Greg Daniels, the man who adapted The Office for American television, has revealed his idea for a potential reboot. He compares his strategy to The Mandalorian and how it’s tied to the original Star Wars movies but still has its own cast and identity.
This isn’t the first time an Office spin-off series was discussed. The season nine episode “The Farm” was a failed backdoor pilot for a Dwight Schrute-centered series. And more recently, actor Leslie David Baker raised a Kickstarter campaign for Uncle Stan, an unofficial spin-off about his Stanley Hudson character. The series is currently in pre-production, with unknown means of distribution.
Daniels explains to Collider that this Office wouldn’t necessarily be focus on Dunder Mifflin Scranton, saying, “I don’t think it would be the same characters. I think it would just be sort of like an extension of the universe, you know what I mean, like the way The Mandalorian is like an extension of Star Wars.” This analogy makes a lot of sense, as hard reboots are currently out of style. Fans are comfortable with something new, as long as it’s tied to the original work. But that doesn’t mean there are plans for a reboot anytime soon. Daniels also stated he can’t tell “whether fans would want more of it.”
And the idea of an Office extended universe already kind of exists, as Ricky Gervais reprised his David Brent role from the original UK Office on the American series. Daniels did a great job using the UK series as a starting point, taking elements from each of the main characters, but still giving them an entirely new identity. For instance, Michael Scott definitely has some David Brent influences, but he quickly became a great character in his own right. It’s very possible that somewhere down the line, the same strategy can be used again.
It’s easy to see why he might be skeptical, as The Office is arguably the most rewatched series on streaming, and new episodes may not be necessary. But then again, he was also skeptical about whether his Office would live up to the original BBC version, or if Parks and Recreation would catch on against The Office, and both shows found a strong life of their own. So it’s possible he could pull it off a third time.
Will this Office reboot ever see the light of day? If so, would it live up to the greatness of the original series? Or would it turn out a tired disappointment, like the last few seasons of the original series? A lot is still unknown, but sitcom history will figure this out on its own.
The Office is streaming exclusively on Peacock.
Source: Collider
