"The Office" has only been off the air for five years, but reports indicate it may be ready to make a comeback.
According to Variety, NBC is currently in "early talks" to revive the influential workplace comedy. The report indicates the show would return next fall for the 2018-19 lineup.
Steve Carell, who played buffoonish boss Michael Scott, would not be involved in the new project. Carell left the show in 2011, two years before the sitcom ended its run.
"The Office" ran on NBC from 2005 to 2013, helping spawn the careers of Carell, Ed Helms, Mindy Kaling, Craig Robertson, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer. The show was nominated for 42 Emmys during its run, and helped introduce "mockumentary-style" sitcoms into mainstream television.
The Office has sustained a new life without network TV in both syndicated reruns and on Netflix.
Alex Hider is a writer for the E.W. Scripps National Desk. Follow him on Twitter @alexhider.
