Why is “The Office” the default favorite American TV show?
Parents Guess Their Daughter’s Favorite Things
A2 English listening practice · American English · Picked for people who know a little
The Office (US) is the American adaptation of the British sitcom of the same name, set at a fictional paper company called Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The show ran on NBC from 2005 to 2013 (nine seasons, 201 episodes). After it left network TV, it found a second life on streaming, especially Netflix and later Peacock. Among American Gen Z and millennials, The Office is a default “favorite show” answer in casual conversation, in dating profiles, and in family quiz games. Catchphrases like “that’s what she said” and “identity theft is not a joke, Jim” travel through American pop culture.
In this clip, a daughter asks her parents to guess her favorite TV show. The dad answers “The Office” and is right.
How common are the words?
How common are the words in this A2 English listening practice video?
How common in written English
How common in spoken English
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸In American sitcom rerun watch parties and rewatch podcasts
- ▸In American workplace meme accounts
- ▸In American dating-app bios (“looking for someone who quotes The Office”)
- ▸In American Halloween costumes (Dwight Schrute, Jim and Pam)
- ▸In American college dorm and family-room TV culture