Offices can at once frustrate, entertain and reflect a little bit of ourselves onto the television screen. Just as some offices are closing down for the Christmas break, here's our pick of the best, brightest and funniest. 

5 Seinfeld
The office of J. Peterman must surely rank as one of televisions most eccentric workspaces. In season five of Seinfeld, Elaine Benes finds herself as the editor of Peterman's catalogue of old-world fashion. Imbued with all the charisma of a Shakespearean knight combined with a 1940s radio host, Peterman (played by John O'Hurley)  regales employees mercilessly with tales of his travels to Burma and penchant for cake. 

"Inside that fridge is a slice of cake from the wedding of King Edward VIII to Wallis Simpson, circa 1937. It's worth $29,000," he tells Elaine as she digests a slice. 

Cake becomes a central part of Elaine's experience at the office, complete with nauseatingly awkward "forced socialising", prevalent in offices around the world. 

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"You were out sick yesterday so we got you a 'get well' cake," one of her colleagues says before bursting into a rendition of "get well, get well soon."

Fed up, Elaine echoes the thoughts of many a white-collar worker in her response: "You are trying to fill the void in your life with  flour and sugar and egg and vanilla. We are all unhappy; do we have to be fat, too?" 

Elaine is ultimately unceremoniously fired for suspected opium addiction and her dislike of the film The English Patient.

4 Utopia
Finally, Australia has an office satire worthy of its English counterparts. ABC's Utopia, which premiered this year, is big on buzzwords and low on productivity, like many "nation building" authorities around the country. 

It is a satire about taking uncosted, flawed and poorly planned public schemes and selling them to as many people as possible.

The creator, Rob Sitch, who produced Frontline and Hallowmen, describes it as a "currency of grand dreams." The  fictional nation-building authority is all about "appearing consultative, not actually being consultative". 

3 The Office (Britain) 
The grand-daddy of office comedies is worthy of is namesake. Many would argue that this is still Ricky Gervais' finest hours of television. Many hairs have been pulled out while watching Gervais' character, David Brent, smash out "free love on the free love highway", or witnessing Tim and Dawn pull the wool over the eyes of the hapless ex-territorial army officer Gareth Keenan. 

Over two excruciatingly hilarious seasons,  Gervais unflinchingly delivered a pitch-perfect performance as Brent, the boss you hope you never have. 

"When people say to me: would you rather be thought of as a funny man or a great boss? My answer's always the same: to me, they're not mutually exclusive." 

So popular was the series that it has now been adapted into US, French, German, Canadian, Chilean, Israeli and Swedish versions. 

2 West Wing
There is no more famous office in the world than the Oval Office. The White House nows hosts the Obamas, but in the fictional political universe of many TV watchers during the 90s it was all about the presidency of Jed Bartlet (played by Martin Sheen). 

Aaron Sorkin's West Wing gained critical acclaim around the world when it kicked off in 1999. The series almost single-handedly developed the walk-and-talk shot that it became synonymous with. It allowed Sorkin to liven up the usually dry office setting by keeping consistent camera movement. More importantly, it gave Sorkin time to develop the dense scripting between his key characters. 

Few fans could forget the fiery exchanges between deputy chief of staff Josh Lyman and his assistant Donna Moss, where many a hallway was begging for a kiss.

Just as engaging was the intense political debate over anything from agricultural legislation to the Mexican drug trade between chief of staff Leo McGarry and President Bartlet.

It was tight, it was snappy and it lasted seven seasons. It is still regarded by many as Sorkin's best work. 

1 Parks and Recreation 

"Treat-yo-self" to the finest office on television. Ron Swanson and Leslie Knope are in charge of the little parks department-that-could in Pawnee, Indiana.

From humble beginnings, this office grew to become one of the most popular shows on US television, partly due to cracking all-American lines like this from Swanson: "I call this turf 'n' turf. It's a 16 oz T-bone and a 24 oz porterhouse. Also, whiskey and a cigar. I am going to consume all of this at the same time because I am a free American." 

Swanson's anti-government agenda (despite working in public office) is contrasted perfectly with Knope's overly optimistic go-get-'em attitude. Throw in the mix Aziz Ansari's✓ Tom ("I call eggs pre-birds") Haverford and Rob Lowe's fitness-loving Chris Traeger and you have one hell of a circus. 

It is a shame we won't be seeing much more of it. Parks and Recreation's final season starts in the US on January 13.