The Office only ended nine years ago, but the television and cultural landscapes have changed massively since then.
The most acclaimed rockumentary almost a decade later is the wonderful Abbott Elementary, which has earned plaudits for its inclusivity and empathetic look at the education system. It’s a long, long way from Michael Scott’s racism, Jim Halpert’s bullying or Dwight Schrute’s general mayhem.
One of The Office‘s stars (and writers) Mindy Kaling, who memorably played Kelly Kapoor, seems to think that the sitcom would be vastly different if it was made today.
“That show is so inappropriate now,” the comedian said during a recent appearance on Good Morning America. “The writers who I’m still in touch with now, we always talk about how so much of that show we probably couldn’t make now.”
Kaling continued: “Tastes have changed and, honestly, what offends people has changed so much now… I think that actually is one of the reasons the show is popular, because people feel like there’s something kind of fearless about it or taboo that it talks about on the show.”
As for whether she’d let her own children watch The Office, Kaling was unsure. “I kind of think maybe never,” she said. She also had a comical – and very modern – vision of what her character Kelly would be up to now.
“I think she would have quit Dunder Mifflin to become an influencer. And then probably be cancelled, almost immediately,” she said. “Actually most of the characters on that show would be cancelled by now.”
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Kaling’s kids might be missing out, though, with The Office being one of the streaming era’s most popular series despite debuting almost two decades ago. “The mockumentary is the rare series that transitioned from the pre-streaming era to the present without losing a generation of fans in between,” The Ringer once wrote about the beloved sitcom.
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Check out the best of Kelly Kapoor on The Office:
