Toby Denies An 'Office' Reunion

In a classic Toby Flenderson move, Paul Lieberstein has promised that there will be no forthcoming The Office reunions. Lieberstein told TMZ there is no chance of an Office reunion — or movie. Michael was right; Toby is the worst.

Lieberstein would probably know, too. In addition to playing Toby, he served as a showrunner on the show from seasons five through eight. Lieberstein was initially supposed to be involved with the Office spinoff, The Farm, which would center around Dwight Shrute and his beet farm. However, the show was not picked up, and there has been no further word about other incarnations of the show.

All jokes aside, I think this is a good move, and it's not so horrible of Lieberstein to dash our hopes. In an entertainment world that seems increasingly reliant on nostalgic crowdfunding and ever evolving iterations on things that once worked, leaving well enough alone seems like the integrity move. The Office finale was very final, almost painfully tying up loose ends and forcing closure. Creating any kind of reunion episode, movie, or spinoff would render the finale pretty ridiculous, and I am pretty doubtful that it would be good. Slice-of-life shows like The Office are only supposed to provide a slice; the rest of the pie is better off in our imagination.

Am I happy that Community is getting another season? Yes. Will I watch? Yes. Do I think it will be good? Probably not. And while any Office reunion would be sure to bring in lots of viewers (myself included), not giving the fans what they think they want seems like the best way to preserve a phenomenal show.

Image: Giphy