Top 5 Workplace Comedies to Fill "The Office" Shaped Hole in Your Heart

I haven’t signed for up NBC’s streaming service for a few reasons. I don’t want to add another streamer to my monthly bills when there’s a lifetimes worth of content on the other streaming services for which I already subscribed. I can’t possibly remember one more password and frankly I don't want to be manipulated by having this great show used as a bargaining chip. NBC clearly is holding The Office hostage behind a pay-wall in a not so secret attempt to persuade people to convert to their streaming service. While I respect the hustle, here are some workplace comedies on Hulu and Netflix to soothe the soul and your already overstretched wallet.

(I omitted Parks and Recreation from this list, since it also mainly exists behind the Peacock pay wall.)

5. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Streaming on Hulu)

If you are looking to drown your sorrows in 14 seasons of wild and wacky comedy, then this is the show for you. It tackles so many different subjects from gun reform to times up I sometimes forget that it’s a workplace comedy. The main characters all work at the beloved Paddy’s Pub and truly could care less about each other.

4. THE I.T. CROWD (Streaming on Netflix)

As a nod to The Office’s British roots let’s recognize another British sitcom, The I.T. Crowd. This show has some of the best dry humor paired with the occasional physical comedy. The brilliant cast of Chris O’Dowd, Matt Berry, Richard Ayoade, and Katherine Parkinson will have you struggling to catch your breath in between laughs. At the very least, you can take comfort in the familiar catchphrase “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” the next time your computer gives you the spinning wheel of death.

Supposedly a US remake is in the works AGAIN, but there's no release date yet. Let's hope the third time is a charm and forget the other two ever existed.

3. BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (Streaming on Hulu)

If your favorite part of The Office was Jim’s pranks on Dwight, then you’ll love Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta is always engaging his coworkers in elaborate pranks and heists. Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) does strike me as a more good-natured, but equally strange Dwight. If it feels weird to laugh at police department antics as of late, know that the show does take a serious tone when necessary. Look out for Darryl from the warehouse (Craig Robinson) who plays con artist Doug Judy.

2. THE MINDY PROJECT (Streaming on Hulu)

If you can’t have Kelly and Ryan, at least you can still watch Mindy Kaling and occasionally B.J. Novak on The Mindy Project. This show’s workplace is an obstetrician’s office, which as you can imagine is rife with comedic premises and office romance. Following Dr. Mindy Lahiri's complicated love life makes for a very comforting and hilarious binge. Not to mention there was a pre-pandemic anti-mask joke that had me wondering if the show’s writers had a crystal ball.

1. SUPERSTORE (Streaming on Hulu)

Been working from home for too long? Need a Jim and Pam level office romance to root for? Enter Superstore. Jonah (Ben Feldman) and Amy (America Ferrera) have that will they wont they love story that kept me in binge-watch bliss. Lauren Ash as the character of Dina is a comedy powerhouse that steals almost every scene she’s in. Glenn (Mark McKinney) is a boss that struggles with being competent and politically incorrect in ways that would make Michael Scott proud. The writing on this show is terrific as everything down to the scene transitions of shopping customers bring a joke. And the diverse cast does not have a single weak link. There’s also a pre-pandemic episode where everyone is in line to get a vaccine that aged very well.