Last year, “Abbott Elementary” premiered on ABC to high viewership and critical acclaim. The show follows a group of teachers striving to educate students in a struggling system. Due to its mockumentary style, many fans compare it to beloved workplace sitcoms such as “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation.” The show’s second season ended in April and the third season comes out later this fall. If you’re looking for another cast of coworkers to carry you through the summer break, here are five workplace sitcoms to tie you over until school is back in session at Abbott.
‘The Mindy Project’
“The Mindy Project“ (2012 – 2017) is a romantic comedy series with six seasons, first airing on Fox and then later on Hulu. Created and produced by Mindy Kaling, the show follows the romantic and professional journey of Dr. Mindy Lahiri (played by Kaling), the only female physician at Shulman & Associates. When it comes to love, Mindy is a dreamer who idealizes classic romcoms with happy endings. But in real life, she’s far from the adorably girlish heroines in “When Harry Met Sally” and “Notting Hill.” Mindy is a brash, awkward thirty-something who seems to bulldoze every man in her path. Every scene oozes with Kaling’s unique brand of cringe comedy, which she perfected as a writer for “The Office” and now appears in her hit shows “Never Have I Ever” and “The Sex Lives of College Girls.”
Kaling doesn’t shy away from Mindy’s personality flaws. As she tries to find a guy who lives up to the idea in her head, she makes a lot of missteps. But Mindy isn’t just boy-crazy. Her neuroses reveal vulnerability. She’s also professionally driven and loyal to her values, even when it costs her a romantic relationship. This complexity makes the character feel real. The other doctors and nurses—especially love interest Dr. Danny Castellano—are just as problematically endearing as the protagonist. Though Mindy’s men come and go, her coworkers keep her grounded — and make the show laugh-out-loud funny.
Available on Hulu
‘Superstore’
“Superstore“ (2015 – 2021), created and produced by Justin Spitzer, stars America Ferrera as Amy Sosa, the floor manager of a midwestern chain store called Cloud 9. Amy’s worked at Cloud 9 for years, and, for her, every day is the same. She doesn’t see anything in her future except stocking shelves and dealing with customers until a newcomer named Jonah shakes things up. His good-natured naivety is a stark contrast to Amy’s jaded apathy. They clash at first, but Jonah’s positivity inspires Amy.
This relationship epitomizes the ethos of the whole show. “Superstore” has a strong cast of supporting and recurring characters, which makes the world feel lived-in. The employees, shoppers and managers at Cloud 9 forge romances and friendships, but they also deal with some of the United States’s biggest problems, like immigration, labor rights, healthcare, classism, racism and disability. These plot points humanize service industry workers, who aren’t often portrayed with depth in popular media despite making up 70% of the American workforce. Amy, Jonah and the Cloud 9 team find moments of beauty in the everyday. Their charm slowly wears away at the monotony of big-box retail, showing audiences that they might just find joy where they least expect it.
Available on Hulu and Peacock
‘Upload’
“Upload“ (2020 – present) is a Prime Video series developed and produced by “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” creator Greg Daniels, and is heading into its third season. This show balances comedy, science fiction and drama. It’s set in a not-too-distant future full of innovations like self-driving cars, 3D-printed food and hologram cell phones, but it’s not all fun and games — this dystopian world is a neo-capitalist hellscape. When coder Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell) dies in a car accident, his girlfriend goads him into uploading his consciousness into a digital afterlife called Lakeview by Horizen. The posh resort feels like heaven on gigabytes at first, but Nathan soon realizes that Horizen wields more power over him — and its millions of undead residents — than he could’ve imagined.
While at Lakeview, Nathan’s guide is Nora, a Horizen employee. She and her underpaid coworkers spend all day at their desks, programming a paradise that they’ll never be able to afford. As Nathan and Nora get closer, she and her deskmate Aleesha help him air out Horizen’s dirty laundry. “Upload” isn’t a typical workplace sitcom, but is instead a biting satire of contemporary tech culture. The Horizen office is a jumping-off point to explore the intricacies of technological surveillance and corporate greed. For a company with so many skeletons in its closet, it’s almost a surprise that this show is an Amazon production.
Available on Amazon Prime Video
‘American Auto’
“American Auto“ (2021 – present) is another workplace sitcom from Justin Spitzer, and its second season is currently airing. Former “SNL” cast member Ana Gasteyer plays Katherine Hastings, a former big pharma CEO who has just taken the reins of the family-owned Payne Motors. One problem — she doesn’t know anything about cars. Head of Communications Sadie loves cars, but she’s unsure about the corporate world. The protagonists and their coworkers tackle everything from new prototypes to awkward Zoom meetings, causing tons of laughs and chaos along the way.
Like Spitzer’s “Superstore,” “American Auto” also addresses labor issues, but this show shows them from the perspective of upper management. The characters routinely face tough decisions with the potential to impact thousands of employees — and millions of customers. Just like the characters, Payne itself is in transition as it tries to bridge the gap between a hundred-year-old American institution and a contemporary, multi-national conglomerate. Pressure mounts from investors and the public, tearing the cast between their passion and market demands. This conflict encapsulates a common dynamic in the workplace, which, blended with some great comedy, creates a resonant story.
Available on Peacock
‘Reboot’
“Reboot” (2022) is a Hulu original created by Steven Levitan (“Modern Family“). “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s” Rachel Bloom stars as frazzled TV writer Hannah who’s trying to revive the 2000s sitcom “Step Right Up.” The show also features “Key and Peele’s” Keegan Michael Key as well as Johnny Knoxville from “Jackass.” The cast — who are all struggling actors now — are eager to get back on set and revitalize the cheesy show with Hannah’s edgier vision. There’s just one problem — the old showrunner Gordon is back at the helm, and he’s not letting his stale, old-fashioned jokes go so easily.
The show-within-a-show element provides a comedic glimpse into the process of television development. The writers and cast navigate the modern industry, constantly walking the line between the old and the new, leading to a lot of funny encounters, especially between Gordon’s geriatric writers and Hannah’s fresh faces. It also reflects the innate human struggle between tradition and advancement. Unfortunately, Hulu canceled “Reboot” after one season, but its eight episodes make for a great evening of binge-watching.
Available on Hulu
