie, played by Edith Poor, standing in for the roles once held by Mackenzie Crook’s Gareth Keenan in the UK series and Rainn Wilson’s Dwight Schrute in the US version. Despite the cultural and narrative shifts, the TV show has faced significant criticism, with longtime fans of The Office flooding the comments section to voice their disappointment.

The fans were not happy with this news

Strange new boss

In this latest version, the characters appear to have undergone a gender swap

"I have been confined to a wheelchair for the past 20 years, today I stood up and walked just to turn this off," said a fan

Another fan added, "Dear Prime. It's not too late to delete this."

"And we thought the Break Dancing was the worst Australia would put out this year," continued another fan

As you can see, the fans didn't like it

Here is the Official trailer:

The original storyline of The Office follows a group of colleagues who, despite their mutual dislike, navigate various workplace challenges and conflicts. Throughout, they struggle to keep their professional and personal lives separate while competing to prove who is the better employee.

Here are some of the fans' comments:

The worst piece of media

Is this a parody?

Are they serious?

It won't have a second season

It's so bad

Sad but honest

"I lost my sense of humor watching this"

It won't last long

There is no humor

They have no idea of Australian comedy

Doesn't look that bad

At least someone will watch it

The latest remake of The Office has left many fans disappointed, with the gender-swapped cast and new storyline sparking widespread criticism. Longtime viewers expressed frustration on social media, feeling the changes stray too far from the original.

They also added that the show has lost its humor and probably won't last more than one season.

Filip