How to watch The Office US in the US, UK and abroad
Identity theft is not a joke, Jim
There’s no doubt about it: The Office US is one of the most popular TV shows on the planet. The mockumentary – following a paper sales company from Scranton, Pennsylvania – has consistently topped Netflix US viewer charts for the past few years, with a reported 52.1 BILLION minutes streamed in 2018. Even the evergreen appeal of Friends is less impressive: the sitcom came in at a mere 32 million minutes streamed.
Based on the hit UK show of the same name starring Ricky Gervais, McKenzie Crook and Martin Freeman, The Office US aired for nine seasons, averaging around eight million viewers per episode over the course of its eight-year run. After a shaky first season, the show’s writers chose to depart from the slightly gloomy precedent set by the UK version; for the ensuing five seasons, The Office US was met with critical acclaim, earning several Emmys in the process.
Filmed in a documentary style, the show follows a fictional Pennsylvania-based paper sales company, Dunder Mifflin, and the daily lives of its employees. The Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch is run by Regional Manager Michael Scott (Steve Carrell), whose winning combination of tactless leadership and infantile behaviour is offset by his supporting cast of charming employees.
Particular standouts include salesman Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and receptionist Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer), whose will-they-won’t-they relationship forms the basis for much of the show’s most heartwarming – and heart-wrenching – moments.
Rainn Wilson’s oddball Assistant to the Regional Manager Dwight Schrute, meanwhile, is best-remembered for his obsession with beets, and customer service rep Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling), for her obsession with intern Ryan Howard (BJ Novak). Other supporting cast members include Brian Baumgartner, Leslie David Baker, Ed Helms, Ellie Kemper and Angela Kinsey, with extended guest appearances from the likes of Catherine Tate, James Spader and Will Ferrell.
Whether you’re a newcomer desperate to work out what the fuss is about, or a returning fan concerned by the news that Michael Scott & Co will be leaving Netflix in 2020, we’ve got you sorted. Here’s how to watch The Office US in the US, UK and abroad.
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How to watch The Office US in the UK: Amazon Prime Video
If you’re a UK resident looking to relive Kevin’s dramatic chilli incident, or the frantic carnage of Dwight’s impromptu fire safety drill, look no further than Amazon Prime Video. The show is available in its entirety, and better yet, it’s free for Amazon Prime members.
Amazon Prime subscriptions cost £7.99/mth or £79 for the year. If you don’t fancy shelling out for the extra benefits Prime offers, you can purchase a standalone Amazon Prime Video subscription for £5.99/mth. All plans come with a 30-day free trial, although we don’t recommend you watch all 201 episodes of The Office in that time.
How to watch The Office US in the US: Peacock
Formerly available to our transatlantic friends on Netflix, the streaming giant has taken The Office off its US platform. As of 1 January 2021, the entertainment hub removed The Office US, leaving stateside fans stricken. Good news for UK-dwellers meanwhile, who are now able to watch Jim, Pam and the gang to their heart’s content on Netflix UK (and Amazon Prime Video).
North America-based viewers can now catch the show on streaming service Peacock. Access to the show depends on your tier of Peacock membership. Sign up to Peacock’s free subscription, and you’ll be able to catch the first two seasons of The Office US without paying a monthly fee. You’ll also be able to avail yourself of an ad-supported limited library (read: access to 7,5000 hours of programming) on the NBC streaming platform.
However, if you want to watch the rambunctious later seasons (which see characters like Ed Helms’ Andy Bernard and Rashida Jones’ Karen Filippelli introduced), you’ll need to pay a small monthly fee. Peacock Premium rings in at $4.99/mth or $49.99/yr, which will still be ad-supported, while Peacock Premium Plus costs $9.99 per month or $99.99/yr. For the latter you’ll get the service (very nearly) ad-free – due to streaming rights, a limited amount of programming still contains some ads. These subscriptions offer much more extensive content libraries – you’ll get access to 15,000 hours of programming – and come ad-free. But most importantly you’ll get unbridled access to all nine seasons of the Office US.
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Peacock is now available to Sky and NOW subscribers in the UK and Ireland at no extra cost. Viewers will be able to tune into iconic shows like Bates Motel and Real Housewives
How to watch The Office US in the US: Netflix UK with a VPN
As mentioned, The Office US is still available to viewers in the UK, via Netflix UK. Canny US viewers could use a VPN to access their Netflix accounts remotely in the UK, allowing them to watch all nine seasons of The Office US to their heart’s content.
VPNs can be invaluable for privacy, keeping your sessions from being monitored, but when it comes to entertainment their value lies in tricking your device into thinking it’s located in a different part of the world by rerouting your IP address. For Netflix users looking to unlock the global scope of content available to them, this could be just the ticket.
Our go-to at the minute? ExpressVPN. It’s a zippy, hyper-connected service which users can free out for 30 days free. If you’re after a bargain, ExpertReviews can offer our readesr 49% off the one-year plan if you click on the link below.
How to watch The Office US abroad: Use a VPN
If you’re travelling abroad, you will often find that content on Amazon and Netflix is geoblocked. It’s why UK viewers can’t stream The Office US on Netflix, and it can often scarper any plans you might have made for a quiet holiday night in. The only way to avoid this cruel fate is to use a good VPN service.
The main purpose of a VPN is to keep your web browsing private by “spoofing” your public IP address and preventing internet service providers (and other interested parties) from tracking your session. As an added bonus, a VPN can fool your PC into thinking you’re in a different location, which is ideal for anyone travelling overseas.
We’ve highlighted our favourite VPNs below. Both of our choices abide by a strict no-log policy, and they are independently audited to prove that they don’t log or store any identifiable user data. They also offer money-back guarantees, 24/7 customer support and – crucially – access to region-locked content.
ExpressVPN is our current favourite VPN. Aside from the perks listed above, the service also offers the fastest connection speeds in the business, making it the ideal choice to use at home or abroad. ExpressVPN is audited by PwC, and offers a no-questions-asked 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not impressed. And better yet, if you sign up using the link below you’ll receive a massive 49% discount when you choose the one-year plan.
Alternatively, you might want to try NordVPN. Just like ExpressVPN, it enforces a strict no-logs policy, and provides access to geo-blocked content from Amazon and Netflix, among other streaming services. You can try it for free for seven days, to get a sense of whether you fancy parting with your cash. If you sign up using the link below, you can take advantage of a very appealing 70% discount.