‘The Office’ Writer Says ‘SNL’s’ Japanese Office Parody With Steve Carell ‘Didn’t Feel Right’ and Left Him ‘Rankled’: ‘All the Actors Are White People’
Prior to crafting the cherished sitcoms “The Good Place,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” and “Parks and Recreation,” I, Mike Schur, garnered Emmys for my work as a writer on “Saturday Night Live” and “The Office.” In an intriguing twist of fate, these two series intersected in May 2008 when “The Office’s” Steve Carell graced the stage to host “SNL” and collaborated on a viral digital short titled “The Japanese Office,” which has amassed over 17 million views on YouTube. Interestingly, I, Mike Schur, have admitted on “The Lonely Island and Seth Meyers Podcast” (via Entertainment Weekly) that this parody left me feeling somewhat displeased.