TV

Steve Carrell Once Said An Office Reboot Was A Shit Idea But Oh Well

Earlier this year, Carrell told Junkee what he really thinks of a reboot.

by Sophie Giles  20 December 2017
Steve Carrell

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After reports dropped yesterday that The Office is getting a reboot, we need to ask, does anyone actually believe that this is a good idea? It seems like Steve Carell has already made the call on this one. He reportedly won’t be reprising his legendary role as Michael Scott for the reboot, leaving the producers to search for a new star.

There’s no argument that The Office was a glorious series. It’s loved by a loyal and still-growing fanbase, and it gave us a magical seven seasons (and then those last two seasons which were kinda pretty ok). But with a lot of fans and a lot of key players not behind the series revival it’s probably best to let this one rest in peace.

Not only did Carell cut the cord well before the series finished up back in 2013 (hence the relatively dismal final two seasons), he’s also made some clear-cut statements about reviving The Office being a bit of a shit idea.

Earlier this year when Junkee asked Carell about the possibility of a reboot, he responded with a pretty firm nope:

“Nothing against any revivals that happen, but these are never the same. You never get the same kind of energy. It would have to be exactly the same as it was to work. And it never could be.” Carell said back in May, “So my inclination and I think the inclination of most people who had worked on it would be to just leave it the way it is, and not desecrate whatever it was. Because I think it was special, and everybody who was involved with it thought it was special.”

You might also recall the cruel little reboot prank Steve Carell pulled on fans back in January, after tweeting “Breaking News: “The Office” returning to NBC.”, before quickly following up with, “Wait, sorry. I meant Will And Grace (typo)”.

Carell has since deleted the tweets, which is probably best practice seeing as he was taking the piss out something that looks like it’s about to happen anyway. But let the record show that for Carell, the idea of a reboot, especially one including him, could only be a joke.

Even Rainn Wilson, AKA Dwight, has spoken about the problem  making The Office happen without Steve Carell at the helm. Wilson’s comments on the struggle to “survive” the following seasons and their inability to find someone with the right chemistry to replace Carell are not exactly uplifting pro-reboot hype. Wilson also revealed that members of the cast had to approach the producers basically asking that the show be given a quick, merciful death, so we’re not feeling optimistic about seeing Dwight in the reboot.

Meanwhile, it looks like some of the OG Dunder Mifflin employees didn’t even get a heads up about the reboot and they’re a little confused about it. Angela Kinsey and Creed Bratton are apparently interested in reboot if it’s on the cards, though they may be the only ones.