13 Years Ago Today, The Absolute Best Sitcom of the 2000s Officially Ended (And We Still Want More)

It has been over a decade since the best sitcom of the 2010s ended, and viewers are still wishing they could see more from the show’s heroes. From the long-running animated family comedy The Simpsons to the cult classic How I Met Your Mother, there are plenty of great sitcoms that lasted through the 2000s and 2010s. However, there is only one show that could be called the definitive ‘00s sitcom, and this US workplace comedy was a series that went on to influence everything from Parks and Recreation to Fox’s cop comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine to Abbott Elementary, DMV, Blockbuster, and Modern Family.

When The Office debuted in 2005, the loose remake of Ricky Gervais’s cult hit of the same name didn’t seem too promising. Unlike the success of Ricky Gervais’s later animated HBO show The Ricky Gervais Show, season 1 of The Office seemed to prove that the comedian’s dry, deadpan British humor wasn’t well-suited to a trans Atlantic move. However, as The Office found its feet and emerged from the shadow of its British predecessor, the sitcom went on to become the greatest ensemble cast comedy of the decade.

The Series Finale of The Office Originally Aired On May 16, 2013

Based in the seemingly dull titular workplace of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company’s quiet Scranton branch, The Office focused on Steve Carell’s well-meaning but clueless manager Michael, John Krasinski’s charismatic slacker Jim, Rainn Wilson’s stern second-in-command Dwight, and Jenna Fischer’s sweet receptionist Pam. With a stacked supporting cast that included Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey, BJ Novak, Mindy Kaling, Craig Robinson, and later Ellie Kemper and Ed Helms, The Office was a hotbed of emerging comedic talent.

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21 Years Ago Today, the Best American Sitcom of the 2000s Premiered (But It Took Years to Become Great)

While The Office’s finale was perfect, the show did struggle after Carell’s early exit left the sitcom without one of its most pivotal characters. Before that great endings redeemed proceedings, later seasons of The Office saw the series run through various thwarted attempts to replace the show’s inimitable Michael Scott, but these outings lacked the spark and inspiration of the earlier seasons that starred Carell. Luckily, the star returned for the finale and ensured the sitcom gave its heroes a fitting sendoff.

The Office Is Unlikely To Receive An Original Cast Revival Any Time Soon

Understandably, a lot of viewers would love to see a revival of The Office now that it has been 13 years since the show wrapped up. However, its messy history of spinoffs and re-imaginings makes this unlikely. Peacock’s The Paper takes place in the same universe as The Office and shares a major character in Oscar Nunez’s Oscar Martinez, meaning the series technically already has a follow-up from the same creators that shares the same canon.  Not only that, but 2024 saw Prime Video release an eight-episode season of an Australian version of The Office.

The Australian take on the series, simply titled The Office, starred Felicity Ward as the managing director of Sydney’s branch of Flinley Craddick, proudly called “Australia’s fourth largest packaging company.” Although fan reaction online was mostly negative, the Australian version of The Office earned mostly positive reviews, but was still cancelled after only one season. Since the US show has both an ongoing official spinoff and a failed second remake, it seems unlikely that another revival of The Office will come to screens anytime soon, even though fans might feel they are overdue a reunion.