The American adaptation of The Office is one of the most popular sitcoms of all time which has been kept alive by fans continuing to stream the whole series frequently on Peacock, but the series would not exist if it were pitched today rather than when it first aired in 2005. Inspired by the British workplace comedy series of the same name, The Office was adapted for NBC by Greg Daniels. While known for its ensemble cast, Steve Carell stood out from the very start as Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch manager Michael Scott.

The Michael Scott character is known for being naive and uneducated to the point where he was offensive to nearly everyone he met, from the way he’d sometimes treat people of color to how he’d handle sensitive issues like workplace harassment. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Daniels says how this kind of comedy was easier for people to laugh at when The Office was new because things were just different back then. Daniels explains how if the show were to be rebooted today, it couldn’t be a recreation with the same or similar characters, especially in regards to Michael Scott.

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For further clarification, Daniels says that the only thing a 2022 version of The Office could retain from the previous iteration is the mockumentary-style format. Here’s what he had to say when asked if he would pitch a Michael Scott today.

“When people hear “reboot,” they think it’s the exact same show. I don’t think that would work. I also think that the content was very much pitched for that period of time, when people weren’t as sensitive to what is giving offense to people so that you could have a boss who kept putting his foot in it. You could feel that the content was sort of helping people see things as being offensive that they might not have seen as offensive before, because they were just used to it. Now, everybody’s much more aware of how offensive certain things are. We’re in a different place in the cycle of consciousness-raising.”

“I don’t think you would. The part I would take is the documentary format and the idea that it is an examination from a documentarian’s perspective. I wouldn’t try to redo it.”

The Office Reboot Remains On NBCUniversal’s Peacock Wish List

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The Office is currently streaming in its entirety on NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock. Also included are “Superfan” episodes, which are extended versions of many of the episodes with added scenes. But while NBCUniversal hope to reboot the series in some fashion one day, there’s nothing currently in the works. Daniels had previously suggested that maybe the cast could reunite for some “lost episodes” set during the timeline of the show’s earlier seasons, but given his recent comments about Michael’s offensiveness, that no longer seems likely.

“I think it’s probably more likely now that the show is on Peacock, but no plans right now, certainly,” Daniels told E! News of a reboot in January 2021. “People are more open to it now, it seems like. The issue is, what’s left to be said about the characters? A lot of them aren’t working there anymore. Jim and Pam live in Texas now, so does Darryl… But it would be fun to find some lost episodes and just shoot them as if they were back in 2010 or something.”

Greg Daniels and Steve Carell have since reunited for the comedy series Space Force. Both seasons are now available to stream on Netflix.