Forget Peacock: Here's how to get The Office for less money

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By Henry T. Casey
published

You should buy The Office once rather than pay for Peacock

how to buy The Office
(Image credit: Justin Lubin/NBC/Cortesia/Alamy)

If you're trying to buy The Office, there's a good chance it's because you (like many of us) don't want to pay for yet another subscription service. Yes, no series lives on Netflix forever, and The Office left the service at the end of 2020 for Peacock.

And while Peacock has a free tier, the service locked 7 out of the 9 seasons of The Office behind a paywall. Only seasons 1 and 2 are available without a price tag, while seasons 3 to 9 are on Peacock Premium — which starts at $4.99 per month, or $9.99 without ads. 

But to The Office fans feeling scorned, we have a message: it didn't have to be like this. A simple investment, a much smarter one than Michael Scott Paper Company stock, could have saved you a lot of money and hassle.

Yes, thanks to an old article from BGR, we can see that the digital version of the complete series of The Office has been as cheap as $29.99. That's 3 months of ad-free Peacock Premium, which many Office fans will likely wind up paying — money that they may not have spent. 

And the ad-free Peacock Premium is worth mentioning because some fans aren't happy that The Office is being shown with advertisements. Yes, that's how NBC aired it, but years of re-watching on Netflix has given people the thought that the series is best without ads.

Not to be mean, but Peacock currently has three things going for it: soccer, The Office (U.S.) and — according to one of my colleagues — the new Saved By The Bell series is actually OK. But I'm guessing most people don't want to spend $5 or $10 just for those three things. There's other content on there to be sure, but it still doesn't feel as compelling a streaming service as say Netflix or HBO Max.

So, here's our advice: own your favorite shows and movies. It may seem anachronistic, but buying digital versions of movies and shows (or Blu-ray versions that come with free digital copies through Movies Anywhere) ensures that you're not left out in the cold when your favorite show leaves a service you're paying for — for one that you don't have any need for. Of course, Movies Anywhere could go kaput, but then your optical media versions are good backups.

Maybe you didn't see that Apple/iTunes sale when it went live, but you could still own (and not rent) The Office today: it's $80 on DVD, $119 on Blu-ray and $99 on Digital from Apple/iTunes today. That's the equivalent of 8 to 12 months of ad-free Peacock, and it feels like the smarter move right now. 

And since Apple's streaming app is on Roku and Fire TV — not just the Apple TV — you want to buy it there. Buying all of the seasons digitally through Amazon costs $156.

And while the DVD purchase is more affordable, there are two reasons I'd advise against it. First, being attached to physical formats creates an obligation. Do you think your DVD player is forever (even game consoles are pointing towards a future without the optical drive)? I'd bet that Apple and Amazon will outlast the DVD.

The other reason comes from the user reviews on Amazon, which show serious quality assurance flaws in the manufacturing process. One customer writes "for some reason seasons 6 thru 9 all have the same episodes on every disc for that season. why does this keep happening? not real thrilled about this. the only box set of something i ever bought and it turns out to be a major pain in the ..."you know what. Similarly, another customer complained that "this set came with TWO seasons 1-5 and not one seasons 6-9. This makes it pretty useless."

Another notes "The discs were all over the place and had scratches and are not playable at all. Some of them even have what one would describe as water damage. Very interesting and not sure what happened but do not seem new."

How to buy The Office complete series on digital

The Office complete series (Digital) on Apple/iTunes: for $99

The Office complete series (Digital) on Apple/iTunes: for $99
The best way to own The Office digitally, Apple's got the entirety of the series for $57 less than Amazon. This purchase can be streamed on the Apple TV app, which is on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, PS4 and PS5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S and select LG, Samsung, Sony and Vizio smart TVs.

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Those who just want specific seasons can order them through the following links. Purchases made through Amazon can be watched with others remotely using the Watch Party feature, provided everyone has purchased the episode.

How to buy The Office seasons on Blu-ray and DVD

The Office: The Complete Series on DVD: was $80 now $61

The Office: The Complete Series on DVD: was $80 now $61
If you prefer your programming on optical media, this complete series package will reward you with a lot of bonus content. Tons of deleted scenes, commentary tracks and extended episodes await.

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The Office: The Complete Series on Blu-ray: for $119

The Office: The Complete Series on Blu-ray: for $119
Willing to spend twice as much? You can get the same set of episodes and bonus features, only at a higher image quality with the Blu-ray version of The Office. 

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Henry T. Casey
Henry T. Casey
Managing Editor (Entertainment, Streaming)

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom's Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He's also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.