Although a spinoff of The Office is officially happening, original series star Jenna Fischer’s recent comments don’t bode well for the reboot. The Office proved a huge hit when the show began in 2005, spawning an entire sub-genre of mockumentary sitcoms. In the years that followed, The Office’s success paved the way for Modern Family and Abbott Elementary, while the sitcom’s creators went on to work on Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and The Good Place. Meanwhile, The Office’s stars became major names, with the likes of Mindy Kaling and John Krasinski gaining recognition thanks to their roles on the show.
Although Michael Scott’s unique personality and Jim and Pam’s unforgettable romance were central to the show’s success, The Office’s entire cast of characters contributed to its enduring popularity. By the time The Office’s series finale rolled around, Michael Scott had been gone from Scranton for some time, but viewers still wanted to see what Dwight, Angela, Andy, and the rest of the show’s ensemble were doing. As such, it was no surprise when The Office’s upcoming spinoff was announced 11 years after the series ended in 2013, with Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore attached to star.
Unfortunately, The Office‘s spinoff may not be as exciting as it initially seemed. Original series star Jenna Fischer said she wasn’t asked to appear in The Office’s reboot. Fischer confirmed that she knew The Office producer Greg Daniels was working on a spinoff, but she clarified that she hadn’t been approached about the project. This could mean that The Office‘s spinoff is an unrelated workplace sitcom, a possibility that is reinforced by the news that the reboot will take place in the same universe as the original series.
Fischer’s absence doesn’t bode well for The Office‘s spinoff acting as a sequel to the original show since Pam was one of the most central characters throughout its entire nine-season run. Jim and Pam’s relationship in The Office was the show’s most important throughline, particularly after Michael’s early departure. It seems increasingly likely that The Office’s spinoff will be more of a spiritual sequel than a direct successor. While this would allow the show to develop its own identity, it does mean that the series might not end up bearing much resemblance to the original series.
Daniels has said that The Office reboot would follow an unrelated documentary crew focusing on a different subject, meaning the show will likely not take place in Scranton or concern itself with employees of Dunder Mifflin. To be fair to the spinoff, the first part of this is good news after The Office’s failed Brian subplot unsuccessfully tried to flesh out members of the documentary crew. The news that the largely unseen documentarians will be new characters is positive as this means the reboot cannot revisit the misjudged Brian the Camera Guy meta-story. However, the rest is less promising.
If the reboot doesn’t take place in the same company or location as the original show, and it doesn’t feature characters like Pam, there will be little connective tissue between The Office’s spinoff and the original series. While Frasier changed the location of its predecessor, the spinoff took one of the major characters from Cheers and made him a solo star. Similarly, Young Sheldon went back in time and changed its location, but the spinoff still centered on The Big Bang Theory’s breakout character. In contrast, there is nothing to distinguish The Office’s proposed spinoff from titles like Superstore or Blockbuster.
Although many of The Office‘s main actors left the show before it ended, the spinoff still needs them. The Office’s reboot wouldn’t feel like a worthy successor to the original cult classic without their involvement. Although many of the show’s actors are likely to be too busy to reprise their roles full-time, The Office’s spinoff could get by with cameos from the original cast. Without Dwight, Kelly, Meredith, or Creed showing up from time to time, the spinoff is simply another workplace sitcom with The Office’s name dubiously attached to it.
The news that Fischer’s Pam isn’t in The Office’s reboot is worrying since this proves that the spinoff isn’t overly concerned with what made the original sitcom great. It was not just The Office’s workplace setting or mockumentary format that led the show to become an enduringly popular series, as evidenced by the many short-lived shows that copied these elements. The Office’s cast and their chemistry were what made the original series succeed, and the show’s spinoff needs them to return if it hopes to recreate the magic.