‘The Office’ has been a part of a major cultural revolution and won multiple awards. However, the plot never started that way in 2005. NBC had almost cancelled the show after the first season, losing its 6 million viewers.
While the pilot kicked off with 11 million views, the season finale quickly came down to 6. The cast was prepared for the worst and NBC was ready to add the show to the “failed” list, but then Steve Carell, who played Michael Scott in the famous series, flipped the script.
As the season’s future was in jeopardy Carell picked up a film named ‘The 40-year-old Virgin’. This raunchy comedy potentially changed the sitcom genre forever. It not only made it big at the box office, but helped also The Office boss get a new identity, to make it a success
NBC was divided over whether to turn away their Hollywood hotshot Steve Carell or embrace his poster boy persona for a renewal of ‘The Office’. Scrambling to make a choice, the writers and marketers took a leap of faith, only to build a $500 million empire with thousands of fans across generations.
What tipped the scales?
Leveraging Carell’s star power, the market was rooting for the sitcom now. Ratings rose overnight, but the Hollywood element was not the only piggyback the show needed.
The Office Season 2 became the only show on iTunes post-2005, and the digital sales and popularity spoke for themselves. Ahead of its time, the pre-OTT era could not see beyond traditional metrics, as DVDs were still popular. Catching the eyes of a younger audience who didn’t watch live TV, combined with the star-cast, The Office had a true redemption moment with over 100,000 downloads.
With sharper comedy, better writing and ace marketing, The Office returned to NBC with a prime slot time at night. While some say it was “perfect timing”, others call it “comedic brilliance” but Carell’s movie has often been called the hidden reason behind the show’s success.
The mockumentary format was seen much later with other cult-favourite series like Modern Family. What was once considered a failure after Season 1, was named a pioneer of its time, riding on the back of awkward silences and pranks.