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Anyone who has ever worked in an office (or imagined themselves working in one) immediately connects with The Office. In fact, we connected with that show so hard we still watch it today, more than a decade after the series finale. While things like the fire drill, the dinner party, and the reveal that Jim has always been an Asian man will never not be hilarious, you might need a little more variety in your viewing life. If you’ve already burned through the shows that bring that Scranton vibe, here are the books, movies, podcasts, and games that will scratch that itch.
The best books like The Office
Whether you want some deep background about this innovative and hilarious sitcom, or you want to linger in a similarly absurd fictional universe, books have got you.
The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s: An Oral History, by Andy Greene
Need to know how something as perfect as The Office actually happened? Check out Andy Greene’s book. Billed as an “oral history,” it details the development and production of the show through interviews with the people actually involved. From its BBC origins created by Ricky Gervais through nine seasons on NBC here in America, you’ll get all the insider tea about background struggles, attempts to cancel the show, and how some of the most hilarious moments came to be.
Then We Came to the End, by Joshua Ferris
If you’re looking for an absurdist, hilarious story set in an office that hides a lot of humanity and emotion under its humor, Then We Came to the End is the ticket. Set in a Chicago advertising agency going through a tumultuous period of layoffs, you’ll find the quirky, belligerent staff in these pages is the ideal substitute for the Scranton gang. Arguments over chairs, incoherent personal grudges, and a growing sense of desperation as the firings continue until morale improves all mix together to form the perfect Office replacement.
Several People Are Typing, by Calvin Kasulke
The Office was never afraid to bend reality a little for a good joke. Several People are Typing goes a lot further into the crazy than the show ever did, but the tone is spot-on. Gerald works for a grim PR firm, and has somehow been absorbed into its Slack channel. No one else in his office believes he’s trapped inside their chats, however, and Gerald has to turn to everyone’s least-favorite AI, Slackbot, for assistance. It’s grimly hilarious and hits all the late-stage capitalist horrors that The Office thrived on.
I Hope This Finds You Well, by Natalie Sue
Have you ever wondered what it must be like to be Dwight Schrute? Read I Hope This Finds You Well. Jolene has never fit in at her office, and she knows people mock her. To cope, she begins writing snarling insults to people in small, white font at the end of her emails. When her passive-aggressive stunt is exposed, new security is installed on her computer—but the new software also allows her to read all of her coworkers' emails and messages, and she immediately begins weaponizing the information for personal gain. Like The Office, it all leads to a surprisingly warmhearted ending.
Lucky Jim, by Kingsley Amis
The trope of the clueless, casually offensive man in a position of authority has been around for a long time—and Amis’ 1954 novel is a perfect companion to the show. Jim Dixon is a college lecturer trying to secure a permanent job at the university where he works—but everything Jim touches goes hilariously wrong. From scholarly papers that are stolen and translated into Italian to drunkenly burning down buildings, Jim’s misadventures are very Michael Scott-coded.
The best movies like The Office
The Office wasn’t just terrific comedic writing—it was also collectively one of the best comedic performances of the modern TV age. If you want more visuals with your office-based comedy, check out these hilarious movies.
Office Space (1999)
The Office often pivoted off the absurdities and frustrations of working in an office with a group of people you might not have chosen to hang out with for eight hours a day. Office Space lives in that precise mood. When a hypnosis session leaves programmer Peter Gibbons freed from any concern over his job, he begins living and working in a more joyous, free way. Even as the effect fades, it leaves Peter’s eyes open to the way work has robbed him of life. It’s a sharp satire of modern work that fans of the show will absolutely love. Rent Office Space on Prime Video.
Nine to Five (1980)
Want more narratives about terrible bosses? This film, starring a powerhouse cast including Lili Tomlin, Dolly Parton, Jane Fonda, and Dabny Coleman, tells the story of three women working under a sexist boss who thinks way too highly of himself. The comedic scenes depicting the women’s violent fantasies of revenge remain hilarious, and anyone who has ever wished that someone would finally teach Michael a lesson about how awful he can be will enjoy the way the story plays out. Stream Nine to Five on Fubo or rent it on Prime Video.
Waiting for Guffman (1996)
What would life be like if Michael Scott had actually made Threat Level Midnight for real, or actually pursued his improv comedy more seriously? Waiting for Guffman (or, honestly, any of Christopher Guest’s “mockumentary” films) might be close. In the small town of Blaine, Missouri, the local community theater troupe plans a performance to celebrate the town’s 150th birthday, led by director Corky St. Clair, who is Michael Scott-levels of deluded when it comes to his talent and capabilities. Like The Office, it’s a character-driven story where the humor comes from the bizarre-but-lovable personalities of everyone involved. Rent Waiting for Guffman on Prime Video.
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
The Coen Brothers’ least successful film is a stealth gem, and its story of a deluded, kind of dim man’s rise from the mailroom to the boardroom of Hudsucker Industries echoes Michael Scott’s rise from salesman to regional manager. The Hudsucker Proxy has a different tone—it was inspired by 1930s screwball comedies and it’s set in the 1950s—but if you love watching a Clueless Michael Scott bumbling his way through his job, you’ll love Tim Robbins unfolding a drawing of a circle and earnestly saying “You know—for kids!” Stream The Hudsucker Proxy on The Roku Channel or rent it on Prime Video.
The Apartment (1960)
The office has been a rich source of humor and pathos since forever. This classic 1960 film written and directed by the legendary Billy Wilder is set at an enormous insurance company in New York City. Employee C.C. Baxter (Jack Lemmon) is a bachelor who offers up his apartment to executives to use for their extramarital affairs in order to get promoted, and, yes, hijinx ensue. Just like The Office, the humor is offset by a warm and affectionate core that sees the humanity in every character, and the script remains sharp and hilarious six decades later. Stream The Apartment on Kanopy or rent it on Prime Video.
The best video games like The Office
Looking for a hands-on experience that will give you that Office vibe? Believe it or not, there actually was an official PC game based on the show released in 2007, and there was an announced game for the Meta Quest VR headset that appears to have been hindered by the fact that no one actually owned Meta Quest VR headsets. If you’re looking for games you can actually play, these will stand in for The Office nicely.
The Office: Somehow We Manage
This official mobile-only game is a cozy way to dive into the Scranton office, playing as an actual salesperson working for Dunder Mifflin. The game is free, but is a bit cluttered with in-app purchases and advertisements. Each level of the game is based on a classic Office episode, however, and all the beloved characters are represented here, so it’s a great lo-fi way to play The Office.
Platforms: Android, iOS
Dale & Dawson Stationery Supplies
Dale & Dawson Stationery Supplies is a blend of The Office and the survival video game Among Us. You play as an employee of the titular company—but you also have another role: Manager, Specialist, or Slacker. Managers have been tasked with figuring out who’s slacking off on the job, Specialists are just trying to do their job, and Slackers are gonna slack. Managers try to figure out who the Slackers are and fire them, Slackers try to evade that and maybe get their coworkers to vote out a manager, and you can engage in various pranks and other fun stuff. It’s as close to playing The Office as you can get.
Platforms: Steam
Dispatch
Yes, this is a superhero game (of sorts), but don’t let that fool you: The tone and gameplay are perfect for fans of The Office. You play as Robert Robertson, a former superhero working in the emergency call center for the Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN), managing a bunch of reformed supervillains trying to make the city a better place. Its tone is very reminiscent of The Office, with a lot of comedy and office family interactions. If you’re looking for something to replace the show in your life, check it out!
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Steam
The Stanley Parable
If you want to lean into the absurdity of working in an office, selling off years of your life in exchange for just enough money to get by, The Stanley Parable is the delirious answer to your prayers. You play as Stanley, employee 427 at an unnamed company. When your computer crashes one afternoon, you wander out of your office and discover that the whole place has been abandoned. A sardonic narrator accompanies you as you sink into an increasingly weird and consistently funny adventure that definitely goes in directions you won’t expect.
Platforms: PlayStation, Xbox, PC, macOS, Nintendo Switch, Steam
Last Man Sitting
If your favorite parts of The Office were the times the employees stopped working and just had some silly fun by staging an Office Olympics or engineering an elaborate prank, play Last Man Sitting. It’s ridiculous—and ridiculously fun. This rogue-like game where you play as workers in an office, riding swivel chairs like chariots and using a wide variety of weapons to fight each other. There are robots, an evil presence, and lots and lots of carnage as you destroy corporate settings—so maybe there’s a cathartic aspect to this one as well.
Platforms: Steam
The best podcasts like The Office
One of the best parts of The Office is re-watching, discussing, and quoting it with, well, everyone (because everyone knows at least a little Office). Podcasts are the perfect way to extend that experience a little more.
Office Ladies
If you’re a fan of The Office and you haven’t been listening to Office Ladies, what are you even doing? Hosted by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey (who were, you know, actually on the show), this is the ultimate insider podcast. The Ladies revisit every episode and drop tons of insider knowledge, hilarious backstage stories, and generally entertaining conversation that wanders all over the place. After examining every episode in detail, they’ve moved on to deep dives into characters and even discussing the new Office spinoff, The Paper.
The Michael Scott Podcast Company
In its current incarnation, The Michael Scott Podcast Company covers a lot of films and TV shows, but it started as a dedicated Office recapping podcast, hosted by three friends (Sean Roney, Edwin Janes, and Alex Ward) who simply loved the show. It’s got that hangout vibe that makes a podcast feel like aural comfort food while also providing lots of interesting analysis and hilarious moments that every fan of the show will appreciate.
The Office Deep Dive
If you love the behind-the-scenes aspect of Office Ladies and want more of that, Brian Baumgartner’s The Office Deep Dive is your jam. It’s an expansion of his terrific An Oral History of The Office, and it not only includes Brian’s unique perspective on every aspect of every episode, it also manages to pull in plenty of other actors and crew members who are happy to spill their tea for an old friend. It’s the perfect way to really become the Office Trivia Authority in your neck of the woods.
Wooden Overcoats
If you want to replicate the joyous insanity of The Office in audio form, check out Wooden Overcoats. This British podcast production is set in a small Channel Islands village, where the Rudyard and Antigone Funn have been running the sole funeral home for years. When a new undertaker opens a rival business, the Funns are thrown into chaos. Many of the Funn siblings’ schemes to triumph over their new competition will give you that Michael Scott vibe—in the good way, not the Scott’s Tots way.
The Teacher’s Lounge
Love the way Michael Scott’s incompetence, social awkwardness, and self-importance generated consistent hilarity in Scranton? Check out the four teachers at Hamilton High School portrayed by Drew Tarver, Dan Lippert, Jon Mackey, and Ryan Rosenberg on The Teacher’s Lounge. They’re not dedicated and they’re not very good at the job of teaching our kids, but they are reliably funny as they recount their deranged adventures in podcast form.
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