The Office reboot: Should the struggling show get recast?

The Office: Now hiring? According to Deadline, executive producer Greg Daniels is mulling a "reboot" of the eight-year-old NBC comedy which would introduce a largely new cast. Steve Carell, the show's biggest star, famously left last season, taking with him a sizable chunk of the viewership. Now, the contracts of four remaining players — John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Ed Helms, and BJ Novak — are due to expire, and none of the actors has committed to returning. What's more, writer-producer-actor Mindy Kaling has a sitcom pilot in development at Fox and Rainn Wilson may leave the series midway through next season to star in a spinoff centered on his character Dwight Schrute. As of now, the reboot is only in the planning stages, and The Office hasn't even been officially renewed for another season. Would it be wiser to just call it quits?

Absolutely: "Hey NBC," says Tim Surette at TV.com. "Just let The Office die already." The most recent episode — an utterly humorless affair — earned a series low of 4.39 million viewers against a rerun of The Big Bang Theory that scored 10.21 million viewers, proving just how much The Office's popularity has eroded. The show is clearly past its prime. "Shut Scranton down!"

"News briefs: NBC might reboot The Office"

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A reboot could work: After 8 years, it's about time there was some turnover at The Office, says Kelly West at Cinema Blend. The most maddeningly unrealistic aspect of the sitcom has been the fact that so few of its workers have left for other jobs. "The concept of The Office is still relevant," but at this point the characters are overly familiar, wholly predictable, and therefore less funny. Bringing in a new crop could "extend the series and freshen it up substantially."

"The Office's Greg Daniels may be looking to reboot the NBC comedy"

The reboot approach failed for at least one other sitcom: The Office is exhibiting the "three signs that signal the end of a once-great TV show," says Jason Serafino at Complex. The lead actor, Steve Carell, already left for greener pastures. Story lines are becoming increasingly implausible. And, now, new blood is being brought in to "freshen up" the show. The Office should bear in mind another sitcom that went through the same trajectory: Scrubs, which tried a reboot several years ago. "Spoiler alert: It didn't work."

"Is NBC considering rebooting The Office"