After releasing in 2005 and ending after nine seasons in 2015, The Office is making a comeback with new viewers thanks to streaming services. And with an influx of new fans comes the desire for a reboot or a like-minded spinoff. There are plenty of things that keep The Office fans up at night and a reboot could be an opportunity to answer new questions and wrap up different storylines.
However, even Steve Carell (Michael Scott) said in an interview with Esquire that a modern-day version of The Office would never work in today's climate. The jokes and jabs that NBC got away with in 2005 would most likely get the show canceled in 2021. However, if The Office were made today, there are small subtleties that would be different.
Most Of Michael's Jokes Wouldn't Fly On TV Today
Michael Scott had his good and bad moments as regional manager in The Office. While some of Michael's business advice was oddly helpful, other business tactics would have to be changed for the show to work today.
There were times where Michel made racist remarks, homophobic jokes, and was oblivious to sexism. And while these moments were all part of Michael's personal journey of growth, those jokes would need to be changed (or completely avoided) in 2021.
The Majority Of Dunder Mifflin's Sales Would Be Online
One of the saddest things about Ryan is that he saw the potential in Dunder Mifflin using technology and being progressive, but he didn't know how to go about it. He knew a website could lead to even more sales for the company, he just didn't know enough about the subject area for his idea to really thrive.
Nevertheless, with everything today being app-friendly and e-commerce obsessed, Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch would most likely need to lose a few salespeople. With Stanely, Phyllis, Andy, Jim, Dwight, and Pam, the company would most likely chop a few employees because more and more companies now buy online.
Social Media Would Play A Big Role In Kelly & Ryan's Breakups (& Makeups)
At the beginning of Ryan and Kelly's relationship, they didn't make a lot of sense. Kelly seemed far more into Ryan than he was into her. But eventually, their true colors came out and they were perfect for each other.
If the couple existed in 2021, things would be more complicated. With the increase of dating apps and social media profiles, Ryan and Kelly would be so distracted by the possibility of other potential partners that they would have made up and broken up far more times than they did. Kelly would have catfished Ryan into catching him in a lie, and Ryan would be too busy looking at Kelly's photos.
The Characters Would Work From Home
Whether COVID-19 would be shown in a modern version of the TV series or not, working from home would still be a possibility for the Scranton branch. Over the years, Dunder Mifflin suffered financially, thanks to companies like Office Max, and they would need to save money where they could.
If Dunder Mifflin was going to keep the employees' salaries as is, they may have gotten rid of their office space and asked everyone to work from home. This way, they would save an enormous amount of money on rent.
Dunder Mifflin Would Have To Diversify Outside Of Paper
The modern era sees businesses moving more and more towards becoming paperless and so if The Office was made today, Dunder Mifflin would have to alter its products. Selling just paper would not cut it today — especially against big-wigs like Office Max.
This is why Sabre buying Dunder Mifflin was a good thing. The company would sell office goods like printers and paper instead of just one product and selling more office items to small businesses could have helped them stay afloat.
Pam's Decisions Would Be Applauded
There were a few things that Pam did during The Office that fans weren't happy with. They hated when she left Scranton for art school in New York (because it meant more time away from Jim) and they disliked how she wasn't willing to move to Philadelphia because of Jim's job.
However, in an episode of The Office Ladies podcast, Jenna Fischer (Pam Beasley) admits that fans' harsh views of Pam's decisions are "sexist." She continued saying, "Pam faced a lot of scrutiny as a character I think because she was a woman, right?" In 2021, Pam's decision to go to school and stand her ground would be applauded and supported instead of mentioned as an act of selfishness.
Office Fashion Would Be More Relaxed
One of fans' biggest pet peeves about The Office was that it had a few continuity errors. For starters, Michael made a big deal about his favorite pair of jeans and casual Fridays, but it never continued after that one episode. And while on the topic of the office's fashions sense, the dress code would be more relaxed if the show were made today.
Business casual in a small workspace is the norm these days. While no one would be accepted wearing Meredith's outfit (a tube-top dress), Pam and Ryan's outfits would be the norm when it comes to office attire.
There Would Be More Diversity And Women In Power
Jan was seen as one of the worst characters on The Office for how she treated Michael during their relationship, as well as how she perceived those she found beneath her. But the show did a wonderful job of making her a strong woman in power. As one of the only women working at corporate, Jan held her own and was a powerhouse of a businesswoman in a male-dominated field.
Jo Benett later appeared as Sabre's CEO and Kelly was even given a prominent role of Minority Executive. Today, it would be prudent to add more women in power who didn't get fired and excelled at their jobs.
FaceTiming And Texting Would Be More Prevalent
Nowadays, it's rare to find people not glued to their phones, and that side would be shown if The Office was made today. Pam and Jim would be texting more throughout the workday, Kelly would be Snapchatting Ryan, and Michael could have FaceTimed Holly when they attempted a long-distance relationship.
Sometimes fans forget that The Office began in 2005, a time where texting and FaceTiming were not popular like it is today.
There Would Be More Turnover
If The Office was redone with today's modern ways in mind, there would be far more turnover. It's amazing that the Scranton branch didn't have more firings or people quitting in the nine years the characters were filmed.
In modern times, Ryan would have grown sick of being a temp and would have left to start his own company, Kelly would have quit to become a famous blogger, and Angela wouldn't have lasted as long as she did, knowing how much she despised her coworkers.