While there's plenty of fantastic TV being produced lately, there are certain shows that transcend to a different level of popularity. For the comedy world, this includes shows like Cheers, Friends, and The Office. The latter workplace comedy ran for a whopping nine season on NBC, and has been playing consistently on syndication since its concluded. And because of the popularity of Netflix and the trend of binge watching, younger audiences are devouring the show's long catalogue and keeping the spirit of Dundler Mifflin alive. I recently had the chance to speak with series star Rainn Wilson about his streaming play Thom Pain on BroadwayHD, and how The Office's streaming audience has kept the show alive. He told me,
It's pretty amazing. Because The Office started to dwindle in its last several years on NBC. And the audience went down. It was super positive in 2008, 2009, 2010. And then it kind of faded a little bit, and went away. And then all of a sudden it was two years ago that I started getting recognized more than before. And it's because of Netflix. And a whole other generation that has seen it.
It looks like Rainn Wilson really does appreciate how Netflix has given another generation of TV buffs the opportunity to fall in love with Scranton, Pennsylvania. That, combined with its run in syndication on cable, has allowed The Office to stay in the pop culture lexicon. Plenty of "that's what she said"'s are still being used, and the entire cast is still working today.
Netflix's catalogue of TV shows is largely what put it on its map, as subscribers were able to binge watch shows they hadn't necessarily caught live on the air. The Office is one of the most popular shows for this, with one subscriber bingeing so much that the service reportedly checked up on him.
The Office is a great candidate for binge watching because of its short length and quick paced dialogue. Audiences spend twenty something minutes laughing, and are easily ready to let your Netflix autoplay the following one. Additionally, there was always a fair amount of heart in The Office, tugging at fans' heartstrings. There's usually at least one tender moment per episode, which results with fans basically falling in love with every zany member of Dundler Mifflin.
Fans of The Office new and old should be excited, as NBC recently announced its plans to revive the series. As Rainn Wilson told us, there haven't been any offers or calls made, but he seems open to reprising his role as Dwight Schrute. Wilson has kept very busy through the years, recently seen in both his play Thom Pain, films, and even a few episodes of Star Trek: Discovery.
You can catch Rainn Wilson in Thom Pain on BroadwayHD, and have access to the entire Office catalogue over on Netflix.
