The Office – Australian Version, Launches October 18 – could it possibly be any good?

It’s not Dunder Mifflin, or Vernham Hogg. In Australia The Office is based around fictional packaging company Flinley Craddick. Can it work? I really don’t know – but I’m sceptical.

And let me be clear and put my colours on the mast, I love deeply The Office – US Version. I tried to watch the UK version (albeit after I’d binged the US one), and struggled. So what are the chances I’m going to love a spin off of a spin off?

Then add in the year – it’s 2024 – the cancel culture woke brigade wouldn’t allow Michael Scott to do half of what he did.

The Aussie boss is Hannah Howard – played by Felicity Ward, she’s the Managing Director of Finley Craddick.

On October 18 the entire eight episodes of The Office (AU) will drop on Amazon Prime Video in 240 countries – except the USA! (Go figure).

Here’s the sell for it:

In The Office, Hannah Howard is the managing director of packaging company Flinley Craddick. When she gets news from Head Office that they will be shutting down her branch and making everyone work from home, she goes into survival mode, making promises she can’t keep in order to keep her “work family” together. The staff of Flinley Craddick indulge her and must endure Hannah’s outlandish plots as they work toward the impossible targets that have been set for them.

Starring alongside Felicity Ward is Edith Poor (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Power of the Dog), Steen Raskopoulos (The Duchess, Feel Good), Shari Sebbens (The Sapphires, Thor: Love and Thunder), Josh Thomson (How to Please a Woman, Young Rock), Jonny Brugh (Thor: Love and Thunder, What We Do in the Shadows), Susan Ling Young (Reckoning, Hungry Ghosts), Raj Labade (Appetite), Lucy Schmidt (The Pledge), Zoe Terakes (Talk To Me, Nine Perfect Strangers), Pallavi Sharda (The Twelve), Claude Jabbour (Last King of the Cross, Stateless) with Susie Youssef (Deadloch, Rosehaven), Justin Rosniiak (Mr Inbetween, Last King of the Cross), Carlo Ritchie (Mikki vs the World), Rick Donald (Population 11, Wentworth), and Chris Bunton (Relic, Wolf Like Me) in guest roles.

I will absolutely give it a go. If it’s eight episodes, I’m going to need to love it by Episode 3 to stick with it.