The creative team behind the potential The Office US spinoff is beginning to take shape.
Is The Office spinoff officially a go?
No. The Office spinoff hasn’t officially been greenlit yet. According to a new report by Deadline, the project remains in development, with Greg Daniels – the developer of the US version of the show – working closely with a group of writers on what could become an expansion of The Office universe, The report by Deadline also pointed out that if the project gets picked up to a series, Michael Koman will serve as a co-creator for the offshoot alongside Daniels.
Who is Michael Koman?
Michael Koman is an American writer, producer, and comedian. What makes him the perfect partner for Daniels for the potential The Office spinoff is his experience in making a docu-reality comedy series. Koman co-created the docu-reality comedy series Nathan For You with Nathan Fielder. The show, which ran for four seasons on Comedy Central, starred Fielder as a fictionalized off-kilter version of himself, trying to use his business background and life experiences to help struggling companies and people, frequently offering them outlandish strategies, parodying the methods of marketing and management consultants.
Koman and Daniels also have a personal connection. Since 2012, Koman has been married to Ellie Kemper, who joined the cast of Daniels’ The Office during its fifth season. Interestingly, Koman and Daniels share a similar career start as well, having both come out of Saturday Night Live‘s writing ranks.
Koman’s writing credits include Late Night with Conan O’Brien for seven years for which he shared an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing For A Variety, Music or Comedy Program in 2007. He also served as a writer for The Colbert Report, MadTV, and Girls5Eva.
Why did Greg Daniels prefer to make a The Office spinoff over a The Office reboot?
A potential remake or spinoff of The Office has been making rounds on the Internet for years but in November 2023, Daniels said that he prefers to do a spinoff rather than a reboot if he ever gets to revisit the mockumentary.
“I don’t like to think of anything as a reboot, you know what I mean? Because I feel like we ended that story beautifully. The characters had closure,” he said at the time, according to Digital Spy. “I would never want to redo that same show with a different cast, because I think we got the luckiest cast, the best cast ever, in TV, to do that show. So the notion of a reboot is not of interest.”
Daniels added: “The notion of maybe something like the way The Mandalorian is a new show in the Star Wars universe, you know what I mean? Something like the notion of this documentary crew doing a documentary about a different subject. That, I think, could be intriguing and creative.”
What is The Office US?
The Office US is a mockumentary workplace sitcom television series that follows the everyday lives of office employees at the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013, lasting nine seasons with a total of 201 episodes.
An adaptation of the British series of the same name by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, The Office US is a documentary-style portrayal of a group of office workers, their awkward social interactions, office romances, and the general tedium of office life, often punctuated by the cluelessness of their boss. It is known for its humor that comes from awkward situations, eccentric characters, and cringe-worthy moments. Though ratings were average during its original run, it became a huge hit on streaming services and is considered a cult classic.
The Office US debuted with an ensemble cast that includes Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, B.J. Novak, Jenna Fischer, Mindy Kaling, Leslie David Baker, Melora Hardin, Kate Flannery, Brian Baumgartner, Ed Helms, Oscar Nuñez and Craig Robinson. James Spader took over as lead following Carell’s departure from the show in season 7.
In addition to UK and US versions of the show, it was announced in 2023 that the show is also getting an all-female version set in Australia. The Prime Video series will see Felicity Ward play Hannah Howard, the chief of a packaging company who tries to “keep her work family together” following the news that staff will have to work from home post-Covid.
Where to watch The Office US
As of March 24, 2023, the American version of The Office is streaming on Peacock Premium. You can also watch all nine seasons of the show as download on Amazon Video, Vudu, Google Play Movies, Microsoft Store, Apple TV.
