Mike Schur writer from the popular series The Office shared his feelings about a Saturday Night Live sketch called "The Japanese Office". Mike Schur was at the Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast when Seth Myers inquired his feelings regarding “The Japanese Office”. The Lonely Island hosted a discussion where Schur assessed a variety of their popular skits showcasing varied perspectives regarding their performance as well as their artistic goals. CNN anchor Jake Tapper joined Seth Meyer's panel along with Schur while evaluating the digital sketch showing it is a controversial topic between the former colleagues at Saturday Night Live
Mike Schur Explains Why SNL’s Parody “The Japanese Office” Felt Disconnect For The Show
Mike Schur clarified while appearing at the The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast he felt some animosity toward Saturday Night Live’s sketch called "The Japanese Office" where several skits use over-the-top stereotypical portrayals from a different cultural background than characters being played by mostly white actors. Mike Schur felt “rankled” due to his past work experience at SNL where shows hold considerable influence with society however this sketch left Mike Schur disappointed not properly showing the true essence of the popular TV series The Office. Schur worked for SNL and that allowed him to understand what is appropriate or inappropriate to present to a mass audience. This caused him great frustration.
Ricky Gervais Introduced The Sketch that included SNL stars as "Japanese" version of "The Office"
The SNL skit had original The Office creator Ricky Gervais introducing clips showing "Japanese" version characters featuring the familiar Dunder Mifflin Paper Company crew with actors like Steve Carell playing Michael, Jason Sudeikis playing Jim, Kristen Wiig playing Pam and Bill Hader playing Dwight. The Saturday Night Live skit was designed to imitate a television program from Japan and use it as basis of its The Office premise showing all the cast in exaggerated Japanese characters throughout the skit.. Ricky Gervais ended this skit stating "It's funny 'cause it's racist." showing the shock and value aspect it had on general audience at SNL.. The satirical comedy often makes use of shock to convey meaning to the viewers that engage the skits regularly..
Schur Highlights SNL Parody’s Flaws And Lack Of Satire Clarity Through Cultural Perspective
Mike Schur expressed the SNL "The Japanese Office" sketch seemed off and unclear to him due to the show’s origin and overall construction which ultimately confused audiences on SNL show premise. The Saturday Night Live skit used white performers playing all the Japanese roles that are similar to “The Office” and characters who speak Japanese that all appeared out of place. Mike Schur mentioned the actors all looked wrong and this type of commentary also has racial implications that viewers pick up subconsciously.. These types of productions need to have utmost sensitivity to the nuances for their premise.
Steve Carell's and Rainn Wilson's SNL Appearances are Remembered fondly by The Office's Mike Schur
Mike Schur noted that Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson's appearance on SNL marked a major achievement for The Office showing it has become culturally influential and highly significant. Rainn Wilson made his presence known during SNL with a monologue based parody of The Office that provided humor for all the series and this made Schur excited about a quality show interpretation. Steve Carell and Rainn Wilson who are notable characters from The Office served as prominent celebrities when showcasing The Office in other media showing strong public demand.
The Office which ran for nine seasons spanning from 2005 to 2013 garnered immense popularity particularly through digital streaming platforms including Netflix and Peacock with a huge cult fanbase from audiences across the globe. A spin off version based on “The Office” will soon be available for audiences on Peacock with new characters plus original production crew members including Greg Daniels and Michael Koman as key crew members who helped produce prior series. The new series will follow a different setting in the form of historic Midwestern newspaper plus characters seeking a second chance of some type.
SNL's Japanese Office Sketch Rankled Office Writer Mike Schur despite Years of Professional Involvement
Mike Schur shared on the The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast about the 2008 parody of “The Office” skit on Saturday Night Live featuring Steve Carell which he did not like during this period of time. Mike Schur clarified he felt some sort of disconnect with the sketch because it failed to convey meaning he personally felt when writing “The Office”. “The Japanese Office” that Steve Carrell was present in alongside Ricky Gervais had left an uncomfortable and lasting impression. Mike Schur while discussing the 2008 SNL digital skit in which he was initially rankled mentioned the sketch did not give right feeling.
Ricky Gervais SNL Intro Leads To "Japanese Office" Digital Short That Was Widely Watched on YouTube
Ricky Gervais a past creator and star of the original The Office created the premise that the original British series was an imitation of a Japanese version and was a part of the digital short introducing it to SNL audiences in 2008. A mockumentary style “The Office” was set in Japan using the format and scenes to look like it took place within a Japanese business space however the lead cast of Steve Carrell, Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, and Kristen Wiig played the Japanese characters but in reality these individuals were actually well known comedians from American culture and many did not view the performance in positive light despite its popularity.
"The Japanese Office" Premise Did Not Sit Well With Some Because Of Comedic Context From Original Program
Mike Schur who did not view “The Japanese Office” skit positively, did mention the whole set up of that concept as a kind of copy-cat approach of previous series that then took all original creative meaning away to where he was unable to engage in a way that would have satisfied him and felt like show had done an injustice in terms of content created. The entire story structure involved white actors pretending to be Japanese which appeared very weird as an audience member in order to fully engage to a level he required. Mike Schur did say this sketch idea was flawed at all levels of the premise as he pointed out various contradictions in its logic.
Akiva Schaffer Expressed Concerns About "The Japanese Office" Sketch During its Original SNL Production
Akiva Schaffer of the Lonely Island previously noted being concerned at the time about all-white cast of “The Japanese Office” during an episode at The Lonely Island and Seth Meyer podcast where Schaffer discussed the creative team at SNL.. Marika Sawyer a writer with Japanese American heritage conceived the main framework for this parody episode as described by Akiva Schaffer. Akiva Schaffer showed Marika his utmost trust with making creative decisions that ultimately directed the skit using a collaborative strategy for SNL projects that valued unique insight . The digital sketch went live and is often reviewed as an indicator that sensitivity is of utmost importance when making parodies.
Rainn Wilson's SNL Hosting Gig Provided more Effective Parody of The Office Original Premise
Mike Schur mentioned a Rainn Wilson skit done at SNL was more effective parody as it demonstrated the real humor of “The Office”. Rainn Wilson’s monologue for his host appearance utilized an effective strategy for satire by referencing the key differences between SNL and The Office by creating original content. Many of these SNL skits are effective and creative , but this skit of the “Japanese Office” did not fully reach his standards. This was another example of creative differences that surface in large productions with diverse viewpoints.
The NBC series of “The Office” was adapted from 2001-2003 British version with the US version running from 2005-2013 on NBC as nine full seasons of comedy showing the series long-lasting cultural significance through digital channels to a new generation of viewers