A controversial Australian reboot of The Office has come under fire from fans, but lead star Felicity Ward is not letting the criticism dampen her spirits.
The actress, who has stepped into the office boss role made famous by Ricky Gervais, has hit back at haters, urging viewers to give the show a chance before passing judgement.
Felicity, 42, passionately defended the Prime Video series, acknowledging the scepticism that comes with reimagining such a beloved franchise.
‘Look, I know what it’s like to love something and feel protective over it being remade. I absolutely understand that,’ she told Yahoo Lifestyle on Wednesday.
‘But if you look at the American one, there was a huge backlash. People were very, very angry. And it’s its own thing. And that’s the same with the Australian one.’
‘People will be angry, and people will be really happy about it as well, and have your feelings, and we’re all just doing our best.’
Felicity, who stars as package company Flinley Craddick’s managing director Hannah Howard, encouraged viewers to watch the comedy show before forming an opinion.
‘I would say, just watch it and then decide, like, with anything we can all have our contempt prior to investigation, but if you watch it, then have an opinion,’ she added.
The Australian reboot of The Office has come under fire from fans, but lead star Felicity Ward is not letting the criticism dampen her spirits (Pictured at an advance screening on Wednesday)
The actress, who has stepped into the office boss role made famous by Ricky Gervais, has hit back at haters, urging viewers to give the show a chance before passing judgement
Despite her lighthearted take, the show has faced significant backlash since Prime Video dropped the full trailer in September.
Fans took to YouTube at the time to express their disappointment, with many branding it as ‘cringe’ and unfunny.
‘This is the Raygun version of The Office,’ one commenter quipped, referencing Australian breakdancer Rachel Gunn’s viral disaster performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
‘Dear Prime, it’s not too late to delete this,’ another disgruntled viewer wrote, while one critic savagely compared the show to a school project.
‘This is like one of those cringe, school parody projects… someone actually thought this was a good idea,’ they added.
Felicity, 42, passionately defended the Prime Video series, acknowledging the scepticism that comes with reimagining such a beloved franchise
The original UK version of The Office, created by Gervais (pictured as David Brent) and Stephen Merchant debuted in 2001, and ultimately consisted of 12 episodes of two seasons
Another unimpressed fan added: ‘If this is the best you got for the trailer, the show is doomed.’
It comes after Aussie fans were assured that the local version of The Office would channel the same famously dry comedy style as the original UK hit.
However, in June last year, the creators promised they would be giving the show a distinctive Aussie flavour too.
‘Everyone loves the show and has an opinion about it, and then all of a sudden, here you are with the Australian version in your hands,’ said Kylie Washington, general manager and creative director of BBC Studios at the time.
‘You want to keep the DNA of the show that has made it so successful,’ Washington continued in an interview with Media Week.
‘It’s absolutely paying respects to that – we’re not throwing the baby out with the bath water and reinventing, that’s not what you do when you’re working with a format.’
A popular US spin-off of the show starring Steve Carell (pictured as Michael Scott on the show) then debuted in 2005 and ran for nine successful seasons
Ward is pictured alongside cast members Josh Thomson, Jonny Brugh, Lucy Schmidt, Susan Ling Young, Zoe Terakes, Claude Jabbour, Jason Perini, Susie Youssef and Chris Bunton
Names as big as Isla Fisher and Magda Szubanski had been rumoured to take on the lead role made famous by Gervais, but Daily Mail Australia revealed exclusively last year that Ward was set to claim the role of the office boss in the Aussie remake.
The Office Australia is being produced by BBC Studios ANZ and Bunya Entertainment for Prime Video.
The original BBC version of The Office, created by Gervais and Stephen, Merchant debuted in 2001 and ran for two seasons.
In 2003, Merchant and Gervais re-united with the original cast to produce a critically acclaimed and hugely popular two-part Christmas Special.
A popular US spin-off of the show starring Steve Carell then debuted in 2005 and ran for nine successful seasons.
Versions of the show have also been produced in the likes of Sweden, France, Israel, Canada, Brazil and India.
The Office will be available to stream on Prime Video from Friday, October 18.