On March 25, 2005, one of the best comedies to ever hit the TV airwaves debuted when The Office premiered on NBC. While the comedy didn’t originate the mockumentary subgenre, predated by shows like Arrested Development and Trailer Park Boys, The Office set the bar for networks to strive to achieve should they go the mockumentary route.
For nine solid seasons, The Office offered up witty dialogue, unique characters, and memorable storylines that to this day, can be recounted by fans. Who can ever forget the infamous “Fun Run” that occurred after Michael Scott (Steve Carell) hit Meredith (Kate Flannery) with his car? There’s also the great scene where Dwight (Rainn Wilson) staged an unorthodox fire drill at work that resulted in Stanley (Leslie David Baker) having a heart attack. And of course, the epic love story of Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) is arguably one of the greatest scripted romances of the last twenty years.
With all that being said, mockumentaries coming after The Office debuted in 2003 have had to pull out all the stops if they hoped to be mentioned in the same breath as the NBC sitcom. 7 comedies in particular have certainly put their best foot forward in crafting their own legacy in the TV world, and while some shows may fall short of surpassing The Office in cultural impact and critical acclaim, others, as seen below, actually give the series a run for its money.
7
‘The Paper’ (2025 – Present)
When Greg Daniels announced after nearly two decades that a spinoff of The Office was in the works, there was a lot of anticipation and angst drummed up among fans. Could Daniels see lightning strike twice with the same format set in the same world as The Office, but focusing on a different group of characters with different storylines?
In short, while lightning hasn’t fully struck with The Paper, it’s a solid show. It still exudes the dry, witty humor that made The Office funny, but it does so through characters that aren’t carbon copies of the former series. Despite efforts to find personas that could be labeled as the “New Dwight” or the “New Michael” in the brand-new sitcom, there aren’t any one-for-one comparisons to be made, which help The Paper feel like its own thing instead of a cheap imitation.
With that being said, with there only being one season of The Peacock series, there’s a hope that characterizations are flushed out more in the forthcoming season of the mockumentary. As it stands now, Sabrina Impacciatore‘s Esmerelda Grand is the most memorable character from The Paper, and it would be nice to see the others rise a bit to meet her where she is. For this reason, and the fact there are only 10 episodes available to stream at the time of publication, The Paper isn’t higher on the list.
6
‘St. Denis Medical’ (2024 – Present)
St. Denis Medical is another newer show on the TV landscape, and already it’s making its mark. In a day and age where medical dramas like Grey’s Anatomy, Brilliant Minds, and Chicago Med reign supreme on network TV, it’s lovely to see St. Denis Medical offer a comedic take on the hospital space.
A lot of the series’ lure comes from the incredible cast. Heavy hitters in TV comedy, In Living Color‘s David Alan Grier and The Goldbergs‘s Wendi McLendon-Covey, consistently anchor the show’s funny moments. This shouldn’t be much of a shock when it comes to McLendon-Covey, considering she starred in another famous mockumentary that predates The Office: Reno 911! Additionally, the cast is rounded out by some actors who have experience with the sarcastic brand of comedy that’s often reflected in NBC sitcoms. Josh Lawson and Kaliko Kauahi previously starred in Superstore, Allison Tolman in Why Women Kill, and Mekki Leeper in Jury Duty. The entire experience of the cast has made for some great comedic timing in the scenes of St. Denis Medical.
It’s also worth noting that when the series premiered, NBC claims that St. Denis Medical was the number one scripted program of the night, and it has achieved an 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. That score is only two points shy of another well-known medical comedy, Scrubs.
5
‘Jury Duty’ (2023 – Present)
Jury Duty may have found itself closer to the top of this list if it were not for the fact that it’s nearly impossible for the series to come back with new episodes in the same setting with the same cast. Yes, a second season of the show is in the works, but the new episodes won’t center around an unsuspecting Ronald Gladden trying to fulfill his civic duty of serving on a jury, while being pranked by everyone around him.
Speaking of Gladden being unsuspecting, that’s what made Jury Duty so brilliant and unique. No other mockumentary on this list has a similar recipe. From the moment he shows up to the courthouse, viewers are getting his real-time reaction to what’s going on around him. So fans are seeing him try to placate James Marsden’s fictionally inflated ego, deal with Jeannie’s (Edy Modica) awkwardly social personality or Judge Rosen’s (Alan Barinholtz) handling of the bizarre events of the court case. It’s understandable that the series received four Emmy nominations. Heck, it may have even won one if not for the wonderful, but not really comedic, darling of the awarding body, The Bear.
4
‘What We Do in the Shadows’ (2019 – 2024)
What We Do in the Shadows is another comedy that stands apart from the rest due to its premise. It’s hard to recall another great mockumentary that is rooted in the realm of the supernatural, zeroing in on vampire folklore of all things. However, despite its 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, six seasons, and Emmy wins, What We Do in the Shadows ironically lived a bit in the shadows during its run (its viewership hovered in the hundreds of thousands in comparison to The Office, which drew millions in viewership weekly). Given the show’s popularity with fans and critics alike, this can largely be attributed to the fact that it aired on cable (FX).
Going back to the show’s originality, the bingeworthy storylines are evidence of the immense talent in the writers’ room behind the series. They were able to place vampires in a real-life setting in New York City without making it seem too kitsch. And on the casting side, series stars Kayvan Novak and Harvey Guillen deserve a lot of credit for their onscreen chemistry portraying Nandor the Relentless and Guillermo, respectively. They bounce off each other well comedically, and their scenes can often serve as standouts.
3
‘Parks and Recreation’ (2009 – 2015)
This brings about the age-old question: Is Parks and Recreation better than The Office, or is The Office better than Parks and Recreation? From a critics’ perspective, on Rotten Tomatoes, The Office has an overall rating of 81% among critics compared to Parks and Recreation‘s 93%. However, during their respective runs, The Office accumulated 5 Emmy wins while Parks and Recreation wasn’t able to win any of its nominations. Then, bringing in the fans, well, it’s hard to argue against the fact that there is more of a following with The Office, so in terms of which mockumentary is better, it seems as if the Steve Carell-led show has the slight upper hand. However, Parks and Recreation is a great comedy.
Amy Poehler is phenomenal as the show’s lead, Leslie Knope, the always optimistic politician, running into the not usually talked about political gridlock on a local level. Her bubbly take on life mixed with her own career ambitions often creates these funny scenarios, especially when countered by the pessimism of those around her. Poehler was also surrounded by cast members who greatly helped the comedic momentum of the show, like Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Chris Pratt, and Retta. Each of them created their own energy in scenes, so the series didn’t have to rely squarely on Poehler’s SNL experience for laughs.
2
‘Modern Family’ (2009 – 2020)
It should come as no surprise that Modern Family has landed near the top spot. The ABC hit resonated with millions of fans as it followed one of the most diverse families to ever be seen on TV. The mockumentary intertwined a variety of cultural backgrounds, sexualities, and age demographics, which made for 250 fantastic episodes.
From a casting perspective, it’s pretty legendary. Ed O’Neill, Sofía Vergara, Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Eric Stonestreet, who portrayed the three respective adult couples on the series, created big character personalities in the TV landscape that couldn’t be ignored during the show’s run or forgotten now. Vergara’s infamous bellowing of Jay (O’Neill), Cam (Stonestreet) constantly trying to loosen up Mitchell (Ferguson), and Claire (Bowen) overlooking all of Phil’s (Burrell) verbal blunders all made for numerous funny moments spread across 11 seasons. There’s a reason they each have received multiple Emmy nominations for their roles.
A lot of credit should also be given to the writers of the show, who managed to keep the show fresh even in its eleventh season. Storylines didn’t feel recycled, character development felt natural, and the jokes somehow got better with time. There were always new challenges to be tackled by the family members, and new schemes they cooked up to solve them. Modern Family is truly one of a kind.
1
‘Abbott Elementary’ (2021 – Present)
Abbott Elementary comes in at number one on this list, and rightfully so. Quinta Brunson’s creative baby is nothing short of a masterpiece, and has been consistently great since it first debuted in 2021. Additionally, it’s pushed the envelope yet again in the mockumentary subgenre.
Starting with the characters, every single person brings a signature humor to the show that stands out. Whether that’s Janine’s (Brunson) do-gooder outlook on life, or Jacob’s (Chris Perfetti) innate ability to miss social cues, or Ava’s (Janelle James) unrelenting self-centeredness, each character has a moment where they simply tug at the metaphorical funny bone. Even as the characters develop as the series goes on, they don’t lose their edge.
Abbott Elementary also greatly benefits from the writing. With confidence it can be said that the sitcom has the best cold openings of any show mentioned here, including The Office. The infamous “Wild Wild West” line dance in the cold opening for season 4 episode 2, “Ringworm,” is among the fan-favorites that’s worth watching more than once. Additionally, the overall writing of the show somehow always feels nuanced and reflective of current culture, especially Philly culture. In some respects, the episodes can feel like mini history lessons on Philadelphia slang, sports and lifestyle. Plus, if you weren’t ever an educator, Abbott Elementary gives you a comedic take on the problems teachers face and what students go through daily in this present age.
It should be noted that Abbott Elementary is a darling of critics. The comedy has a Rotten Tomato score of 99%, four Emmys, three Golden Globes, a prestigious Peabody Award and slew of other awards and nominations. Show fans can only hope that Brunson leads to the show having a very long tenure on TV.
