7 Sitcoms That Couldn’t Have Been Made Without ‘The Office’

The Office premiered in 2005, marking a revolution for American sitcoms.

Based on the U.K.’s version of The Office created by Ricky Gervais, the American version of The Office popularized the mockumentary sitcom style as a serial television program. While mockumentaries had been the basis of cult film classics such as Best In Show and Spinal Tap, The Office brought the widely used format to mainstream American television.

Beyond this, it introduced us to some of the best sitcom writers today. Michael Schur, who also played Dwight’s cousin, Mose, got his start writing for Saturday Night Live, but The Office is what elevated him to become a producer and showrunner of some of our favorite sitcoms. It also introduced Mindy Kaling as a writer and producer, in addition to director Randall Einhorn, who both went on to develop several series with loose inspiration from The Office. While The Office may have ended in 2013, here are seven shows that couldn’t have been made without it.

Parks and Recreation (2009–2015)

An obvious first pick, Parks and Rec was actually first pitched as a spin-off to The Office. Co-created by The Office showrunner Greg Daniels alongside Michael Schur, Parks and Rec copied The Office’s mockumentary style and ensemble format. Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) was written as a stand-in for Michael Scott (Steve Carell), but after she was too unlikable, they made her more socially adept and empathetic than Michael. Between the quirky ensemble cast, talking-head interviews, and encouraged improvisation, Parks and Rec is closely tied to The Office.

Community (2009–2015)

Another single-cam NBC series, Community captured much of The Office traits that made us love it. It was a true ensemble cast with complex characters who had both lovable and hateable aspects of their personalities. As the chemistry ebbed and flowed from season to season, Community features romance, rivalries, pranks, and pop culture references better than any other show on the air. Although Community was developed by Dan Harmon, it shares several writers with other Office-adjacent shows, such as Andy Bobrow (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Megan Ganz (Modern Family), Chris McKenna (The Mindy Project), and Matt Warburton (The Mindy Project).

Modern Family (2009–2020)

Another mockumentary-style sitcom, Modern Family was an award-winning series that drew on the success of The Office. While it was created by almost an entirely different team, it borrows the trademark ensemble cast and mockumentary single camera setup. Unlike The Office and Parks and Rec, Modern Family does not take place in an office setting, instead focusing on the family dynamics of the Pritchett family in the suburbs of Los Angeles. Plus, The Office director Randall Einhorn directed two episodes of Modern Family. With a mostly different team and focus, Modern Family still captures the heart and comedy of the aforementioned sitcoms while offering up a theme everyone can relate to: family.

The Mindy Project (2012–2017)

Mindy Kaling rose to prominence thanks to The Office; while she was hired as a writer, she made a household name for herself as Kelly Kapoor, the love-obsessed customer service representative. Without her time on The Office, we have no idea what Mindy would have been able to create, but luckily, she was able to bring us this “cringe comedy” single-cam sitcom. In the show, she plays a version of herself named Mindy Lahiri, an OB/GYN whose tumultuous friendships and relationships are at the heart of The Mindy Project. While it’s still a workplace sitcom with an ensemble cast, Mindy Kaling’s voice and views shine through as she tackles issues surrounding feminism, racism, motherhood, and more.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2013–2021)

Another Michael Schur-created series, Brooklyn Nine-Nine followed in the footsteps of The Office and Parks and Rec by taking place in an office setting with an ensemble cast and a single-cam setup. Although the mockumentary genre is left mostly behind in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the single-cam setup still dominates the American sitcom as networks favor abandoning laugh tracks. An award-winning series, the show follows Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) as his character grows to fall in love and become a father without forgetting his childlike joy and prankster attitude. He and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) share a will-they-won’t-they storyline similar to Pam and Jim, while Captain Holt’s (Andre Baugher) no-nonsense attitude is a perfect foil to Michael Scott’s all-nonsense demeanor.

Abbott Elementary (2021–Present)

Abbott Elementary also draws from The Office’s trademark mockumentary style in a workplace. Whether it will come full-circle and explain its format is still to be seen, but the Quinta Brunson-created series is worth its salt. While The Office is a completely adult series, Abbott Elementary takes place in an inner city Philadelphia public school, using the unexpected actions of kids as a constant source of humor. It also has a will-they-won’t-they dynamic and ensemble cast, featuring Quinta as Janine Teagues, a bright-eyed optimist in the face of adversity. Produced by Randall Einhorn with episodes directed by another Office writer-director-producer Jennifer Celotta, the influences from The Office are clear, although the tone is noticeably different. 

Ghosts (2021–Present)

Unlike most of the other series on this list, Ghosts is not a mockumentary-style show nor does Michael Schur have a hand in it. However, like The Office, it is based on a successful British series of the same name, with similar (yet slightly different) characters and circumstances. After the success of the American adaptation of The Office, creators have continuously looked to British television shows for inspiration, landing in a jackpot with Ghosts. While it isn’t a workplace sitcom, Ghosts still follows an ensemble cast, proving that some of the best and most lovable stories come together with cast chemistry and a wide array of talent.