Remakes and reboots of shows to fit a different audience aren't uncommon, and The Office is no exception to that rule. The original show first aired on BBC Two and starred some familiar faces like Ricky Gervais as David Brent, the boss, and Martin Freeman as Tim Canterbury. While the UK version of the show did not last on television for very long, it did find new life with a new cast on the NBC network thanks to Greg Daniels adapting the show for an American audience. David Brent was replaced by Michael Scott, played by comedian Steve Carell of The 40-Year-Old Virgin fame at the time, and Tim was replaced by Jim Halpert, played by a young John Krasinski, with other new cast members added to play the other characters.
And while both of these actors, and the others involved, have gone on to find success outside the show, The Office can, arguably, be called their most iconic roles to date, and the show is wildly popular among its core audience, it is hard to ignore some of the jokes that did not age well, potentially making the show borderline offensive according to some involved in the project.
Steve Carell Expressed His Opinion About The Office
Before Mindy Kaling seemingly spoke out against The Office and its characters, Steve Carell admitted that the show likely wouldn't work if it were released now as opposed to its original air date. The first season of the show premiered to mixed reviews and ratings, but went on to add to Carell's wildly successful career.
Even still, Steve Carell admits that his character, Michael Scott, would likely not fly in today's climate, even if there are requests from fans to bring the show back with Carell as the beloved, although slightly offensive, Michael Scott.
When asked his thoughts on returning to The Office, which has long since ended its run on NBC but is available to re-watch on Peacock, Carell says he doesn't "think that's a good idea" and that "it might be impossible to do that show today and have people accept it the way it was accepted ten years ago.
He goes on to say "The climate's different. I mean the whole idea of that character, Michael Scott, so much of it was predicated on inappropriate behavior. I mean, he's certainly not a model boss. A lot of what is depicted on that show is completely wrong-minded. That's the point, you know? But I just don't know how that would fly now."
Carell seems acutely aware that there is "a very high awareness of offensive things today" which he admits is a good thing as a whole, but would not allow a character like that to thrive, especially if taken "too literally" by viewers of the show.
Steve Carell played Michael Scott for seven of the nine seasons of The Office until he made his emotional exit from the show to focus on spending more time with his family, with other actors stepping in during the final two seasons to play the boss on the show.
Kaling Criticizes The Characters In The Office
Some time passed before Mindy Kaling finally expressed her opinions about The Office, a show that she not only acted in but also helped write several episodes throughout the lifespan of the series. Kaling admits that the "show is so inappropriate now."
She continues, "The writers who I'm still in touch with now, we always talk about how so much of that show we probably couldn't make now. Tastes have changed, and honestly what offends people has changed so much now."
Mindy Kaling goes so far as to say that most of the characters on the show would have likely fallen victim to cancel culture, including her own character Kelly Kapoor, saying if her character were still a thing now, she likely would have become an influencer that gets canceled "almost immediately."
Kaling helped write many of the episodes alongside her longtime friend, and ex-boyfriend, B.J. Novak. And while Novak hasn't spoken out against the show he had a hand in making successful, he did express some opinions about Kaling pranking him on set and how it may have affected the show.
Novak says Mindy would make up stories and lies that he would believe, and one of these lies even affected how he wanted one of the episodes of The Office to be shot. During this particular shoot, Kaling made up a story about the showrunner, Greg Daniels, and a director that was on set before, telling Novak that Daniels and the director dated in college.
Because of this, Novak lied to Daniels when asked what he thought about the director's cut of the episode, telling Daniels he "thought it was great" because he didn't want to offend him.
Novak eventually asked Daniels about the situation, and it was then that he realized Mindy was just pranking him.
The Creator Of The US Version Of The Show Targets The Michael Scott Character
Greg Daniels is the showrunner that initially pitched a US version of The Office to NBC. And while the show is still alive and well thanks to its availability on Peacock to re-watch it, Daniels admits that the show would likely not have been made if it were pitched in today's climate.
Daniels goes on to specifically point out Michael Scott as the prime example of why the show wouldn't exist today because of how offensive the character was throughout his existence on The Office, seeming to rub almost everyone he encounters the wrong way at some point or another.
Daniels explains that the character would require a complete overhaul if The Office were to ever be rebooted or recreated for today's audience because "everybody's much more aware of how offensive certain things are," even saying that the only thing they would be able to retain from the original show is its documentary style shooting.
And while a reboot may be likely thanks to the show's new home on Peacock, NBCUniversal streaming service and television channel, there are currently no plans for such a thing to happen.
Daniels has said in the past that he would have loved to shoot some "lost episodes" with the original cast, but the likelihood of that happening is slim.
