Why We Love Shows about The Office More Than We Love The Office

During the pandemic, The Office was by far the most-streamed show out there. Even though this show hasn’t been on the air since 2013, people can’t get enough of the dry workplace humor.

The Office isn’t the only workplace-based show that’s wildly popular right now. Succession, Severance, The Bear — these are all shows about people at work. Why — particularly in a time when more and more people avoid going into an office altogether — do we love shows about it?

The digital pub Worklife interviewed a few experts, and they blame it mostly on nostalgia for the familiar. Even though going into the office is a “back in the olden days” kinda thing for a lot of people, well, we’ve always loved those kinds of shows, haven’t we? Mad Men. The Crown. Happy Days.

As a Founding Partner, I don’t often hear people express nostalgia for their old jobs and lifestyles. But I think there is something to this theory when it comes to TV.