‘The Office’: Is the Popular NBC Sitcom Getting a Reboot?
The Office premiered on NBC in 2005 and went on for nine seasons. Created by Greg Daniels, the comedy sitcom follows the lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Even though the show ended in 2013, The Office has experienced a resurgence in popularity on Netflix and Peacock. Some fans wonder if the show will ever get a reunion or a spinoff series that features the original cast members.
NBC wants to bring back ‘The Office’
Deadline reported that NBC content chief Susan Rovner was asked about the possibility of a reboot at the 2021 Edinburgh International TV Festival. She had “no comment” about The Office reboot. However, Rovner added that it’s up to Greg Daniels to give the final ok. “Whenever Greg Daniels wants to do one, we’re standing by,” she said.
It comes after NBCU’s Chairman Bonnie Hammer told the outlet NBC would love to do a reboot. “It is my hope and goal that we do an Office reboot,” she told the same outlet.
While there is no reboot in the works, Daniels doesn’t rule out the idea completely. However, he says it’s simply impossible due to his schedule. “No, but it’s not impossible. It’s not impossible for sure,” he told Collider. “I would want to be involved, and I’ve got two other shows I’m working on right now.”
He referred to his Amazon sci-fi comedy Upload and Netflix series comedy Space Force, starring Steve Carell. Both shows were renewed for a second season.
Steve Carell doesn’t want a reboot
Although fans have been asking for The Office reboot, actor Steve Carell doesn’t think it’s a good idea. He played the empathetic yet condescending boss Michael Scott for seven seasons. He made a special appearance in the season 9 finale.
In a 2018 interview with Esquire, the 59-year-old actor explained why The Office reboot wouldn’t work today. “The climate’s different,” he said. “I mean, the whole idea of that character, Michael Scott, so much of it was predicated on inappropriate behavior. I mean, he’s certainly not a model boss. A lot of what is depicted on that show is completely wrong-minded. That’s the point, you know? But I just don’t know how that would fly now.”
‘The Office’ cast members like the idea of a reboot
While Carell opposed the idea of a reboot, other cast members have expressed interest in the possibility. In a 2020 interview with Collider, Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute) said he would “love” to return for a new sitcom version.
“Maybe someday we’ll do something,” the actor said. “The fans would really love it. That’s the thing that counts the most. The fans would really love to see those characters again and have an experience with them.”
John Krasinski (Jim Halpert) believes the comedy should get a reboot. “I think we should reboot it,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “I think it’s hard obviously with everybody’s schedule to do an Office reboot, but I would so be down. Doing a reboot for us wouldn’t just be about bringing the show back, it would be about getting back together with those people. They’re my family, they’re my first and only original business Hollywood-y family, so I’d be lucky to do it.”
The Office is streaming now on Peacock.
