I’ve heard things about working in government sectors.

Not first hand; mostly third or fourth hand. But stories that tend to stay with us broke creative types about exponentially expanding paychecks and vague responsibilities and even one story about a Canberra-based official who regularly smoked bongs in his car on his lunch break. Sounds like a dream.

The Australia Utopia series, not to be confused by it’s very grim British counterpart (also very good), paints a convincing portrait of a work environment so painful that you’d sooner be on the dole than tolerate it. It’s essentially the closest Australian television has ever ventured into The Office territory, delivering on consistent laughs alongside whip-smart dialogue despite the relatively dull premise of the trials and tribulations within a department of infrastructure. That is, the pain of dancing around bureaucracy and red tape while trying to achieve meaningful results in your job, while surrounded by a handful of overpaid turkeys coordinating office birthday parties, promotional videos, office renovations and other standard and mundane intricacies of corporate office life.

Brought to you  by the ever-reliable Working Dog Productions team, Utopia benefits from some of the best heads in Australian television including Rob Sitch, Kitty Flanagan and Celia Pacquola. It is also some of the best Aussie comedy we’ve seen in ages.

The second season of Utopia premiered this month on the ABC and is available to watch online. The entire first season is available for you to watch on Netflix.