We Don’t Need an ‘Office’ Reboot!

With the WGA strike officially coming to an end and a deal being reached, rumors began to swirl in the wake of a tentative agreement that The Office may be making a comeback in the form of a reboot. The report, which initially came from Puck News, speculated that series showrunner Greg Daniels would also return for the series’ potential return.

Adapted from the UK version, the US series debuted in March 2005, making household names out of Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, Ed Helms, and Mindy Kaling, just to name a few. Its nine-season run about a paper company, including two after Carell’s exit, birthed a dynasty of mockumentary sitcoms that would come to define a trend in television in the 00s. While we’re ecstatic for the writers getting a good deal after 148 days on strike, the reboot rumors here don’t come with the same excitement. In fact, we’d rather just go ahead and quote Michael Scott himself: “I don’t hate it. I just don’t like it at all. And it’s terrible.”

‘The Office’ Doesn’t Need an Update

The Office is a sitcom that revolves around the everyday lives of the people working at a paper company known as Dunder Mifflin. Within the walls of the Scranton-set regional office, comedy gold was struck through the mundanity and insanity found there. Under the questionable authority of Michael Scott, the everyday nuances of the office environment were a boiling pot of embarrassing cringe, unexpected romance, and, sometimes, office Olympics.

One appeal of a reboot is the opportunity to update the comedy or technology to reflect the current times. Thanks in no small part to the writers, the comedy of The Office largely holds up and remains endlessly quotable and relevant. Though the “that’s what she said” jokes aren’t as prevalent as they were during the height of the series’ popularity, lines like “I am Beyoncé, always” and “First of all: How dare you?” are just as fitting now as they were then.

Moreover, the workplace environment has evolved in the years since The Office went off the air, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last thing audiences want to see in a rebooted version of The Office is a group of paper company employees adjusting to hybrid working or meetings conducted over Zoom. While technology and workplaces have changed, The Office still holds a timeless quality. No, not all of us work at a paper company, but we’ve all been in a meaningless meeting that could’ve been an email or finding small ways to make time in the workday go by faster, like creating small competitions with your coworkers. The enduring familiarity is part of the reason why audiences continue to return to the series as it was.

An ‘Office’ Reboot Could Diminish the Show’s Original Ending

The Office retains its lasting charm through its endless relatability. This is in no small part from nailing the dynamics between coworkers, whether it’s the healthy and sometimes ridiculous rivalry between Dwight (Wilson) and Andy (Helms) or the “will they or won’t they” between Jim (Krasinski) and Pam (Fischer), which drove much of the first three seasons. From Creed (Creed Bratton) to Oscar (Oscar Nunez) to Darryl (Craig Robinson) to Phyllis (Phyllis Smith), these employees were always interesting and memorable despite the company they worked for. It’s unknown if the reboot would consist of a whole new cast of characters or not. If this is the case, after years of investment with the original cast, it would be hard not to compare between the two; audiences did this for two years with The Office‘s replacement Dunder-Mifflin bosses after Carell exited the show during Season 7.

On the other hand, a reboot of the series could bring back the original characters. When The Office wrapped, Dwight and Angela (Angela Kinsey) finally got married, with Michael in attendance; Erin (Ellie Kemper) reunited with her birth parents; Andy got a job at his alma mater, Cornell University; Kevin (Brian Baumgartner) opened and owned his own bar; Stanley (Leslie David Baker) happily retired in Florida; and Jim and Pam worked through their marital woes and finally quit Dunder Mifflin with Dwight’s blessing. We don’t want to relive Jim and Pam on the rocks like in the final season, nor do we want to watch these former co-workers regress to where they were before for the sake of continuation. The characters from The Office were fortunate enough to have a happy ending because the show actually ended. If it’s revived with the same characters, at best, those happy endings are changed, and at worst, it could tarnish the golden reputation the series has maintained.

Instead of Returning to ‘The Office,’ It’s Time to Find New Shows

In the wake of the WGA strike ending, this is the opportunity to advocate for something new in the landscape of comedy, not play it safe by returning to a familiar name. On the one hand, it makes sense why studios have leaned heavily on continuing franchises since there is a built-in audience that could guarantee viewing numbers. That’s what we continue to see with nearly every rebooted series or franchise spin-off, but as a consequence, we’ve lost the art of simply saying goodbye.

The Office ended in May 2013 after a nine-season run, and today it’s still considered one of the best comedy series because of the mix of sharp comedy, an inspired assembly of actors, and its timeless nature. Unless there is something new to say while recapturing the magic of the original series, this reboot should be tossed directly into the paper shredder at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton office. Besides, if you really want more of The Office in your life, you can just listen to the Office Ladies podcast with Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey and relive the series that way — or, better yet, this could be your sign to rewatch the series altogether.