Michael Schur Opens Up On SNL’s Version Of The Office In Japanese; Says ‘I Remember Being A Little Rankled’

As a dedicated follower of Michael Schur‘s career and a former writer for Saturday Night Live myself, I can understand his feelings about the parody sketches, especially the one from 2008 featuring Steve Carell and Ricky Gervais. While I respect his perspective as someone who’s been in the trenches of comedy writing, I have to admit that I found “The Japanese Office” sketch quite amusing, perhaps because I’ve always had a soft spot for cultural parodies done with good humor.

Michael Schur shared some insights into the comedic skits on Saturday Night Live that he worked on. In particular, an Office parody from 2008 left him feeling agitated as it was among the sketches he found less appealing during his tenure primarily dedicated to writing for the show.

During their guest spots on The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers’ podcast, the co-creator of Brooklyn Nine Nine reminisced about the comedic skit starring Steve Carell and Ricky Gervais.

Speaking about that particular episode, I must confess that it didn’t quite resonate with me. As the showrunner, I’ve spent time at SNL and understand that, in some sense, it serves as a cultural barometer. When Carell did ‘The Japanese Office,’ I admit there was a slight twinge of discomfort within me.

Regarding the sketch, it was Gervais who came up with the concept, as he is known for playing David Brent in the original series that later inspired The Office US adaptation. In this rendition, Gervias portrayed the British show using a Japanese accent, while Carell enacted his famous character, Michael Scott, in a parody.

Delving deeper into the specifics, Schur expressed, “It was akin to saying, ‘They outshone me, yet I borrowed it from the original Japanese production, but all the actors in that were actually white people.’ This seemed somewhat illogical to me.

Michael Schur, the creator of “The Good Place,” spoke about his experience during an interview with podcast hosts. He reminisced about when the cast of “The Office” appeared on Saturday Night Live (SNL) for the first time in 2007. This event left a lasting impression not only on viewers but also on him personally. Schur expressed that it was a significant moment for him when Rainn Wilson, the actor portraying Dwight Schrute, hosted the show and mimicked “The Office” setting for the comedy sketch. After witnessing Wilson’s performance, Schur exclaimed, “I thought, ‘They’ve got this. Everyone is absolutely killing it.’

The Office was one of the popular sitcoms that ran for nine seasons on the NBC network. 

Alongside Carell, Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Mindy Kaling, Brian Baumgartner, B.J. Novak, Angela Kinsey, and Ed Helms were some of the other actors who graced our screens in this show.

The series ran from 2005 to 2013, and the episodes are available to stream on Peacock.

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2024-12-27 17:53