There was a 4-season sitcom starring a cast member of king of the mockumentary TV show, and in some circles, the king of comedy television, the American adaptation of The Office remains a crowning achievement for most of the cast and crew involved with it. It's an eminently relatable story, with a top-notch sense of humor, and despite being a remake, nothing quite felt like it before or after.

That has not stopped showrunners from trying, and there have been plenty of TV comedy series that have taken their shot at being the next The Office. While none have quite managed to capture the title belt, many of them have come close, and one in particular feels like a complementary piece to the series in both its sense of humor and its casting. No show can truly replace The Office, but this one will at least cure some of your boredom after you get through the ninth and final season of The Office and are looking for something new.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Is A Hilarious Sitcom Starring Ellie Kemper

Tina Fey And Robert Carlock Created Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt In 2015

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is the show The Office fans should turn to after the PBS documentary cameras turn off in the series finale. This 2015 sitcom, created for Netflix by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, stars Ellie Kemper of The Office fame, shedding her role as receptionist Erin Hannon for newly freed doomsday cult victim, Kimmy Schmidt. The series follows Kimmy right after she is freed from an underground bunker where she and three other women lived for 15 years with their captor and cult leader, played by Jon Hamm.

Deciding that she wants a new lease on the life she's been handed back, Kimmy decides to make a go of it in New York City. There, she meets a cast of colorful characters, all with issues of their own, who, despite their ostensibly more typical lives, actually seem to be handling reality worse than Kimmy, who is more or less a teenager socially. It's a hilarious and heartfelt series that's as tightly written as you would expect a show by Tina Fey to be. The series ended up earning 20 Emmy nominations and has a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes​​​​​.

How Ellie Kemper's Kimmy Schmidt Is Different From The Office's Erin

Kimmy Is A Smarter And Stronger Character

On the surface, Kimmy Schmidt and Erin Hannon seem like they have a lot in common. They're both happy-go-lucky young women who are formidable when they know what they want, but also don't always seem to have a clear idea of how the world works. However, Kimmy is a much more self-possessed, courageous, and, it has to be said, smarter character than Erin. While both women had difficult early lives, Erin going through the pains of the foster system, and Kimmy living in a cult compound, it's much more understandable why Kimmy acts the way she does.

In short, Kimmy Schmidt is a fully realized main character, while Erin is an enjoyable, though less-developed, ing character.

Erin seems to just be a bit of an airhead. I think even Kimmy would know that you don't use yellow Gatorade to make tea. I would be afraid for Erin if she decided to move to New York City. With Kimmy, it's everyone else who should watch out. Kimmy is fierce, loyal, and has a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong, a result of being forced into a life of servitude at a young age. In short, Kimmy Schmidt is a fully realized main character, while Erin is an enjoyable, though less-developed, ing character.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt's Humor Works Perfectly For Fans Of The Office

Both Series Mix Their Heartfelt Moments With Cutting Jokes

Unlike similar comedy series like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Good Place, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has humor similar to the style found in The Office. It's a bit sharper, a bit meaner, a bit more cutting, and for my money, much funnier for it. This series is more in the vein of 30 Rock or the early seasons of Parks and Recreation. There is some shmaltz in the series and certainly a lot of heart, but Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt is not afraid to go dark, or be harsh, or call out a character for a joke.

Tina Fey and Robert Carlock have always had a sharp and unique sense of humor, and they bring that sense of humor to Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. The Office can surprise a laugh out of you like few other shows, and it can be hard to tell when a joke is stopping and starting, which makes the jokes even funnier. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has a similar quality, and manages to wrap even acid-dipped jokes around a warm, gooey center, and it never feels treacly. It may not be The Office, but it's close, so check out this four-season series.