It’s hard to believe it’s been over a decade since The Office wrapped up after nine seasons and 201 episodes. Now, there’s a new Office series on the way that serves as a spinoff of sorts to the OG show. And, as we officially learned earlier this month, the long-awaited sitcom is heading to Peacock The upcoming series will be a “new take on the franchise and per the first plot details, will take place in the Midwest at a struggling local newspaper. CinemaBlend recently spoke to franchise alums Rainn Wilson and Craig Robinson amidst their reunion for an AT&T ad, and the former shared what makes him “sad” about the new show.
Considering their connection to the original show, it’s not surprising that either actor would have thoughts, and Rainn Wilson made some solid points on the subject. Additionally, Craig Robinson shared what he thinks about the original cast being part of the streaming production.
Rainn Wilson And Craig Robinson Tell Us Their Thoughts On The Office Spinoff
While many comedies have emulated The Office, there’s nothing quite like the long-running NBC series starring Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer and co. When I asked Rainn Wilson about possibly appearing on the spinoff as Dwight Schrute, here’s what he had to say:
Yeah, I don’t see how Dwight goes from Scranton to wherever they’re shooting it in the Midwest. But, you know, if Greg [Daniels] wants me to do something, I’m happy to do something. But, I am sad that they’re leaving Scranton. I understand that they’re why they’re leaving Scranton, but I kind of feel like there should be like seven different office spinoffs kind of like Law and Order. Like there’s Law and Order: SVU and Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and there should be all of these workplace documentaries going on, but they should all be in the Scranton Wilkes Bar, Lackawanna County, greater Metropolitan area.
Based on his comments, he’s a bit bummed out that the new series will take the franchise to a completely new city and region. And, because of that, it makes it less believable for Dwight Schrute to turn up. He also shared his idea for The Office to take cues from the Law & Order franchise and have all sorts of documentaries being around the Scranton area. As for Craig Robinson, who spoke to CinemaBlend alongside his co-star, he said this:
I think we were given a heads up that it’s the all new cast, all new thing they’re doing. And you know, with Greg Daniels at the helm, he’s always gonna be looking out for the best interest. So if he had an idea [for a cameo], I mean, I don’t think many of us could go back to his regulars at this point. But, to pop in, make sure the office is running right. That might happen. I don’t know.
After working with Greg Daniels for so long, surely there’s a lot of trust from the original The Office cast regarding what he’ll do next. Since the new show will be in the same universe, one would hope that there’s certainly a place for the original characters to “pop in.” Still, Rainn Wilson makes a great point regarding how it wouldn’t really make sense if they did.
Much Of The Office Cast Reunited For An AT&T Ad Campaign
While Rainn Wilson and Craig Robinson are not among the cast of the new The Office series, they did just work together again, alongside Jenna Fischer, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery and Creed Bratton. Check out one of a few AT&T Business ads they collaborated on:
During our interview, Rainn Wilson opened up about working with AT&T Business on their new ad campaign, which is called “Sleep With Rain.” When talking about working with his former co-stars again, he shared that it was like “getting the old band back together.” In the commercial, Wilson is the lead of the startup small business and his Office friends assist him with promoting his pillow, which has speakers on the side where the calming sounds of his voice can play as the customer dreams. Wilson recalled the whole cast “showed up early” due to the excitement of being back together.
While it’s not the reunion special fans likely crave, it’s great to see these TV stars back together. And, who knows, Maybe at least some of the stars will get a chance to show up on the new show at some point. In the meantime, you can stream every season of The Office with a Peacock subscription.