Credit: NBC / Netflix

The man spent seven seasons of The Office turning that space into an HR department’s worst nightmare, and somehow nobody thought to show him the door.

And now Netflix has decided to bring that dysfunction into the food industry with Minimum Wage. Except this time, we are dealing with teenagers who appear to regard customer service as a personal affront. Good thing that at least Michael Scott wasn’t responsible for preparing anyone’s supper!

Mind you, it’s rather funny how employers pay minimum wage but expect their staff to work as though they own the place. The kids at Slice Club have other ideas. They have mastered the art of looking busy while doing next to nothing. And frankly, when you’re paid peanuts, management should be grateful you even show up!

Netflix’s Minimum Wage, which premiered on October 26th, follows a group of teenagers supposedly trying to save their struggling pizza restaurant. “Supposedly” being the operative word, because these youngsters seem to consider avoiding work an Olympic discipline. Grace (Grace Reiter) is the manager, and this poor girl is trying to keep the place in business while her colleagues act as though working is entirely optional. The restaurant is losing money, and nobody seems to give a damn.

And then, ladies and gentlemen, enters Mr Sylvester, played by Randall Park. The franchise owner has arrived to investigate why Slice Club is haemorrhaging money. Except the employees can’t even be bothered to look after the display pizzas, and oh, don’t even get us started on the walk-in fridge, as it’s their personal hangout spot. One look around should tell Sylvester exactly where the money’s going! But the man has his own ideas about running a business. He actually moves into the restaurant’s basement.

Of course, anyone familiar with The Office will recognise the formula. The mockumentary interviews are present, as are the employees who are more interested in entertaining themselves than earning their wages. But Minimum Wage has another rather modern influence: TikTok and YouTube.

You see, the series originated from American High Shorts, whose sketches attracted more than 30 million views. Netflix has now transformed that online popularity into 14 episodes of pizza-shop pandemonium.

Michael Scott was a disaster… But he had depth

Now, it’s time we must address the rather awkward elephant in the room. Minimum Wage can deliver a decent joke. No doubt! Some of its exchanges are hilariously absurd, and the cast has a knack for making workplace incompetence entertaining.

However, throwing a few funny sketches together doesn’t automatically make a good sitcom. Some episodes feel like TikTok videos which are dragged out for far too long. And those mockumentary cameras? Half the time they seem to be hanging around with absolutely nothing to do!

And as far as acting is concerned, at times, you can tell that people are “acting” instead of being in their character as the cast of The Office was. Like people still doubt whether Jenna Fischer really had a crush on John Krasinski, given the chemistry is brilliant. Every time you do a rerun, you pick up on the tiniest of expressions you’ve missed before.

Because for all his nonsense, Michael Scott wasn’t just some idiot in a suit. Beneath those embarrassing speeches was a man who wanted his employees to love him. A bit sad, sure, but that’s why he is still one of the greatest characters in the history of television.

Unfortunately, the Slice Club gang hasn’t quite got there yet. They’ve got some decent banter, sure, but half of them seem to pop up just to crack a joke and disappear again. Come on, give us a reason to care about these kids beyond their latest excuse to dodge work! Randall Park does his best to keep things entertaining, but even a talent like him can’t make up for characters who, well, how do we say it, lack a proper personality.

Still, let’s not be too harsh on Minimum Wage. The episodes are short, so even when a joke falls flat, you’re not stuck with it for long. And watching a bunch of social media-obsessed teenagers discover the problem of having an actual job? Oh, there’s plenty of comedy to be had!

So, has Netflix discovered Gen Z’s answer to The Office? Oh, wait up! Let’s not start handing out Michael Scott’s old Dundie Awards just yet. Minimum Wage has some amusing ideas, but it still has a long way to go before it even reaches the parking lot of the Scranton Business Park.