Things We'd Want To See In A Reboot Of The Office
In mid-September 2019, NBC announced the name for their streaming service: Peacock. While still in the works at the time, it was already known that the network would be gathering many of its fan favorites onto the service, including Parks and Recreation, 30 Rock, and Frasier. Also included among these venerable elites? The Office.
NBC had re-acquired the rights to the incredibly successful sitcom from Netflix earlier that year. Along with bringing the monumental nine-season series back into their own colorful household, though, NBC's chairman of direct-to-consumer and digital enterprises Bonnie Hammer (that one's a mouthful) told Deadline, "It is my hope and goal that we do an Office reboot."
Come again?
There had been rumors of rebooting the super popular show for a long time. In fact, the story had come up so many times that everyone had stopped paying attention. But when an NBC exec makes it crystal clear that a return to Dunder Mifflin is a top priority, people are going listen. The question is, if they actually cobble together enough of the original cast to continue from where they left off, will we finally get a few answers to those loose ends that we were left with during the finale? If it really does get off the ground, here are the top questions we'd like to see answered in a reboot of The Office.
What's up with Dunder Mifflin?
When we last left our lovable cast of Office misfits, Dwight Schrute had officially become the big fish in the little pond of Scranton. After a career of chasing the regional manager position, fate had finally smiled on the beet farmer, and after a year on the job, he was hitting it out of the park. But, of course, the brief glimpse of life under a Schrute regime that we got in the final episode was hardly enough to do more than whet our collective appetites. We want more.
What does life in a Schrute-led workplace really look like over the long term? How has the branch survived losing so many people in a short space of time? Of course, Dwight did rehire Devin. Does he still fit in with the Scranton crowd after spending time bumming around the Big Apple? Are Plop and Dwight Jr. still working there?
And what about Erin? She reconnected with her parents during the finale. Does that mean she's off pursuing a new life with them, or is she still faithfully manning the reception desk? After Dwight made the cold, calculated decision to fire Kevin, one has to wonder if the scatterbrained Erin could survive for long under her new manager's calm but calloused leadership.
How are things on Schrute Farms?
In season nine, we got a taste of what a Schrute Farms-focused spinoff could've looked like. The episode The Farm followed Dwight as he attended the funeral of his Aunt Shirley and discovered that she'd left a massive estate to him and his siblings. While the backdoor pilot ultimately led to NBC nixing the idea of a spinoff, it did leave a host of curious questions in its wake.
For instance, how did Dwight manage the transition from a bachelor running a 60-acre beet farm to a full-blown farmer with some serious land — 1600 acres of it, to be precise — to till? What about the fact that he shifted from salesman to manager at Dunder Mifflin at the same time? Or how did he handle getting married and becoming a father (at least, officially) all in that same year as well? He seems to be doing well in the finale, but how is he really doing under all of that new pressure?
And what about Angela? The woman seemed destined to become the cold matriarch of Schrute Farms ever since she and Dwight hooked up way back in season two. But again, how is she handling the shift from humble accountant to wife of the Dunder Mifflin regional manager? Is she still working? Heaven knows they must not need the money at this point. What about her son, Philip? Is he a spitting image of his father? Or did he inherit more of that fiery Martin flare?
Catching up with the Halperts
Of course, The Office would've never been what it was without a good ol' dose of PB&J. The relationship between Pam Beesly and Jim Halpert was a central theme throughout the first six seasons as they slowly found one another, got hitched, and then started a family. While they laid low for a few seasons after that, they created a firestorm of attention (and nerves) when their marriage nearly ended during the last season.
Fortunately, they managed to pull through the heartbreak and were once again going strong when the documentary crew showed up a year later for follow-up interviews. In fact, they were doing so well that Pam made the sweeping "Jim gesture" of selling their house and packing up the family to head south to Austin. Why Austin? Because that's where Jim's sports marketing company Athlead — sorry, Athleap — had moved to. The last we saw of the Halperts, they were wishing Dunder Mifflin goodbye as they prepared for the adventures ahead.
While that's all well and good for the Halperts, though, we need a little bit more closure than that, especially if a reboot is afoot. Was Jim able to integrate back into the startup without missing a beat? How did the family transition to a new life in Austin, or did they ultimately give up the venture and come back to Scranton? There's no question that we're going to need some updates on team Halpert.
We need more Michael Scott in The Office reboot
The last time we saw Michael Scott, he was sitting at Dwight and Angela's wedding, explaining how proud of a parent he was — metaphorically speaking, of course. The Dunder Mifflin legend had made a surprise trip from Colorado to Scranton for the nuptials, and he didn't fail to deliver a few gems while he was in town.
The Michael Scott microdose was fun, but it hardly assuaged everyone's Michael withdrawals. The manager had bowed out towards the end of season seven, the remainder of which was spent searching for his replacement. In the meantime, Michael had gone west, young man, where he and his fiancé Holly Flax had begun a new life centered around caring for the latter's parents.
Once we caught up with Scott in season nine, he was clearly happy as a clam. He had multiple phones to house all of the photos of his actual kids, and he was sporting an endearing, slightly gray-haired fatherly look that made us love the guy even more. If a reboot were to take place, one of the most important questions that would have to be answered is will we see more of Michael Scott? Whether it's via a trip to visit Colorado, an odd relocation back to Scranton, or a ridiculously contrived scenario that brings the ex-manager right back to the Dunder Mifflin office, we want more Scott!
Did Kevin's bar remain a success?
The series finale was absolutely jam-packed with events and information. So much so that it's easy to forget that Kevin Malone doesn't work in accounting anymore. The man was fired by Dwight Schrute for the heinous crime of not being good at his job. No more, no less. In defiance, the ever-resilient ex-accountant did what any fired person would do: He went out and bought a bar.
Except he actually made it work. Kevin Malone, the laughing stock of the office, the accountant who didn't even do his own taxes, suddenly took a hard left into entrepreneurship and flourished. At least, that was the case the last time we saw him. Of course, that was less than a year after he'd been fired. Chances are he had a severance package and possibly even loans and investors to help launch his bar (which was a pretty sweet place, by the way).
The question here is, did Mr. Malone's bar remain a success? Was Kevin able to truly become a Scranton business mogul overnight, or did the oversized teddy bear ultimately face plant once his funds dried up? While either scenario would be entertaining, we're hoping the man finally found his calling.
Is Andy Bernard still riding his fame?
Andy Bernard is one of the most volatile characters in the entire history of The Office. The man started off as a jerky salesman working in the Stamford branch, only to head off to anger management soon afterward and become so tame that he was cuckolded by Angela and Dwight. From there, he cruised through Pleasantville for a while until he became the manager in season eight. At that point, he went off the rails again, and he ultimately quit his job in a reckless, seemingly futile search for fame.
Except, he found it. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Andy ultimately found fame in the place he least expected it: internet stardom. In the season finale, we learn that Andy's failed audition tape went viral, and he landed a gig giving a commencement speech at his alma mater, Cornell University. The success of the speech led to Andy working at the Ivy League school as an admissions counselor, which is about as fitting a spot for the character to land as any.
One question we want to see answered, though, is if Andy truly ever settled in at his old college. After all, in the finale, he points out that while at Dunder Mifflin, all he could think of were his college days, but now that he's back at Cornell, all he can think about are his past coworkers. Is Andy really done with Dunder Mifflin? Or will he eventually find his way back to Scranton?
Did Meredith finally take flight?
During the last episode, Meredith Palmer drops a dime of a line during the questions and answers panel. When someone asks the group how everyone felt they were portrayed during the documentary, Meredith explains that she has "a beef" with how they depicted her since, wonder of wonders, she spent the first seven years of the show getting her Ph.D. in school psychology. That's right, Meredith Palmer was busy finishing her higher education during the show.
The doc crew never hinted at this development, all the while never shying away at showcasing her hangovers and reckless, crude behavior, which does seem pretty unfair, but we digress. In Meredith's case, the questions that need to be asked are, did she finally move on to a better life working a job in her new field? Is Meredith working as a psychologist now? Or is she still grinding away (pun intended), working in supplier relations at that back desk in the Dunder Mifflin Scranton office and bar-hopping in her minivan on the weekends?
The Office reboot needs to talk about Creed
Creed is an enigma. Over the course of the show, the man just kept getting darker, stranger, and more complicated. The king of one-liners and the grandpa of the office, he always had a way of throwing off a scene, whether he was discussing his illegal fake ID company, nonsensically searching around for a trio of chairs, coming to work with blood-covered clothing, or chowing down on noodles while everyone around him was doing the technicolor yawn.
But for all of his antics, Creed ultimately has a bit of a tragic ending. In the final seconds of the show, we see the cartwheeling sensation arrested and being led off to jail. With the laundry list of illegal activities that we're already aware of (and who knows how much more was left untold), it's difficult to see the man getting a light sentence in court.
However, Creed was neck-deep in the criminal world. The man had spent time as a cult leader, and he clearly had a ton of connections of a less than savory nature. Could it be that he was never destined to step foot in a Scranton jail? Even if he was tossed into the clink, did he have recourse? Needless to say, if a reboot was launched, we'd need a little bit more light shed on the mystery that is Creed Bratton.
Stanley the Manly
From his disdain for his boss to his numerous affairs to napping on his desk, Stanley and his crossword puzzles are a staple of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton office — or at least they were. By the end of the show, we see the retired salesman enjoying his new life of solitude in the little town of Florida City, just on the edge of the Everglades. His mail comes by fan boat, and he spends his days carving wooden birds (or strange human/bird hybrids).
While Stanley's story seems wrapped up, more or less, it would be nice to get a little follow-up information on how his retirement really is going. We saw Stanley thriving in Florida when he made the trip down with Dwight's team to set up the new Sabre store in season eight. However, the newer iteration of Florida Stanley seems quite a bit tamer. Is the man content in his new hermit-like seclusion? Does he ever get out for a night on the town? Or does he still spend his evenings drinking red wine in the bath, watching his mystery stories?
Toby's NYC life
The last time we saw Toby Flenderson, the man was a mess. Dwight had fired him, and he'd moved to New York City to write the Great American Novel, which would sound promising ... if it was anyone other than Toby. The added information that he was sharing an apartment with six roommates shed a little bit more light on the destitute ex-HR rep's situation. And then there's the scene where he's bawling his eyes out as he dances with Pam, clearly dwelling on "what could have been." And don't forget his affirmation at the group panel that his life seems pointless. Taken altogether, it can pretty fairly be stated that Toby Flenderson ended the show at rock bottom.
And yet, the resilient if endlessly depressing fellah needs some kind of conclusion apart from an open-ended invitation to wallow in doleful melancholia. Did the guy ever get back on his feet? Did he take Devin's place bumming around the streets of the Big Apple? One other critical question that we absolutely have to have answered at this point is whether or not Toby is the Scranton Strangler. The popular fan theory has built a lot of steam at this point, and we need to know if it's true.
Is Oscar a senator?
Oscar Martinez is a staple on the show from day one. The accountant loves to make waves, whether it's with his cutting commentary, his elitist attitude, or the fact that he carries on an affair with Angela's husband, Senator Robert Lipton, throughout season nine. Thankfully, the two accountants manage to survive the situation with their friendship intact, and they even end up living together for a while as Angela gets back on her feet after she and Senator Lipton part ways.
In the finale, though, we find that Oscar hasn't gotten over the senator. No, we don't mean romantically speaking. Senator Lipton's selfish behavior is clearly enough to knock some sense into Mr. Martinez. What we're talking about is the title itself. Oscar is shown running for state senator, and we've got to admit, he'd probably hit that one out of the park. He's extremely well-versed (and vocal) about his opinions, and he probably would have no problem debating and doing interviews. Of course, the question that remains is, did he win the election?
Will Ryan and Kelly still be on the run in The Office reboot?
Ryan and Kelly proudly held the title of "the most dysfunctional relationship in the office" from season two all the way through to the finale. That's not to say that they were together for that entire time. In fact, the couple probably shared more on-screen breakups and reunions than the rest of the office combined. Every season, we saw them come together, rekindle their love, break apart, attack each other, look for other relationships, and ultimately come back together again.
While Ryan was typically the one holding Kelly at arm's length, though, by the end of the show, he was desperately trying to win her back ... and in the finale, he does just that. Arriving with a baby that he claims is his own son, Drake (a combination of Drew and Blake), Ryan ultimately convinces Kelly's partner, Ravi, to look at the child, who appears sick. Turns out, the sleazy temp had let the child suck on a strawberry, which he was allergic to, in order to get some time with Kelly alone.
Kelly caves under the admittedly messed up romantic move, and the two are seen literally running off into the sunset together. Ryan's final line, "I finally mastered commitment" ironically sums up everything about the relationship, not to mention the characters themselves. Naturally, with Ryan's alleged "baby" nabbed by Nellie and the two hellraisers clearly not ready for commitment, we need to see where that situation led to once the dust settled.