Today, NBCUniversal began its official marketing push for the upcoming streaming service Peacock. The studio unveiled its big lineup, with a ton of series coming to the streamer, including the entire runs of both “The Office” and “Parks and Rec.” And for many, those are possibly two of the biggest “gets” for Peacock. And the studio knows this.
In fact, the folks behind-the-scenes at Peacock understand the power of those two series, specifically “The Office,” and are looking to the future with a potential reboot. Speaking to Deadline, NBCU’s Bonnie Hammer, Chairman of Direct-to-Consumer and Digital Enterprises, made it clear that a reboot of “The Office” is a priority.
It is my hope and goal that we do an ‘Office’ reboot,” she said.“‘The Office’ comes back to us in January 2021. It is my hope that we can figure what that great reboot would be. We are having conversations.”
The idea of an ‘Office’ reboot isn’t just some cash grab for the studio. According to the streaming service’s strategy, Hammer says that a reboot is meant to not only entice new viewers to the Peacock but also to offer a link back to the original series, which has become a monster hit on Netflix.
And that means that “The Office” isn’t the only project that’s looking at the reboot treatment. Peacock has already announced “Battlestar Galactica,” “Saved by the Bell,” and “Punky Brewster” reboots. And according to Hammer, that’s just the beginning.
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“We will be looking at all of them down the road and see what [reboot] makes the most sense,” Hammer said. “When we see what the usage is on the service, if something is popping, and it’s ours, you better believe that we are going to be looking at it as a new original.”
Okay, well that sounds like a bit of a cash grab statement.
Peacock is supposed to launch in spring 2020. A reboot of “The Office” has yet to be officially announced.