Jochen Busse, in the lead role of Hagen Krause, along with an ensemble cast, embodied the stereotypical behavior and bureaucracy commonly associated with civil servants in Germany.
Director Dietmar Jacobs, who later won the Grimme Award, influenced the creation of several other RTL formats centered around the cast of 7 Tage, 7 Köpfe.
The story unfolds within the building authority of a small Rhineland town, primarily focusing on the office of councillor Hagen Krause and his team.
Councillor Krause, known for his grumpy demeanor, is accompanied by his secretary Ulla Herbst, the naive womanizer Rüdiger Poppels, and the idealistic Nadia Schäfer.
Despite their roles as public servants, the office community is more concerned with the personal interests of their private lives rather than fulfilling their professional responsibilities.
The individuals in the office are careful not to get caught by their superior Dr. Stüsser, who prioritises maintaining a positive reputation to the outside world, even if it means disregarding regulations.
Her responsibilities primarily include preparing coffee, making sandwiches, and handling various tasks assigned by Hagen (mostly personal rather than professional matters).
However, towards the end of the seventh season, she unexpectedly develops genuine feelings for Silvia Meier's father, who recently joined as a secretary, and the two form a romantic relationship.
Under the self-proclaimed nomen "sexy Rüdi," he frequently arrives at work with a hangover, resulting from a night of partying or a recent romantic conquest.
During the fourth season, Rüdiger spends time in Africa, leaving his position to be temporarily filled by Hans-Günther Timpel.
In the final episode, Rüdiger discovers the secret to capturing the attention of Stüsser's secretary, Silvia Meier, causing her to eventually develop feelings for him.
The series featured numerous notable stage and television comedians such as Hans-Joachim Heist, Hugo Egon Balder, Elisabeth Wiedemann, Oliver Kalkofe, Rudi Carrell, and Bastian Pastewka.
Additionally, pop singers Peter Kraus and Achim Mentzel made guest appearances on the show.
The 30-minute series originally aired from 1997 to 2003 on Friday evenings, preceding the comedy panel show called "7 Tage, 7 Köpfe" (7 Days, 7 Heads), which was also hosted by Jochen Busse.
The first episode premiered on February 14, 1997, attracting an audience of 6.12 million viewers, making it one of the most successful comedy series launches in German television history.
In the summer of 2002, lead actor Busse announced the end of the series after its seventh season, stating that "all the stories have been told."
Ulrike Bliefert and Thorsten Nindel reprised their roles from Das Amt in the TV film Und tschüss!
After Das Amt ended, the show's creator, Jacobs, developed another short-lived series called Nicht von dieser Welt, also for Cologne-Sitcom.
The CD features various versions of the song "Wir sind das Amt" from episode 20, titled "Des Wahnsinns fette Beute," as well as spoken contributions from the characters and catchy jingles.
Interestingly, in episode 60, titled "Der Frührentner," there is a scene where an advertising poster for this CD can be seen hanging in the office canteen.