‘The Office’ Stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey Talk Reboot With Ellie Kemper on ‘Ellen’

The Office stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey stopped by The Ellen DeGeneres Show to visit their former co-star Ellie Kemper, who was the guest host for the day. Kemper had to ask about talk of an Office revival, which they both seem positive about. Kinsey said she would gladly do it, while Fischer said she would be interested in a one-time special.

“I would not do an Office reboot, but I would love to do a reunion special episode,” Fischer, who starred as Pam Beesly, told Kemper. “I’d like to get us all together again.”

“I would do anything they called me to do,” Kinsely, who played Angela Martin, cheerfully replied. “So if you want to call me, I’m around.”

Kemper, who starred as Pam’s replacement, Erin Hannon, after Pam joined sales, was also excited about playing her character again.

“I will be there,” Kemper said. “Angela and I are rebooting The Office.”

Interest in an Office revival or reboot has never been higher, especially as NBCUniversal looks to have something attractive to launch the Peacock streaming service. The company already has plans to launch the platform with Battlestar Galactica, Saved By The Bell and Punky Brewster revivals in 2020.

“It is my hope and goal that we do an Office reboot,” former NBCUniversal executive Bonnie Hammer told Deadline in September. “The Office comes back to us in January 2021. It is my hope that we can figure what that great reboot would be. We are having conversations.”

The Office will not be immediately available on Peacock, as NBCU still has a licensing deal with Netflix that does not expire until 2020. NBCU reportedly spent $500 million to wrestle back the streaming rights, even though the show is a NBCUniversal property.

“We want there to be some connective tissue to what we also have in the library,” Hammer explained. “All of our choices, especially in the beginning, we are doing them strategically so they connect back to our legacy.”

Former NBC Entertainment chief Robert Greenblatt, now the chief at rival HBO Max, told The Hollywood Reporter he spoke with The Office co-creator Greg Daniels about reviving the series four years ago.

“He wants to do it and actually has an idea for it.” Greenblatt said.

One person not interested in an Office revival is Steve Carell, who played Michael Scott. In an interview with Esquire in 2018, he suggested the evolving work environment, where people like Michael are being phased out of the workplace, would make it difficult for the character to fit.

“The climate’s different,” Carell explained. “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. There’s a very high awareness of offensive things today—which is good, for sure. But at the same time, when you take a character like that too literally, it doesn’t really work.”

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