The Office Reboot Is Really Happening
According to Vulture, The Office is getting a reboot and we have questions. Though the article connects this news to the end of the WGA strike, it also notes that the strike is not actually over yet. While the WGA and AMPTP have reached a tentative agreement on all points of a deal for moving forward, the parties have not sat down to hammer out detailed language or sign anything official yet.
Vulture reports a reboot of The Office is in the works with creator Greg Daniels attached.
Whether or not this development has any bearing on news regarding The Office getting a reboot, it seems clear that Greg Daniels, the creator of the wildly popular NBC sitcom, has confirmed his involvement in the forthcoming project. We’re not exactly sure if this means NBC is creating a new series—though it seems likely given their ties to the IP—or if this is a reboot that will happen somewhere else like Netflix.
While it may seem crazy that this classic sitcom could even be considered for anything like a reboot or a re-imagining, keep in mind that it has happened once before.
The American version of The Office is itself a reboot—or more accurately a remake—with Greg Daniels basing his version of the series on the UK original starring Ricky Gervais in the role that would eventually become Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell. While the British version of the series ran for just two seasons from 2001 to 2003, its American counterpart ultimately saw a run of nine seasons, lasting from 2005 to 2013.
Mindy Kaling and Bj Novak are just two examples of actors who gained a great deal of attention in somewhat smaller roles within the series…
Though it’s unlikely a new version of the concept, which has has been mimicked in multiple series since, would be as successful as the US version was, we have mixed feelings about whether it should be done at all.
One thing going against the idea of The Office getting a reboot is the quality of its cast. Centering around Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, and John Krasinski, the original included numerous characters, all of whom were interesting, funny, and lovable. Mindy Kaling and Bj Novak are just two examples of actors who gained a great deal of attention in somewhat smaller roles within the series, though in many ways no member of that ensemble truly had a small role.
Several of the series’ stars, like Krasinski and Carell, might be too expensive for a new series at this point, or too busy.
If Greg Daniels is planning to bring The Office back for a reboot without any of the original cast members, it could either mean a fresh, engaging direction for the new version of the series or a lack of draw for fans of the original series that might doom it from the outset.
Several of the series’ stars, like Krasinski and Carell, might be too expensive for a new series at this point, or too busy. On the other hand, Leslie David Baker and Phyllis Smith, who played Stanley and Phyllis and recently appeared together in a Cheerios commercial, might be more interested in returning to the project.
Another question regarding The Office getting a reboot is whether this series will still be set at Dunder Mifflin and how it might depict changing dynamics in offices, particularly post-pandemic and with certain technological advances.
The trend of reinventing old properties has in certain instances been very successful and in others has seemed thin and ineffectual, but our hope is that with Daniels presumably at the helm, a new version of this beloved workplace comedy could be on the successful end of that spectrum. All we know is, until more concrete confirmation is delivered, we’ll be in our office, peeking through the blinds for new developments.
