Screenrant – NBC is reportedly moving forward with plans to revive The Office for a late 2018 launch. Starting back in 2005, The Office rose through the ranks to become one of the biggest comedies on TV. The show, a U.S. take on the original UK series, followed the lives of workers at Dunder Mifflin in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Headlined by Steve Carell as Regional Manager Michael Scott for many seasons, it eventually turned the focus on other characters. The relationship between Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) was a memorable highlight, while Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) finally claimed his dream job as Regional Manager.
I’m as big a fan of The Office as there is, but I am 100% against this. But as the entertainment continues its apparent rejection of new ideas and continues with sequels, reboots, and revivals, I suppose this was inevitable. It doesn’t make it suck any less, though. Now, I’m sure NBC could make this a show that runs for a few seasons and still be halfway decent…except when compared to the original. And that is one of the big problems with this plan. The reboot would forever live in the shadow of the original. Viewers would constantly be comparing the two and I can guarantee the second would always come up short. And on top of that, it could tarnish the legacy of the original and that’s just bad for everybody.
But forget for a second about NBC potentially hurting or ruining the show’s legacy. Just consider where the characters were at the end of the series. Among others, Jim and Pam, along with Darryl, moved to Philadelphia; Oscar started a new political career; Creed got arrested (though that was probably a long time coming anyway); and perhaps most important of all: Michael is still in Colorado! Speaking of Michael, the Screenrant article goes on to say:
TV Line reports NBC is moving forward with plans for a revival of The Office with the intention to launch late next year. The report clearly calls for a continuation of the story of Scranton’s Dunder Mifflin offices. The cast will reportedly feature a mixture of new and familiar faces, but who will return is not clear. Carell is the only veteran stated as definitively not appearing, but some of the other big names could be absent too, as the report also says the network is searching for a new Regional Manager.
If this wasn’t a bad idea before, it is now. It’s no secret the show fell off after Michael left. Sure it had its moments, but it was never quite the same. Michael Scott was The Office. The Office was Michael Scott. If Steve Carell is staying away, NBC should too.
But let’s end on a happy note and revisit my personal favorite prank on Dwight: Asian Jim
