By Michael Karr | Broadcast Intern
One of the greatest shows of all time, “The Office,” has a rumored reboot in the works. This may or may not be a good thing.
“The Office” has landed a spot in the hearts of many people as a favorite TV show, including mine. I use quotes from the show daily, love a good laugh session over a specific scene from the show, take pride in my Kevin Malone impression and am on my seventh viewing of the series.
When rumors surfaced that NBC was considering rebooting the series, I found myself at a crossroads. On one hand, I would love to see how my favorite characters are doing and how the lives of these characters have changed, but on the other hand, many reboots of TV shows have mixed results, meaning the show I hold dear would have a not-so-great part to it.
Rebooting has become a popular trend today in media. From the awakening of The Force with the new Star Wars trilogy or simply re-making shows like the new Teen Titans Go series, although many reboots have been made well, many have flopped.
I decided to let the idea soak. Surely the former directors and producers of the series would not let me down. After all, these are the same people who provided nine full seasons of laughter and emotional investment.
As time went by, I started to think about what the reboot could possibly be about. Jim and Pam could be living successfully in The Lone Star State, or maybe they traveled on as Jim’s business grew. Dwight and Angela may be happily married, or not. There is no way of telling how the producers will take this reboot.
Thinking about the reboot left me with one main problem: I am perfectly happy with how the original series ended. I know that every character in the show ended the series happy and with the people they love, no matter where they were. With this reboot, I worry that will change or that I will get invested in a whole new problem that arises between these formerly happy people.
After discussing this dilemma with other fans of “The Office,” I realized that many of them feel the same way I do. They also felt that there is no need to change a perfectly positive ending to a fantastic show. Although this may seem a common consensus, this most likely will not affect NBC’s decision to start the reboot project.
“The Office” that I know and love is one precious thing that I hope does not get ruined with the reboot. I do not want the world of Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company to be changed or altered and change what I expected the characters’ lives to become at the end of the series.
Another reason the reboot may not succeed is the lack of ideas for the plot line and characters that viewers would want to watch. I am sure many viewers, including myself, would love to see the return of Michael Scott and hear his take on emojis and missile rumors, but he is not expected to be in the reboot.
I want to like the reboot, and hopefully it will be made to the liking of viewers everywhere. This would only further my love for the series and the characters that exist in it.
Nobody knows what this revival will look like, but we can only hope for one thing – that the writers will reignite our passion for “The Office” and show us the aspects of Scranton, Pennsylvania that we all know and love.
Michael Karr is a freshman journalism major from Waco.
