?️ In 2025, there’s no escaping work. Over the past few years, film and television have quickly paved the way for a new genre to emerge and dominate: the workplace drama. While not entirely a new phenomenon, the genre has seen considerable growth since the pandemic. Why? It’s quite simple: they offer a relatable experience… and fictional scenarios that are anything but, according to the Financial Times.

First things first, what maketh a workplace drama? They’re shows that focus on a diverse cast of characters as they navigate the daily routines and ludicrous happenings at their workplace. A few classic examples include Grey’s Anatomy (2005), The Good Wife (2009), and — everyone’s favorite mockumentary — The Office (2005). While once less popular than its sci-fi and chick flick counterparts, the genre has grown to dominate television, with shows such as Severance, The Studio, and The Pitt, to name just a few, dominating charts (and the 77th Primetime Emmys).

Clock out, clock back in. It might seem counterintuitive that most audiences choose escapism through entertainment similar to what they’re trying to escape from, but it could be just what we need. According to the FT, what workplace dramas show are different scenarios based on the same common denominator: struggle. It’s precisely this relatability that keeps viewers hooked. Offices, kitchens, and operating rooms may vary in details, but as the salmon-colored paper puts it, “the quashed ambition and tone-deaf managers are much the same.”

It’s not just about relatability. These dramas tap into many workplace fantasies: dramatic exits, the “accidental” murder of one’s superior, and secret affairs that somehow bear no consequences. Through characters that feel familiar enough to empathize with and distant enough to be exciting, these what-if scenarios come to life, giving the audience some form of catharsis while their hands remain tied.

That said, the rise of workplace drama reflects something much deeper — which did not happen in a vacuum. A shift in our relationship with work is what led to the genre’s popularity, the BBC argues. As work bled into personal life and vice versa — evident in social media trends like “get ready with me for work” TikToks, “my 5-9 after my 9-5” Reels, and a slew of other workplace-related content — it seems Hollywood caught up somewhere along the way. "When you have shifts in the nature of things, it creates an opportunity that is ripe for storytelling," filmmaker Joseph Patel tells the BBC.

Which is to say, we’ve centered our lives around work, and gone are the days of clocking out. At any given moment, we’re reachable — whether through email, texts, Slack, or your company’s oddly-named AI-powered platform of choice. Work has, in a way, become “socially rather than just economically compulsory,” says Sam Waterman, assistant professor of English at Northeastern University, to the FT. More food for thought? The workplace dramas of today are a far cry from those of the past. While the latter were all about ambition, the former have become simply about survival.

…Now, have you seen The Paper? You should tonight.

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