TV still hasn't quite reached the pandemic stage of Revival Fever, but one assumes it won't be long before we'll be in full-blown nostalgia crisis mode. NBC already has a Will & Grace comeback on the way, complete with a Season 2 renewal, and now NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt has opened up about the four former hits that the network is mentally invested in bringing back for more hilarity and drama. Those shows, in no ranked order, are The Office, 30 Rock, The West Wing and ER. Here's what Greenblatt had to say about Scranton's finest.
We often talk about The Office. I've talked to Greg four times over the past few years. It's always, 'Maybe some day, but not now.' There is certainly an open invitation but we don't have anything happening right now. If he wants to do it, I would do it.
That's not even a random avenue of interest from one of NBC's top dogs in the programming world. Robert Greenblatt & Co. clearly want to see more from the Dunder-Mifflin crew at some point, and it seems like they'd give a thumbs up to any ideas that creator/adaptor Greg Daniels comes up with. I'm hoping for an Office revival that resembles Twin Peaks' new season on Showtime. Two version of Michael Scott, and a version of the conference room with red curtains all around it. (Not incidentally, here's what Rainn Wilson told us about a reunion project.)
30 Rock creator Tina Fey is currently already busy on NBC with the series Good News, and it was just this week that her recurring role in Season 2 was revealed. But according to Bob Greenblatt, it would be even greater news if Fey would show up one day with a full pitch for Liz Lemon's return to TV. Here's what else he told Deadline at this year's TCA summer press event.
I'd say to Tina 'Hey, you think some more 30 Rock makes any sense?' She'd say, I don't know maybe.' . . . [But] if Tina called and said 'I'd do 30 Rock,' I'd do it in a heartbeat, even for a limited run. The same about The Office.
Both The Office and 30 Rock went off the air in 2013, so those wouldn't necessarily feel like revivals so much as delayed seasons. But when it comes to the dramas The West Wing and ER, fans have had a few more years to contemplate their absences. (The former ended in 2006, while the latter bowed out in 2009, after 15 seasons.) But medical dramas will never go extinct, and West Wing gained some renewed hype thanks to the current political climate. According to Robert Greenblatt, it sounds like the revival situation for those two is just about the same as it is for the two comedies, unfortunately.
I keep saying to [creator Aaron Sorkin], 'Do you want to do The West Wing again? Wouldn't it be great to do it?' He says, 'You know I love that show, and some day I'd love to revisit it, but it's not going to happen right now.' I've said it to John Wells on ER, but there is nothing concrete except Miami Vice which is something that we are reviving."
He mentions Miami Vice, whose reboot project was announced at TCA this week, which is a show that has been gone longer than any of the previously mentioned ones, and I'm not exactly counting that feature film here. As such, Miami Vice almost seems like a much bigger risk, as I can't imagine The Office or ER coming back and tanking in the ratings, despite each shows' latter seasons not living up to their respective heydays. So if any of those creators ever get the itch to bring any of those characters back for more, NBC will be there with open arms, and staplers stuffed inside of Jell-O.
While we won't get to see any of those shows back on TV this fall, you can find NBC's new season of Will & Grace and tons of other great shows in our fall TV schedule. And if you're wondering what's coming before that, our summer premiere guide will be of great service.
