Few tunes are as iconic as the ditty that always preceded the U.S. version of the hit sitcom “The Office.”
In fact, you can replace all the principal characters in the opening credits, and everything still eminently comes off as “The Office”:
The tune immediately sends fans to the familiar and homey trappings of Scranton, Pennsylvania (the real-life city the fictitious show takes place in), no matter who is actually working at Dunder Mifflin.
But to actually replace the main characters and keep the show, as a whole, going?
That’s a far, far taller task than a fun one-off with the “The Office” intro, but it’s a tall task that appears to be moving forward, according to Deadline.
The outlet is reporting that original U.S. show producer Greg Daniels — he adapted the hit U.S. show from a U.K. sitcom of the same name and premise — “continues to work with a group of writers on what could become an expansion of The Office universe.”
More so, “Nathan for You” (a similar mock documentary sitcom) co-creator Michael Koman has apparently emerged as a leading voice in that new writer’s room.
In fact, Deadline is reporting that Koman’s stature has been so elevated that he will be given “co-creator” credits should this spin-off/sequel get green-lit.
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While specifics are obviously still mum on this “Office-verse” project, there do seem to be some concrete-ish details that have emerged.
For instance, Deadline is insisting that this is not a “reboot” of the venerable sitcom.
This new spin-off will very much take place in the same world inhabited by Steve Carell’s Michael Scott and John Krasinski’s Jim Halpert.
Instead of following up on those iconic characters, Deadline notes that this new series “would likely be set in a new office with new characters.”
Fans of the U.S. show will likely take this news with trepidation, because re-tooling “The Office” over a decade after it ended (the show ran from 2005-2013) may not be feasible given “modern” sensibilities.
Many fans are concerned that any potential sequel won’t be able to capture the off-the-wall humor of the original U.S. show:
But don’t take the fans’ words for it.
Take it from Carell himself, whose endearing Michael Scott character was a pillar of the show (many fans point to Carell’s departure in the seventh season as the point when the show markedly declined in quality).
Speaking to Esquire magazine in 2018, Carell admitted that the comedy of “The Office” was a product of its time and may not fly in current times.
“Because The Office is on Netflix and replaying, a lot more people have seen it recently,” Carell told Esquire. “And I think because of that there’s been a resurgence in interest in the show, and talk about bringing it back.
“But apart from the fact that I just don’t think that’s a good idea, it might be impossible to do that show today and have people accept it the way it was accepted ten years ago. The climate’s different.
“I mean, the whole idea of that character, Michael Scott, so much of it was predicated on inappropriate behavior. I mean, he’s certainly not a model boss.
“A lot of what is depicted on that show is completely wrong-minded. That’s the point, you know?
“But I just don’t know how that would fly now. There’s a very high awareness of offensive things today—which is good, for sure. But at the same time, when you take a character like that too literally, it doesn’t really work.”
While this new reboot may avoid the issue of having a hilariously stunted character like Michael Scott by casting new characters, if Scott’s humor — the essence of the show to many — can’t be in it, will it really capture the same magic?
The answer, more than likely, is a resounding, “no,” but as is apparently the case, that won’t stop people from trying.
