Reboots and revivals, particularly with TV shows, are a bit of a double-edged sword amongst fans. On the one hand, there is the immediate high of watching your favorite people return to TV, especially if they’ve been gone for years and years. However, the truth is that most reboots and revivals aren’t very good, and in fact, they can sometimes ruin what was a perfectly fine ending. But still, folks get excited by the prospect of a TV show returning from the grave. And in the case of “The Office,” the show is more popular now than it ever was during its initial run, leading many fans to desperately want more episodes.
According to a new report from Puck, a typically reliable source of scoops, it would appear that Greg Daniels, the creator of the American version of “The Office,” is ready to begin work on development of a reboot of the popular sitcom when the WGA strike comes to an end. (By the way, a preliminary agreement is currently in the works and has to be voted on by the union, so the strike could be ending sooner than later.) That would mean, after years of fans asking about it, “The Office” could be making its eventual return to TV.
Now, there are plenty of questions about this news, and none of the answers are given in the report. Will any of the original cast return? Will it be a short little reunion series or a full-on reboot with hops of running another decade? Will it come back to NBC or is it destined to be a Peacock exclusive? We’ll have to wait and see.
The interesting aspect about “The Office” is that the ending of that series left a lot to be desired. The general consensus amongst fans is that the show really struggled to find its footing after the departure of Steve Carell at the end of Season 7. The final two seasons, though having some high points (Robert California being pretty great in Season 8), really didn’t hit the huge highs of earlier years, leading to a finale that is viewed as just fine, if not a little disappointing. That said, there was plenty of closure, so it would stand to reason that bringing back any of the main cast (John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Carell, and Rainn Wilson) would somewhat sully that ending.
But at the end of the day, “The Office” is still one of the most popular shows on the planet, and Peacock/Universal would be crazy to not throw around the idea of a reboot at some point. And now, it would appear we are closer than ever to having that become a reality.