Ever wondered what it would look like if the awkward hilarity of The Office collided head-on with the unsettling dystopia of Severance? Well, wonder no more. Corporate takes the soul-crushing mundanity of office life and dials it up to 11, delivering a darkly comedic look at the workplace that’s somehow equal parts painfully relatable and somewhat exaggerated. Forget annoying coworkers and harmless pranks, this series is more about existential dread and the crushing realization that “work-life balance” might just be a myth.
But don’t let all the bleakness scare you off. Beneath the surface, Corporate delivers sharp satire that’s both funny and subjectively relatable. Where The Office gave fans lovable oddballs and Severance explored identity and isolation, Corporate strikes a perfect middle ground. It does this in the way it holds up a mirror to the absurdity of modern work culture. It’s the kind of show that makes you laugh out loud at how absurd it is, then sit back and realize how real and relatable the storyline is.
More Than Just Office Jokes — What ‘Corporate’ Is Really About
Image Credit: Comedy Central
On the surface, Corporate is all about the ins and outs of modern office life. So, it’s safe to dive in, not expecting 100% mindfulness or regard for mental health. In fact, it wholly embraces the dark, soul-crushing reality of your run-of-the-mill 9 to 5. Set within Hampton DeVille, an ominous, faceless mega-corporation, the series is focused on a pair of junior executives — Matt Engelbertson (Matt Ingebretson) and Jake Levinson (Jake Weisman). Together, they navigate the company’s outrageous demands while trying to balance office politics and its toll on their deteriorating well-being. Picture a myriad of PowerPoint presentations, passive-aggressive emails, and a boss who only believes in employee wellness when it can make the company look good.
It may sound like a typical day at just about any office, but Corporate stands out in the way it combines its reliability with some over-the-top dark humor. There’s this instance where the employees are asked to reflect on their personal goals during a work retreat. It’s a simple exercise that any 9-5er has probably done 100 times over, but it ends up opening the floodgates. Employees slowly realize that they are stuck in unfulfilling lives, leading them to confront the meaninglessness of their jobs. The show masterfully captures these moments of bitter realization, finding humor in the crushing weight of the monotony of office life. Corporate is a dark reflection of the modern struggle to find meaning in a world obsessed with productivity.
‘Corporate’ Is the Show That Turns Your Office Misery Into Dark Comedy Gold
Image Credit: Comedy Central
Without a doubt, The Office and Severance are great shows. They both explore the workplace from totally different angles. On one hand, you have the almost juvenile, positive, and comedic approach, while on the other, viewers are transported into a dystopian reality where work and personal life are compartmentalized. It goes without saying that both bring their own flavor of brilliance. And then there’s Corporate, a show that doubles down on the fact that the workplace can be some people’s personal hell. Everyone is miserable, the bosses are heartless, and every task feels like a step closer to a serious mental breakdown. Here, there’s no palette cleanser in the form of a Jim-and-Pam romance to warm your heart or a microchip implant to externalize the horrors of work. There are only endless reports, pointless brainstorming sessions, and team-building exercises that highlight how trapped everyone is.
It may sound like someone blocked out the sun, but the great thing about Corporate is that it finds a way to make the misery oddly fun. The humor may be on the darker side, but that’s enough to keep the existential dread at bay. So, while The Office has its annual Dundies awards to boost employee morale, Corporate would dish out some high praise right before firing an employee or implementing budget cuts. It could be argued that Severance is no walk in the park either, but where work-life separation is taken to a whole other level, Corporate leans into a crueler reality where employees don’t get to leave the grind at work because it follows them home. Why would anyone want to tune into an episode of the show after a gruelling day of work? While Corporate is brutal, it finds a way to make the chaos feel oddly therapeutic. By leaning into the shared struggles of meaningless metrics, fake enthusiasm, and the crushing monotony of office life, it gives you permission to laugh at the absurdity of it all, even if it hits a little too close to home.
For a dose of unhealthy office politics, Corporate is currently available to stream on Paramount+..
