12 Best TV Shows Like The Office

The sitcom has been around since the earliest days of television, when Lucille Ball, Dick Van Dyke, and Mary Tyler Moore ruled the airwaves. In 2015, there's countless more channels that existed in those days, but even with an endless amount of content to watch at any given moment, many viewers always find themselves drawn back to one particular modern classic: "The Office."

"The Office" originated in the UK, created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and starring the former as the insensitive GM of a paper company. The mockumentary sitcom was adapted for American audiences on NBC in 2005, swapping out Gervais for Steve Carell, then known for his work on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart." The show also boasted a supporting cast including future Hollywood icons like John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, and Mindy Kaling. 

Not every season of "The Office" has been its best, but the show's lovable characters and talented writing staff maintain its replay value, even over a decade after its finale aired. While a spin-off, titled "The Paper," is set for NBC's streaming service Peacock in the near future, many diehard "The Office" fans may not have seen plenty of incredible TV comedies (and some dramas) similar to "The Office." These 12 shows are must-watches for any fan of "The Office." 

It may not surprise TV fans to learn that "Parks and Recreation" was almost a spin-off of "The Office," given they're both mockumentary workplace sitcoms that aired on NBC around the same time. The two shows have very similar DNA, thanks to the involvement of co-creators Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, both of whom gained notoriety for being writers and producers (and in Daniels' case, showrunner) of "The Office." However, rather than have this political office run by an incompetent character like Carell's Michael Scott, "Parks and Rec" stars "SNL" star Amy Poehler as the optimistic Leslie Knope. 

Compared to "The Office," which struggled after Carell left the show, "Parks and Rec" was designed from the get-go to have a stronger, more balanced ensemble cast outside of Poehler. That cast includes Nick Offerman as the anti-authoritarian Ron Swanson, Aubrey Plaza as the apathetic April Ludgate, Rashida Jones as the earnest Ann Perkins, Aziz Ansari as the ambitious Tom Haverford, and Chris Pratt as the scatterbrained Andy Dwyer. And that's not to mention later additions like Adam Scott, Rob Lowe, Ben Schwartz, and Retta. 

Although some criticized the show's at-times corny wholesomeness, there's no denying that on many fronts, "Parks and Rec" was an improvement on the weakest part of "The Office." Its first season might not stack up to the first season of "The Office," but over the next six seasons it was clear that audiences couldn't, nor wanted to, get enough of Poehler's oozing charm and likability. 

If "Parks and Rec" emerged from the larger nesting doll of "The Office," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" emerged from "Parks and Rec" itself. Co-created by Michael Schur and Dan Goor, the show follows an NYPD precinct adjusting to the changes made by their stoic new captain, Raymond Holt, played by the late great Andre Braugher. The biggest problem child is Andy Samberg's Jake Peralta, an immature albeit highly-skilled detective, while the rest of the cast includes hot-head Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz), softie Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews), competitive Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero), and goofball Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio). 

Whereas "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation" enjoyed more mainstream appeal on NBC, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" spent most of its run airing quietly on Fox, until its sudden cancellation in 2018 led to NBC picking it up in mere hours, eventually running for another three seasons. Sadly, it was time for "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" to end in 2021 after it ran its course and struggled to survive in the face of general unease regarding media depiction of cops in the 2020s. 

Nevertheless, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is a strong example of a show that could tow the line between the likability of "Parks and Rec" with the often cringe-worthy workplace politics of "The Office." Plus, there simply aren't many casts on TV as multi-faceted as this show's, what with Braugher's near-perfect line delivery in every episode of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," Samberg's iconic characterization of Jake Peralta, or Beatriz's heart-wrenching development of Rosa from stone-cold to sweetheart. 

In hindsight, it's surprising that "30 Rock" even made it on the air, given how outwardly satirical it is on NBC as a company. The show centers on the behind-the-scenes world of a female-centric sketch show on NBC, produced in 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City by head writer Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), whose control is undermined by the network's conservative executive Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin), who insists that the show hire the bankable yet unpredictable comic Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan). 

Though it doesn't have the mockumentary format of "The Office," "30 Rock" was pretty groundbreaking for TV sitcoms. For instance, the fifth season's "Live Show" was not only filmed in front of a studio audience, but broadcast live across the country TWICE in one night. Some may argue that certain jokes on "30 Rock" haven't aged well, but that's the price of being more scathing with social commentary than most other NBC sitcoms at the time. 

Even though Fey knew "30 Rock" was courting cancellation with every episode, that didn't stop her and her writers from creating some of the most daring television of the 2000s to air on primetime. The show boasted insane premises, ludicrous guest-stars (including astronaut Buzz Aldrin and Oprah Winfrey), and an incredibly accurate satirical eye for the descent of TV artistry. After all, there's a reason why Internet users declare outrageous new television shows as the type of thing "30 Rock" would come up with as parody. 

If you thought "30 Rock" was weird, wait'll you watch another NBC sitcom, "Community," which came from future "Rick & Morty" co-creator Dan Harmon. On the surface, "Community" might seem like a completely average sitcom: sleazy ex-lawyer Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) enrolls in community college to earn a legitimate bachelor's degree, befriending a study group including wayward Britta (Gillian Jacobs), pop culture-obsessed Abed (Danny Pudi), dim-witted Troy (Donald Glover), teacher's pet Annie (Alison Brie), uber-religious Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown), and insecure Pierce (Chevy Chase). 

But as the series progressed (and behind-the-scenes drama got more publicity), "Community" ventured from wholesome sitcom to a strange amalgamation of television tropes, pop culture references, and inside jokes. Even so, some of the show's best episodes were its most out-there, from the multiverse exploring "Remedial Chaos Theory," the "My Dinner with Andre" spoof "Critical Film Theory," and of course, the first of many paintball episodes, "Modern Warfare." 

The series suffers from inconsistency towards the latter half, attributed to the loss of cast members like Chase and Glover, a season-long departure for Harmon, and a move to the short-lived Yahoo! Screen. Still, all the reasons why "Community" failed to stay mainstream when it aired are the reasons why fans still love it to this day, and want to see the "Community" movie as soon as possible. 

Stepping away from NBC, "Abbott Elementary" is must-watch TV for sitcom fans. It was created by Quinta Brunson, who also stars as Janine Teagues, a second-grade teacher at the underfunded titular elementary school, where her efforts to do good by the students put her in conflict with faculty, including level-headed Gregory (Tyler James Williams), intimidating Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), awkward Jacob (Chris Perfetti), old-school Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), and narcissistic principal Ava (Janelle James). 

Similarly to "The Office," "Abbott Elementary" is filmed as a mockumentary, with most of the humor revolving around the school's attempts to make themselves look much better on camera than they really are. Another similarity it has to "The Office" is its setting, taking place in West Philadelphia, which is not far from the NBC mockumentary's setting of Scranton, Pennsylvania. 

"Abbott Elementary" differs from many of the other shows on this list in its pure wholesomeness, which is a breath of fresh air in a TV climate where genuine good guys are few and far between. Nevertheless, they still have the boldness to do crossover episodes with "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," which is not included on this list given how dark it is compared to even "The Office." 

It might seem like there's nothing new on TV that's good, but that's likely only if you who are reading this hasn't seen "St. Denis Medical" yet. This new show on NBC checks off all the boxes of a show like "The Office": it's a workplace situation comedy filmed in mockumentary style about an eclectic and hard-working group of employees at an underfunded business, in this case a hospital in Oregon. Its cast include comedy vets like Wendy McLendon-Covey and David Alan Grier, as well as burgeoning stars like Allison Tillman and Kahyun Kim. 

Aside from its mockumentary format, the show really draws comparisons to "The Office" in the personalities of its characters, such as McLendon-Covey's overly optimistic Joyce, the hospital's executive director whose efforts to improve morale often have the reverse effect, making her an interesting cross between Carell's Michael Scott and Brunson's Janine Teagues. Meanwhile, Grier plays the foil as jaded physician Ron. 

Of course, "St. Denis Medical" has a long way to go before being considered the best sitcom of all time, given that its first season has only wrapped up in early April 2025, with a second season ordered. However, there's a lot of promise to the series' longevity according to stellar reviews, with heavy praise going to the show's ensemble cast.

"Arrested Development" may not technically count as a mockumentary, given that it doesn't have any "talking heads" like "The Office" where the characters speak to the camera as if they're being interviewed. However, it does have some documentary-like aspects from its handheld filming style to the voiceover narration by Ron Howard, adding ironic context to the lives of the Bluths, a real estate dynasty held together by the exasperated Michael (Jason Bateman). 

Although it originally aired for three seasons between 2003 and 2006, it was revived by Netflix in 2013 for a fourth season, and later a fifth and final one in 2018. Among the show's many attributes includes a plethora of running gags that only eagle-eyed viewers will spot, as well as a glorious supporting cast including Jessica Walter as the condescending matriarch Lucille, Will Arnett as Michael's delusional brother Gob, Alia Shawkat as Michael's entrepreneurial niece Maeby, and David Cross as Michael's flamboyant brother-in-law Tobias. 

Though many believe "Arrested Development" unjustly ended when it did, the show's determination to live on past its expiration date was likely the cause of its lackluster final season. Nevertheless, it's hard to find a show as funny as "Arrested Development" was in its prime, or with as eclectic a group of recurring characters as it had, including Judy Greer's indignant and cross-eyed Kitty or Liza Minnelli's snarky rival to Lucille, dubbed "Lucille 2." 

"The IT Crowd" has a lot more in common with the British version of "The Office" than its Americanized spin-off, though not for a lack of trying. An American version of the show was actually greenlit by NBC in 2007, starring Joel McHale, Jessica St. Clair, and with Richard Ayoade reprising his role from the original show, but never made it past the pilot. Given the cult following of the British "IT Crowd," that's probably for the best, as it's hard to top perfection.

Created by Graham Linehan and airing from 2006 to 2013, "The IT Crowd" follows the three IT employees of an enigmatic London corporation: slacker Roy (Chris O'Dowd), genius Maurice (Ayoade), and fish-out-of-water Jen (Katherine Parkinson). Given its British-ness, "The IT Crowd" is an easy show for "The Office" fans to binge-watch given that each season has only six episodes, totaling 24 episodes plus one special that serves as a finale for the series. 

For those who are interested in finding new shows that American audiences may not be very accustomed to, "The IT Crowd" is one of the best shows on BritBox, a streaming service created by BBC and ITV. It also features an early TV appearance from Matt Berry, the scene-stealer from our next show to recommend for "The Office" fans...

"What We Do In The Shadows" originated as a mockumentary film in 2014 starring Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement, and Jonathan Brugh as a trio of vampires who live together in Wellington, New Zealand. However, its adaptation as a mockumentary sitcom on FX relocates the drama to Staten Island, New York. Harvey Guillén stars as Guillermo, the obedient familiar to the gentle Nandor the Relentless (Kayvan Novak), who shares a house with frustrated married vampires Laszlo (Matt Berry) and Nadja (Natasia Demetriou), as well as the very dry "energy vampire" Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch). 

Compared to the more grounded world of "The Office," "What We Do In The Shadows" obviously takes much more inspiration from horror tropes, vampire stories, and fantasy. However, the at-times absurdist tone of the show and frequent unlikable behavior of its character may draw comparisons to "The Office" characters like Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute, and Creed. 

While some might wonder why FX cancelled "What We Do In The Shadows" after the show had received strong reviews throughout its run, it may have taken a page out of its stars' British TV origin in deciding that the series had simply run its course, opting to end on a strong note than air past its prime like "The Office" did. At least we never have to wonder how "What We Do In The Shadows" would've been if actors like Berry or Demetriou departed from the show. 

"The Office" fans should've been paying attention when Greg Daniels reunited with Steve Carell in 2020 for "Space Force," a Netflix series parodying the newly-invented U.S. Armed Forces branch, Space Force, in a workplace sitcom. Carell stars as General Mark Naird, the begrudgingly-appointed general of Space Force, with a supporting cast including John Malkovich as scientist Adrian Mallory, Tawny Newsome as astronaut Angela Ali, and Ben Schwartz as publicist F. Tony Scarapiducci. 

The show returned for a second season in 2022, but didn't last very long before Netflix cancelled it following a lackluster debut on their streaming service. It's a shame, given that season two of "Space Force" had some decent reviews, with many critics feeling like the show had finally found its groove as an ambitious workplace comedy treading the line between silliness and sincere political satire. 

Of the first season, /Film wrote of Netflix's comedy series that shoots for the moon, "Space Force starts with some promise and a decent ensemble of characters, there are too many distractions outside of the show's primary premise to make it work smoothly as a whole." Of course, it's hard for a show like "Space Force" to exist while trying not to mention "The Office," but it's still a must-watch for those who missed Carell's presence in TV sitcoms. 

You simply can't go around giving sitcom recommendations without mentioning a show as perfect as "Veep." The comedy series on HBO, which ran for seven seasons between 2012 and 2019, is a lot different from "The Office," particularly given its proclivity for vicious insults hurled at each and every member of its cast. Julia Louis-Dreyfus gives a one-of-a-kind performance as Selina Meyer, the Vice President of the United States who struggles to accomplish anything in a government system that treats her position like a ceremonial honor rather than having any actual power. 

/Film wrote of the brutally cynical and hilarious political satire, "Julia Louis-Dreyfus is revelatory as Selina. She uses the same quick wit and vindictiveness that made Elaine Banes [from 'Seinfeld'] so funny, mixed with the ambition you need to be a politician." The rest of the cast is not to be trifled with, either, including Tony Hale's fiercely loyal Gary, Selina's personal aide, and Anna Chlumsky's hard-working Amy, Selina's chief-of-staff. 

It's no surprise that "Veep" won a monstrous 17 Emmy's during its run, including Outstanding Comedy Series (x2), Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Louis-Dreyfus (x6), and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Hale (x2). While it's obvious that "The Office" has influenced the modern sitcom, "Veep" has had its influence stretch to modern politics, proving itself to be a true successor to "The Office" in terms of its cultural impact.

Ok, sure, on the one hand, "Severance" is nothing like "The Office." For starters, it's a sci-fi drama centered on the fictional Lumon Industries, whose enigmatic operations require their employees to undergo an experimental "severance" procedure isolating their work memories from their personal memories. Adam Scott stars as Mark S., a naive "macrodata refiner" unaware of his outer self's grief, forming bonds with his co-workers, rule-follower Irving B. (John Turturro), foul-mouthed Dylan G. (Zack Cherry), and rebellious Helly R. (Britt Lower). 

As executive producer and director Ben Stiller told IndieWire, workplace comedies like "The Office" were initially a major reference point for the showrunners."[S]hows like 'The Office' or 'Parks and Rec.' Those were shows for me that were sort of in the DNA of what the show was." Deep into its second season, "Severance" has evolved beyond its workplace satire, stringing viewers along week to week as they slowly solve the show's biggest mysteries. 

Tonally, it's be a complete departure for fans of "The Office," but if watching the NBC sitcom has anything to do with your interest surrounding the relationship between employees and their employers, as well as the sometimes non-sensical culture of corporations, "Severance" is a show you'll very much enjoy.