Mike Schur Remembers Being “Rankled” By ‘SNL’ Japanese Parody of ‘The Office’

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As a devoted fan who’s spent countless hours laughing at the hilarious antics of Dunder Mifflin’s beloved characters, I find myself deeply moved by Mike Schur‘s reflections on the Japanese parody of The Office. Having grown up with this show as a staple in my life, it’s fascinating to hear from one of its creators about their personal feelings towards a sketch that, while amusing, didn’t quite hit the mark for them.

Mike Schur, a writer for The Office, shared his feelings that Saturday Night Live’s Japanese parody of their NBC comedy wasn’t something he found particularly amusing.

The creator behind “Man on the Inside” recently made a visit to “The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast” for their Criterion Episode, where they discussed various digital shorts produced by The Lonely Island. During this appearance, Seth Meyers inquired about Schur’s and Jake Tapper’s opinions on the short titled “The Japanese Office.” In response, both men expressed that it wasn’t one of their favorites.

He previously worked at SNL, but even now, he sometimes perceives SNL as a judge of what’s significant in society. His discomfort was evident when they did ‘The Japanese Office.’ He recalled feeling somewhat irritated. It didn’t resonate with him on some level. It didn’t feel authentic, like it didn’t capture the essence of the show as he had hoped.

In a previously recorded segment, Ricky Gervais – the creator of “The Office” – presented a clip from a Japanese TV show he asserted served as his inspiration for the British sitcom. The fictional program depicted Steve Carell’s Michael, Jason Sudeikis’ Jim, Kristen Wiig’s Pam, and Bill Hader’s Dwight embodying their characters, but speaking entirely in Japanese. Gervais concluded the skit by saying, “It’s funny because it’s stereotypical.

Schur further explained that he found it hard to grasp the concept of the sketch, as “it seemed like they had taken the spotlight from me, but I had originally borrowed the idea from a Japanese production. However, all the actors in the original Japanese version were white, which didn’t quite add up for me.

Nevertheless, the creator of The Good Place acknowledged that it was significant when Carell appeared on The Office, as the sitcom was already quite popular before his hosting.

Schur expressed that it was a significant event for Rainn Wilson, known for portraying Dwight Schrute in the comedy, to host. He had previously hosted and delivered a parody of “The Office” during his monologue, which Schur found exceptional. Everyone seemed to be executing their roles perfectly.

For nearly a decade, starting from 2005 and lasting until 2013, this sitcom was broadcast. Over time, it’s amassed a passionate fanbase that grew particularly after its availability on different streaming platforms like Netflix and Peacock.

A new TV series, titled “The Office” spinoff, is being developed at Peacock by creators Greg Daniels and Michael Koman. This show will introduce a fresh set of characters rather than revisiting familiar ones from the original series. The storyline goes like this: The documentary team that famously documented the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch are on the hunt for a new subject. They stumble upon an old Midwestern newspaper, which is being revived by its publisher.

As a devoted fan, I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be joining an outstanding cast in this spinoff series. Among the talented actors are Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore, along with Melvin Gregg, Chelsea Frei, Ramona Young, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Tim Key, and Eric Rahill. Can’t wait to see this ensemble bring the story to life!

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2024-12-28 19:24