Based on the 2001 British comedy series of the same name, the American version of The Office, which debuted in 2005, was developed by King of the Hill creator Greg Daniels. As is the case with many TV shows, many people were considered for various roles on and off the screen in the early stages of production. NBC reportedly initially wanted Philip Seymour Hoffman or Paul Giamatti to play the Michael Scott role. Ricky Gervais, who starred in the British version, was even offered the part at one point, but turned it down because he didn’t feel like moving to America.
As for showrunners, NBC also had some ideas that didn’t pan out. One person they approached about taking the helm in the beginning was Daniels’s King of the Hill co-creator Mike Judge, who knew a thing or two about office comedies. A few years earlier, Judge had, of course, written and directed the cult classic Office Space, though it wasn’t an immediate success. However, subsequent TV airings and high DVD sales got Judge back in the industry’s good graces.
The U.S. Version of ‘The Office’ Nearly Looked Nothing Like It Does Now
Suddenly, Judge was getting offers from studios to do all kinds of big comedies. When NBC reached out to him about doing The Office, they sent him the DVD collection of the British series, along with newspaper reviews. The first review he read said, “The Office succeeds where movies like Office Space failed.” Needless to say, Judge passed on the opportunity.
When asked if he regretted turning it down years later, Judge said, “I just didn’t want to go back [to that genre].” He went on to explain that he’d had a rough experience working on Office Space and wasn’t looking to go through that all over again. People still insisted that he watch the Gervais version, and although he did so reluctantly, he ended up loving it. “Then it went to [Daniels], and I loved what he did with it; it’s an awesome show,” Judge continued. “So I don’t regret it.”
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