Hot on the success of the return of Will & Grace and Roseanne, NBC is looking to revive another of its beloved comedies: The Office.
While the news has not yet been verified, sources claim to different media outlets that the network is looking to bring back the former Steve Carell starrer for another season. Carell, however, will not return. A search is underway to find a new star to take over as the show’s Michael Scott-like regional manager of paper supply company Dunder Mifflin. NBC and producers Universal Television have declined to comment.
The series is expected to focus on a mix of old and new characters as they work to sell paper for the company. Fans will remember that the show ended with Dwight Schrute in the coveted chair, but it’s unclear at this time if he would be among those returning. The creator Greg Daniels is believed to be attached to the show.
Speculations on the revival began when at the Television Critics Association event, NBC’s Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt indicated that he often thinks about reviving both the Emmy winning series as well as Tina Fey’s “30 Rock.” He then told Deadline that he’s opened the door for Greg Daniels to make a revival project happen, but there have been no rumors of traction on that invitation until now.
The Office ran for nine seasons on NBC as part of the network’s Thursday comedy brand. The show which plummeted Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Craig Robinson, Ellie Kemper and Mindy Kaling, among others to stardom, was an awards-season staple, taking home multiple Emmys, Golden Globes among various other awards. Carell exited after season seven, with The Office continuing on for two additional cycles before the star returned for the series finale in 2013.
Creator Greg Daniels, who adapted the show from the British comedy starring Ricky Gervais, in November 2016 said that he was happy with how the NBC series ultimately ended.
“I feel like I did in the finale what that would have been because I jumped forward in time as, like a reunion of the characters, and so, to me, I think that was it. It said everything that the show had to say,” he said when asked if he’d be open to a U.S. follow-up as Gervais was plotting a movie revival of his own.
“Personally, I feel like we left on a good note. I’m not that anxious to open it up again myself, but I would be interested to see what David Brent’s up to. But also I think the American show became so much of an ensemble and to not have the whole ensemble there would just feel kind of, I don’t know, less than. So I don’t want to criticise what he’s doing, I think that’s great, but I’m okay with us having had our finale.”
Carell also previously stirred up rumors after tweeting a joke about the show coming back for a 10-episode run. However, that seemed less sanctioned by the network and more like a comedian pulling a fast one on fans.
News of a potential continuation of The Office comes as NBC has found ratings and awards-season fortune with its Will & Grace revival.
