'The Office' reboot? Cast and creator discuss if the hit show could be remade
The Office ended its nine season run in 2013 and yet in the age of reboots, its future resurrection is a distinct possibilty. Greg Daniels, co-creator of the series, and several castmembers recently spoke with Yahoo Entertainment about how, or if, this could be done.
Daniels commented on the mockumentary perspective of the show, saying of a potential reboot, "If I was a documentary crew and I was doing something about a life in an office, what is the new thing I would want to explore?"
Oscar Nunez, who played accountant Oscar Martinez, thought a new version might not be as "edgy" as the original. He also thought focusing on a paper company nowadays would seem too archaic. "It would have to be something else. Some tech company," he said.
Watch more in the video interview above.
Video Transcript
- Great practical joke, Jim. You got me to go to the Annex.
- Hi, Mich--
- (SCREAMING) No! God! No! God, please! No! No! No! No!
ETHAN ALTER: We'll just start out with we always hear a lot of talk about an "Office" reboot or a remake. In your mind, what would a modern-day version of "The Office" look like, leaving aside COVID and all that. We are actually in an office space.
GREG DANIELS: I think that it's almost hard to imagine it now. It's been so long since we've gone into the offices. To me the central conceit, and the thing that was so unique about it, was that it was a mockumentary and very truthful to being a mockumentary. So I kind of feel like you'd say to yourself, "Well, if I was a documentary crew and I was doing something about life in an office, what is the new thing I would want to explore?" You know? And that would probably be the path we would go down.
- (DISGUSTED) Oh!
- I did it. [SNIFFLES]
OSCAR NUNEZ: I don't know if it'll be as edgy as-- a lot of people say, "Oh, can you do it now what you guys did?" And I'm like-- I used to say, "Of course we can." Now I'm not sure. I don't know. I-- I don't see how you can keep politics out of it. Like there might be some-- in the office, like half the people-- or, you know, because politics is everywhere now, so maybe that would be part of it, which could be interesting. Even at the time, we were pushing it with that "paper" company. I don't know if you could have a paper company now. People are like, "Why is there a paper company?" It would have to be something else, some tech company.
ANDY BUCKLEY: I mean, it's funny. I talked to the writers about it a couple of years ago, when they were really trying to figure it out. I mean, I guess, what, it would have to be a different branch or something like that. I don't know. It would have to be pretty similar, but you couldn't-- I don't know who the actors would be. I mean, many would be the same. But you have to get a couple of-- and to me, the key thing would be that Wallace would be included, [LAUGHS] not that he sold the company, but that he's still there, you know, getting to be a part of it.
ETHAN ALTER: [LAUGHS]
ANDY BUCKLEY: Teddy Wallace would be working at the company now. He's old enough.
- I feel very blessed. Ah!
[BRAKES SCREECHING]
[LOUD THUD]
KATE FLANNERY: I don't know, maybe it's a prequel. Maybe the whole thing is a prequel. And you know what? I'm going to find-- I'll get my daughter who I haven't given birth to-- no I'm just kidding-- to play myself. [CACKLES] No, no, no. I don't know. I mean, yeah. I think-- I don't know. I feel like "The Office" culture is never going to completely-- I mean, it may morph a little bit, but I think we're stuck with it. Is playing a drunk still funny? Maybe I have to change that. Maybe I can't be a drunk.
- Oh-- my-- (YELLING) God! [LAUGHS]
ETHAN ALTER: What would be Meredith's thing if not a drunk? What do you think she'd be?
KATE FLANNERY: OxyContin? No. I can't go there. This is-- it's a terrible thing being addicted to drugs. Oh, my god. No.
ETHAN ALTER: Steve Carell has said in interviews sometimes that he doesn't think Michael Scott could exist as a character today as he did then. I mean, do you have similar feelings? Do you think David could exist as the character he was now?
ANDY BUCKLEY: Well, it's funny. Yeah. I mean, David certainly could, if I may speak in the third-person. But it's funny, because there's that thing of it like, "Yeah, OK. Could you do "The Office?" Could Michael Scott be around?" And it's funny. It's like the number one-- people love it. Like teenagers love it, but yet they say PC-wise and all that stuff, you couldn't have it. However, it's proving itself, and I'm sure will continue to with all the Peacock stuff and deleted scenes and everything.
- --can tell you what it is really like. (STERN) I'm Prison Mike!
GREG DANIELS: The thing with Michael was that he was pretty insensitive, but the show wasn't. The show was trying to point out that that's not the way to be. And I think it kind of raised people's sensitivities, as a show. But I do also think that people's sensitivities are raised now. It isn't quite as necessary to maybe tell those stories.
It's weird because, you sometimes you think, "Well, maybe the show wouldn't be as successful if it was on today." And yet, it's been quite successful on Netflix. So who knows, you know? And I know Princess, my daughter's friends I don't think they ever thought-- I don't think they were aware that the show was not on Netflix, that it came from NBC, you know?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
