Make the workplace comedy you'd actually watch
A fictional office, an ensemble that never breaks character, talking heads straight to camera, and a running gag that pays off six Episodes later.
Continue with the free Studio · one World build, one Character a day, 4 Lite Images a day
How to make your own workplace comedy
Pitch the workplace in one line — the failing startup, the paper supplier, the dental office with big ambitions. Character App builds the office World and an ensemble who keep their faces and desks every Episode. Direct the cold open, then cut to talking heads: one Character, one line, straight to camera. Keep the takes where the deadpan lands, bring the running gag back next week, and film a whole season. Start in the free Studio.
Updated September 2026 · Free to start · Web and iPhone
Made in Character App
Real Clips from fictional sample series. Same Cast from shot to shot; tap a Clip for sound.
Reply All The last oat milk
Sinking Feeling A matter of principle
Made with H3 Max Turbo, the Clip model in Character App · fictional sample series
The mockumentary toolkit
The format has a grammar audiences already know. Use it on purpose.
The cold open
A short bit before the title: one prop, one bad decision, one coworker who saw everything.
The talking head
A Character alone, seated, speaking to camera. The joke is the gap between what they say and what we just watched them do.
The look to camera
Someone says something absurd; cut to a coworker staring into the lens. No line needed.
The running gag
The broken printer, the stolen yogurt, the plant nobody waters. Plant it in the pilot and let it grow all season.
Build an ensemble that lasts
Workplace comedy is a team sport: the planner, the problem-maker, the observer who narrates everything, the boss who thinks they're everyone's friend. Character App builds each Character once and keeps them on-model — desk, mug and lanyard included — so a callback in Episode 7 still lands. Four to six regulars is plenty: enough for a B-plot without losing anyone. Our guide to designing a workplace comedy ensemble goes deeper on the roles.
Based on your job, not your coworkers
Write what you know — the reply-all, the offsite, the quarterly all-hands. Then make the company fictional and the Cast original. Real coworkers can appear only with their permission; the content policy requires the person in the photo or their written consent. You can always cast yourself: add your own photo and play the manager nobody asked for.
Pick a look
A documentary live-action style for the classic feel, a flat 2D cartoon for prime-time animation, or 3D for something glossier. The talking-head framing works in all of them. Try the ensemble in two looks as Images in the Playground, then film the one where the boss looks most like a boss.
8 workplace comedy ideas to start from
Press one and it lands in the idea box. Change a word or keep it; the Director takes it from there.
- 01Datawing Inc.A drone-delivery startup with no working drones and a very confident founder.Use this idea
- 02The PracticeA small-town dentist who is certain the office should also be a podcast.Use this idea
- 03HR Is One GuyA 400-person company whose entire HR department is Gary, and Gary is tired.Use this idea
- 04The OffsiteA team-building retreat booked at a water park that closed in September.Use this idea
- 05RoundaboutA town planning committee spends an entire season arguing about one roundabout.Use this idea
- 06Test KitchenA snack company races to launch a flavour nobody asked for.Use this idea
- 07Remote FirstA fully remote team meets in person for the first time, and it goes badly.Use this idea
- 08Gift Shop After DarkThe night staff of a museum gift shop take their jobs far too seriously.Use this idea
From one line to Episode 01
- 1
Pitch the workplace
One line: the company and what's wrong with it. Character App reads it as the show and builds the office World — desks, break room, the conference room with the bad chairs.
- 2
Hire the ensemble
The boss, the overachiever, the one who narrates everything. Draw them from descriptions or cast yourself from a photo; faces stay locked from the pilot on.
- 3
Film the season
Direct the cold open and the talking heads as Clips, keep the takes where the deadpan lands, and bring the running gag back next Episode.
Questions, answered
Still curious? The guides go deeper.
Can I base a workplace comedy on my actual job?
Yes — the situations, the meetings, the jargon. Make the company fictional and the Cast original; real coworkers can appear only with their permission, because the content policy requires consent from anyone in a photo.
Can I do talking-head confessionals?
Yes. Write the Scene as one Character seated and speaking to camera, direct it like any other Clip, and cut between the action and the confession.
Does the ensemble stay the same every Episode?
Yes. Each Character is built once and stays on-model across Scenes and Episodes, along with the office itself.
How is this different from making a sitcom?
The sitcom page is your home life with a multicam feel. This is the documentary format: a handheld look, talking heads, and an ensemble at work.
Can I keep a running gag going across a season?
Yes. The World keeps your props and places — the broken printer is still broken in Episode 10 — so the gag can build until it pays off.
Can Claude or ChatGPT make the Episodes for me?
They can help run the Studio. The Character App connector lets Claude Code, Codex or ChatGPT work in your Studio: pitch the Episode in chat, and it shows you the quote to approve before any Credits are spent.
What does a workplace comedy Episode cost?
Currently the free Studio gives you one World build, one Character a day and 4 Lite Images a day. A plan unlocks Clips and Film — Starter is $19.99 a month for 800 Credits — and a 5-second Clip made from an Image on H3 Max Turbo is 15 Credits. The price is on the button before you press.
More genres
Every genre
SitcomYour life, recast as a multicamera comedy.
Satire comedyFlat adult 2D that roasts a new target weekly.
Cartoon showAdult 2D comedy — dating, friendship and fog in the Mission.
Guides for this genre
- Design a workplace comedy ensembleA workplace comedy isn’t about a workplace — it’s a machine for colliding three kinds of people who can’t leave: the planner who believes in the mission, the problem-maker who detonates the plan, and the observer who sees all of it.
- Make a sitcom about yourselfMake a multicam sitcom where the lead is you and the scene-stealer is your pet — one candid photo and one line of premise gets you a styled Cast, a World that looks like your living room, and a first Scene in about ten minutes.
- Build a running gagA running gag is a contract with the viewer: the same small thing, arriving on schedule, getting funnier each time it almost repeats.
Your workplace comedy starts with one line.
Continue with the free Studio · one World build, one Character a day, 4 Lite Images a day