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Don’t Expect A Full Reboot Of ‘The Office’, Showrunner Says

Author KC Atkins
LOS ANGELES - AUGUST 27: Actor Steve Carell, actor B.J. Novak, actress Jenna Fischer, actor John Krasinski and actor Rainn Wilson poses in the press room after winning "Outstanding Comedy Series" for "The Office " at the 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards at the Shrine Auditorium on August 27, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Months ago news broke of a rumored revival of the beloved TV sitcom, The Office. Fans of the show were naturally ecstatic at the news, but in a recent interview with The Wrap, showrunner Greg Daniels tampered expectations for what any future “reboot” would look like.

The hilarious workplace mockumentary series ran from 2005 to 2013, racking up a staggering number of awards left and right. Even ten years after its finale, The Office is widely regarded as one of the best sitcoms of all time. It only makes sense that fans of the show would be clamoring for a return to Scranton, PA so they could see what the Dunder Mifflinites are up to in 2023.

Unfortunately, however, they may not get that chance. In his interview with The Wrap, Office co-creator Greg Daniels expressed disinterest in continuing the story as we know it.

“I feel like we ended that story beautifully. The characters had closure,” said Daniels, “I would never want to redo that same show with a different cast, because I think we got the luckiest cast, the best cast ever, in TV, to do that show. So the notion of a reboot is not of interest.”

This news could be disappointing to Office-lovers everywhere. After all, we got to know and fall in love with the employees of Dunder Mifflin over the course of eight laugh-filled years. Steve Carell’s portrayal of the lovably moronic Michael Scott is iconic. The show also launched the career of relative unknowns at the time like John Krasinski, Ed Helms, and Mindy Kaling to name a few.

As sad as this news may be for fans of the show, Daniels does offer a glimpse into what he thinks a possible series revival may look like. “The notion of maybe something like the way ‘The Mandalorian’ is a new show in the Star Wars universe…Something like the notion of this documentary crew doing a documentary about a different subject.”

Hey, as long as any potential spin-off set in that universe leaves me satisfied and smiling as much as the original I’ll be happy…

That’s what she said!

KC is bringing you the Workday Wind Down, afternoons on KML. He’s a Carolina boy making Carolina noise! When he's not slinging music and mouth sounds on the BIG 95.7 WKML, you can catch him at the gym, live wrestling shows, open mics, or wherever fine pasta is sold. KC is a big fan of self-expression, as his many tattoos will show you. KC's favorite pastime is making others laugh. In his mind, if he can bring a smile to your face then it's a day well spent. KC likes to write about TV and film, especially Spider-Man, and Fayetteville happenings.

'The Office': The Top 10 Best Cold Opens Of All Time

It was recently reported that a reboot of The Office was rumored to be in the works. According to Collider, the show will continue development under the original showrunner Greg Daniels. Unfortunately, not much else is known about the reboot, though more information is sure to come out now that the WGA strike is over and show writers are back at work.

The Office is – without a doubt – one of the most popular and beloved sitcoms in television history. You’d be hard-pressed nowadays to find someone who HASN’T seen it. The first episode I ever watched had Michael Scott try (and fail) to prove his mettle in the Pennsylvania wilderness. By the end of the episode, my stomach was literally in pain from laughing so hard! I knew right then and there I had to binge every single episode of this glorious series.

Will the reboot capture the same magic and charm of the show’s original run? Honestly, who knows? There’s no word yet on any returning cast members reprising their roles, nor is there any information about when Office fans can expect the show to come back to their TV screens. But if there’s one thing fans can all agree on, it’s that the reboot MUST bring back their hysterical cold opens.

From season two onward The Office usually began each episode with a brief (but hilarious) opening scene that usually had nothing to do with the episode’s overarching plot. This allowed the cast and writers to really push the mundanities of white-collar office life to their most absurd. Sometimes the cold open was arguably the most memorable part of the episode. And while we begin the long wait for the show’s revival, I think it’s the perfect opportunity to reminisce on my top 10 favorite Office cold opens of all time.

  • 10. Kevin's Chili

     

    I’m a sucker for physical comedy, and office oaf Kevin delivers it in spades in the cold open for the season five episode “Casual Day.” Seeing Kevin scramble to recover his famed chili after spilling it all over the office carpet is made even more hilarious when intercut with his detailed description of how he prepares his “famous” chili. For what it’s worth, it does sound like it was actually quite tasty!

  • 9. Michael Sees Wet Cement

     

    Arguably one of the most memorable episodes in the show’s history (S4E16 ‘Did I Stutter’) also starts with one of the funniest cold opens. Michael spots wet cement outside and, being the manchild he is, he brainstorms with his coworkers for an idea of what he can do to it before it dries.

    Ultimately he decides to submerge his entire face into the pavement, which is exactly as dangerous as it sounds. To his credit, it looks like he took some precaution in preparation. And the end result speaks for itself! (spoiler alert: it’s not great)

  • 8. Creed Is (Temporary) Manager!

     

    Steve Carell’s departure from The Office in season seven marked a major turning point in the show, both in real life and in the fictional universe of the series. Now that regional manager Michael Scott was out of the picture, hasty decisions had to be made while the company searched for a fitting replacement.

    In the meantime the job was given on a temporary basis to the senior-most employee in the office. The only problem there is that said employee was known office weirdo and possible alien Creed Bratton. His stint as manger didn’t last long, but this cold open did provide us with a glimpse of what a Creed-led office would look like. God help us all.

  • 7. Pam, Angela, and Oscar Gossip

     

    Who among us doesn’t have our work circles where we vent and gossip about different coworkers? It’s often times a fluid and ever-changing dynamic depending on which coworker you’re talking to, and this cold open from season eight exemplifies that beautifully.

    Angela sucks, Pam sucks, Oscar sucks, and they all make sure to talk about it amongst each other. But no matter their differences they’re unified in agreement of one thing: the boss sucks most.

  • 6. Cheese Puffs

     

    The Michael Scott Paper Company saga is a wild multi-episode saga that sees Michael, Pam, and Ryan embark on their own to take down Dunder Mifflin with their own competing paper company.

    But don’t worry, they still find a lot of time to practice their cheese puff catching skills. I’ll be honest, this scene is more impressive than it is funny. You can’t deny that skill though. I mean, all 3 of them throwing AND catching a puff in their mouth at the same time? No way they got that in one take! I’d kill to see the blooper reel on this scene.

  • 5. Kevin Make Few Word

     

    Kevin’s back baby! In an effort to save time and maximize efficiency, Kevin decides to cut back on his already limited vocabulary by reducing his statements to the bare necessities. This creates a bit of confusion among his coworkers and is quickly put to rest, much to Kevin’s chagrin. Perhaps Kevin was just working on a much higher plane of thought than the others. But when Kevin president, they see. They see…

  • 4. Lip Dub

     

    The season seven premiere gave us this impressively choreographed lip sync intro featuring all of our favorite Office characters. Similar to the cheese puffs cold open, this gets more points for sheer precision and effort than outright comedy, though this cold open does manage to showcase everyone’s zany personalities while lip syncing ‘Nobody But Me’. Good luck getting that song out of your head after watching this one.

  • 3. Toby's Back

     

    This cold open gave us one of the most meme-worthy moments in the show’s entire run. Michael Scott’s one-sided rivalry with his HR manager Toby Flenderson was one of the funniest recurring bits of the show, and it came to a head in season five when Toby returned from an extended hiatus in Costa Rica.

    This return somehow went under the radar of the regional manager, who expressed his shock and disapproval quite succinctly with one word. “NOOOOOOOOOOO!”

  • 2. Jim Impersonates Dwight

     

    Without a doubt this is the series’ most quotable cold open, as well as Jim’s best prank on Dwight (and he’s had some doozies). Any Office fan worth their salt can recite this exchange from Jim and Dwight word for word starting with the classic question: “Which bear is best?”

  • 1. Dwight's Fire Drill

     

    Give everyone involved with this cold open an Emmy. The actors, the crew, the writers, the guy who brought the doughnuts that morning, literally everyone. The fire drill scene is just pure unhinged chaos from start to finish, and you find new things to lose your mind laughing at with every single rewatch. When it comes to fire preparedness, the Scranton crew leaves a lot to be desired. But for endless hilarity and entertainment, this cold open is of the highest kind, quality, and order. Supreme.

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Author KC Atkins
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