The Office Is Coming Back, How The Sequel Series Continues The Story
If you’re tired of repeatedly binge-watching reruns of The Office on Peacock, then we have the best news for you. Scratch that, if you’re any fan of The Office you’re probably not tired of binging the series, and will continue to do so until the end of time. But you’ll still be excited to know that Greg Daniels is in the early phases of developing a follow-up series to the hit show, and will be returning to the writer’s room next week.
Not much is known about how the new series will pick up where The Office left off, but sources confirm that we will not be seeing a traditional reboot or spinoff. In other words, the new series probably won’t be a prequel like Better Call Saul, or a direct continuation like Frasier. The most likely scenario is that we’ll eventually bear witness to a series that is stylistically very similar to The Office while boasting an entirely new set of characters, as well as a new premise.
The best way to think about the upcoming series is a show that occupies the same universe that The Office does, but in a way that sets it apart from its predecessor. Though we’d love to see what Michael, Dwight, Jim, Pam, Kelly, and the rest of the gang are up to, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see a full-blown reunion involving the entire cast.
Steve Carell has gone on record many times over the years and has repeatedly asserted that The Office as we currently know and appreciate it simply can’t be recreated. And when you take the series’ popularity into consideration, he’s not wrong. The main reason behind his reluctance to return to the series any time soon (or ever) is that The Office was way more popular after its nine-season run through syndication and streaming than it ever was while it was originally on the air.
What’s more, Carell sincerely believes that in order for a reboot of The Office to have the same iconic energy as the original run, every piece would need to fall perfectly into place. It’s not simply a matter of casting, but also signing on the same writers, producers, and directors. But still, even if this perfect combination of cast and crew were to be attained, so much time has passed that it wouldn’t be the same series no matter how much we would want it to be.
Greg Daniels has similar feelings about the new series being something entirely different from The Office while still leaning into the formula that made the show so successful in the first place. Stylistically speaking, it would make a lot of sense if the series still functioned as a mockumentary, regardless of its setting and premise. Heck, for all we know, the new series might not even take place in an office!
It’s not outside the realm of possibility that we’ll see cameos if the new series based on The Office takes on a life of its own. Though the project is still in the very early development stages, we can’t say for certain how everything will play out. At this point, we’ll have to wait for further developments, and we’ll circle back with updates as soon as we have more information.
