DUNDER MIFFLIN AS THE THEATER OF THE ABSURD: A BECKETTIAN READING OF THE OFFICE (US)

Abstract

This paper examines The Office (US) as a contemporary expression of theatre of the absurd through the lens of Beckett’s dramaturgy. It identifies recurring patterns of circular dialogue, purposeless tasks and suspended agency at Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch as analogous to structural features found in Beckett’s stage plays. The study positions the office workplace not merely as sitcom setting but as theatrical site where characters enact repetitive routines that expose the tension between desire for meaning and persistent banality. The theoretical framework draws on principles associated with Samuel Beckett’s dramatic practice, emphasizing the breakdown of conventional narrative progression, the performance of existential stasis and the use of humour to unsettle expectations of resolution. Methodologically, the paper conducts close readings of selected episodes across the series’ nine seasons, focusing on key interactions that reflect Beckettian features i.e. loops of dialogue that yield little development, tasks that mirror cyclical futility and character dynamics that foreground absence of teleological purpose. Attention is given to character arcs of Michael Scott, Dwight Schrute, Jim Halpert, and Pam Beesly to illustrate how their actions and stasis function as performative gestures rather than progressive growth. The analysis demonstrates that the series consistently foregrounds repetition and deferral of fulfilment, aligning its aesthetic with the characteristics of absurdist theatre without diminishing its genre as television comedy. Principal findings suggest that The Office stages everyday office life in ways that echo Beckett’s strategies for dramatizing human efforts to create meaning under conditions of structural indeterminacy. By interpreting the sitcom through Beckettian criteria, the paper reveals how humour and frustration intertwine to produce a form of narrative that invites viewers to recognise familiar patterns of labour, expectation and containment as performances on a broader social stage.