When it comes to American television and British television, sitcoms about work are commonplace. In fact, America has adapted a handful of British workplace sitcoms. The most notable, of course, is The Office. Both countries’ versions continue to enjoy success through today with cult followings while the American adaptation went on to become a television phenomenon.
Typically, however, workplace sitcoms are not likely to see international success. There are several reasons for this, namely the nature of workplace culture and coworker relationships differ greatly across the globe. What one country may poke fun at in an office setting, another country’s workers simply won’t understand or won’t find the humor in it in many cases.
Workplace Sitcoms Can Enjoy Domestic Success
If you are looking to create the next workplace comedy, you very well could enjoy great success in your own country. Consider instances such as Taxi, Cheers, M*A*S*H, Veep, Abbot Elementary, Parks & Recreation, Superstore, Silicon Valley, [scrubs], and more. The list of successful job-focused sitcoms that are successful in the country they were developed in is seemingly endless.
The above examples are all American sitcoms, but look at Britain’s: The IT Crowd, The Thick of It, Yes Minister, and White Gold. There are more, but for the sake of getting on with this article, we’ll end the list there.
(Many have argued that America’s Veep is the Americanized version of The Thick of It, but still, this is the second sitcom out of countless that successfully transferred across the pond. For example, America attempted an adaptation of The IT Crowd, but it wasn’t nearly as successful.)
In this sense, it’s absolutely worth it to develop a workplace comedy for television. The initial audience it’s developed for would be able to relate and ratings could potentially be very high. This has been the case for decades.
The Importance of Sitcoms’ Success Abroad
If a show about work can be successful in its own country, why do international audiences matter? If we go back decades ago to a pre-streaming world, a television series typically became profitable for its studio once it reached syndication.
Networks would pay for a portion of production costs through a licensing fee paid to the studios, but once that license ran out, the studios were free to license to other networks and distributors. Hello, profits!… If the show was popular enough to merit getting picked up again.
Part of this effort to expand audiences and license to other distributors involved adapting and redubbing a series for foreign audiences via the international acquisitions market.
If a show was popular enough with another country’s population, their own domestic television industry may try to license not just the already produced original series but the overall format of the series. This would allow for the show to spread further and have multiple iterations, all of which provide royalties to the owner of the format.
Today, streaming allows shows to air around the world and audiences expect these newer shows to be available in several different languages or at least with subtitles. Think back over the past few years since COVID forced everyone inside and left them with little to do aside from binge Squid Game. Not a sitcom, sure, but an excellent case study for my point here.
Why Workplace Comedies Do Not Travel Well
Workplace sitcoms often rely on:
- complex vocabularies
- social cues in a professional setting
- other cultural or pop culture references that come up in daily work life
These aspects do not always transfer well between countries and cultures. Here’s why:
Simple Vocabulary VS Complex Vocabulary
In an interview I had with a producer for the BBC, she explained how language can have complex or simple vocabularies. She took care to explain that a language as a whole can be complex and simple depending on the use case, but the way it’s used makes all the difference in the world.
Simple vocabulary is truly simple.
- It doesn’t involve significant jargon that only native or fluent speakers would understand.
- It focuses on the here and now, directly relating to what viewers see on screen in the moment as supposed to foreshadowing future scenes or recalling past events.
- It doesn’t rely on slang or portmanteaus.
- On the comedy side of things, it steers away from using puns within jokes.
As such, simple vocabulary opens up an opportunity to write jokes and gags that are more physical—think slapstick comedy. Pratt falls, double takes, spit takes, and the like are hallmarks of silent comedy. When you don’t need to rely on language to get humor across to your audience, the world opens up to you.
Complex vocabulary dives head first into everything simple vocabulary rejects. Sitcoms with a complex vocabulary are often called “intellectual comedies.”
- They make you think.
- They feature clever wordplay.
- Concepts are communicated through double entendre, similes and metaphors.
- Storylines feature a lot of dialogue to communicate context and backstory.
Puns, double entendres, clever lines, and even just words themselves don’t always translate well. Audiences who may speak another language as their primary language may have a harder time following the story and comedy being attempted.
Social Cues in a Professional Setting
Similar to complex vocabulary, social cues are hard to decipher by audiences from other cultures and countries.
A lot can be said without words, sure. But to know what is implied by something is not always apparent, especially in an office or other place of work.
I would actually argue that in nearly any other circumstance, social cues could be much easier for non-native audiences to pick up on. But people act differently at work, they’re more buttoned up—at least in the United States. There are different norms and standards at play that workplace sitcoms poke fun at than in other comedies focused on friendship or family, causing a rift between writers and foreign audiences.
Outside of that, what about romantic relationships in the office? Are those even remotely acceptable in another country where you want your show to appear? How does a foreign audience treat professional hierarchy in its work life? The norms do not always translate and this is an issue that can’t be fixed with changing the style of comedy. It could easily destroy the entire format’s chances of gaining traction elsewhere.
Cultural or Pop Culture References
Who only talks about work at work? I can’t think of a single person in any career I’ve ever had who only spoke about the job-at-hand when in the office. Why would your characters?
A great example of this is in The Office, when Michael says, “Waaaasssssssuppppp,” to Jim and Dwight who respond in kind. Who in Nepal, Germany, Italy, or Russia would understand the cultural significance of a single-word, made-up phrase from the year 2000 in the United States without having seen its origin Bud Light commercial? The same goes for American audiences with foreign pop culture references. Surely both audiences can learn each other’s antics and fads, but more effort goes into needing to understand for the show to make sense.
(The internet’s prominence today does make this less of an issue as time goes on and cultures blend online.)
Should New Workplace Sitcoms Be Developed?
I would argue, yes, but not if the creator is looking to quit their day job. (Bah dum tsss…) I joke, but the answer is still yes!
Workplace sitcoms have proven time and time again they can be wildly successful. In America alone, we have enjoyed an endless stream of hit shows making fun of working culture and the 9-to-5 grind for over half a century. With that said, in most cases, creators should expect their potential audience to be limited to those who are familiar with the topics they’re discussing and understand the language they’re using.
If there is something bugging you about the rat race and you need to tell your story making fun of the mundane, existential void-causing, depression-filled environment of a cubicle farm, go for it! Should you need script writing help, be sure to reach out!
Scott Duvall 