Main Reason Why Woman-Led The Office Reboot Is Already Doomed
The women's version of the cult sitcom is only tempting at first glance.
15 years ago, the first episode of The Office aired. The show, about the everyday life of a paper company, became one of the most recognizable pop culture events of the 2000s.
For nine seasons, the show maintained high ratings and viewership and ended on a high note. Given the popularity of the American version of the original British sitcom, it's no surprise that reboots have been popping up all over the world.
Recently, it was announced that a new version of the cult show will be released, but in this case, not only the country will change, but also the main character, who will now be a woman.
At first glance, the female boss in The Office looks like a fresh take on a series that will attract a large number of viewers.
However, the same fact is also the weakest side of the reboot, as it loses what made the American Office a cult and loved by thousands of viewers around the world.
Michael Scott is a typical kidult, who only looks like an adult, but in terms of emotional development he is somewhere in elementary school. Everyone in the office understands this, so Michael gets away with the most outrageous antics.
Already in the first season, on Diversity Day, he makes racist jokes about all the national minority employees. When he starts having an affair with his boss, Michael immediately tells his colleagues about it and almost gets fired.
In addition, Scott is making a movie about secret agent Michael Scarn, based on his own screenplay, with all the employees of the office playing the roles.
The entire storyline and most of the jokes in the show are tied to exaggerated stereotypes about a tyrannical man who somehow got too much power.
Not only have the show's creators admitted on more than one occasion that a show like The Office simply could not happen now, when the socio-cultural background has changed so much, but the show's humor is even more out of step with the modern cultural framework than the sitcom concept itself.
If we apply American/British Office patterns to the new Australian version, viewers will get a show with stereotypical jokes about female bosses at a time when all of modern society is struggling with those very stereotypes. And it looks like a losing game from the start.