I guess they didn’t take the hint with The Office Australia? There was some backlash upon its release. And here. And here. And here. And… oh, you get the picture. EmpireOnline said, “Perhaps most unforgivably, the jokes just aren’t up to snuff.”.
Yet, here we are. Another remake of the classic BBC sitcom just got announced – this time, Mexico.
Writer and director Gary ‘Gaz’ Alazraki (Nosotros Los Nobles / Club De Cuervos) will head this remake, along with showrunner Marcos Bucay (Cómo Sobrevivir Soltero).
You’ll be able to watch the show on Amazon Prime Video. It will revolve around the company Olimpo Soaps in the Mexican state of Aguascalientes, led by the office manager Jerónimo Ponce III.
Alonso Aguilar, head of Mexico Originals at Amazon Studios, said, “It’s really exciting to do our own version of one of the most successful comedies of all time. The Mexican office worker subculture is one of the richest and most surreal in the world, and with Marcos Bucay and Gaz Alazraki, the two most successful comedy creators in the country, we know we have something unique that will surpass all expectations and leave fans of previous versions speechless.”
News of a Mexican remake comes hot on the heels of the Australian version’s release – which we’ve already said came with mixed reviews. Hell, some viewers said it made them “want to drink a pint of bleach” and the show was “an insult to an iconic show”.
Closer to home, our neighbours to the south, there’s a spin-off series of the US version, reportedly titled The Paper. It’s not known if the show’s actors will appear in the spin-off. John Krasinski, who played Jim Halpert in all nine seasons, told People in May: “The truth is I’d do anything Greg Daniels asked me to do.”
Are you surprised at this apparent lack of originality? Or do you think it’s a matter of The Office being so good that it could be translated to anywhere in the world and it would still make an impact with that country’s citizens?
