As The Office Turns 20 Show's Writers Reveal Why Series Was Almost Canceled After Season 1: 'The Numbers Were Iffy'

The Office writers reflect on the time when the iconic show was about to be cancelled. Keep reading to know what happened and how the show was saved.

Written by Ipshita Chakraborty , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 24, 2025 | 08:52 PM GMT | 7.7K

CC: IMDB

When The Office hit the air on March 24, 2005, nobody — not the writers themselves — anticipated that it would make it past its inaugural season. Now the writers of the show are reflecting on the time they thought the show would be cancelled last it celebrates two decades of inception.

The U.S. version of the popular British comedy pulled in a respectable 11.2 million viewership during its premiere, as per The Hollywood Reporter. However, even though the show opened to a large audience, it still had a tough battle to survive.

Created by Greg Daniels, the mockumentary show started with a pilot directly patterned after Ricky Gervais' and Stephen Merchant's BBC original. NBC had bought only five more episodes following the pilot — a conservative order, a reflection of the network's hesitation.

Rescheduling in a difficult Tuesday slot following its Thursday debut, the show had a hard time getting the roll going. Off camera, the writing staff worried about the cancellation. Daniels remembered the agonizing wait for renewal word, with executives bringing minute-by-minute reports.

The survival of the show, he said, was accompanied by major concessions such as reduced budgets and bonuses. "We were [thinking] we did a great show, but the numbers were iffy,” Daniels revealed to The Hollywood Reporter.

He said, "I remember the upfronts for the following [season], just getting these minute-by-minute calls about we were probably not — wait, we might be [renewed]. We might be if we cut the budget and also give back every bonus and every profit that we could make out the show."

Despite the odds, NBC picked up The Office for a second season — a move that would prove to be well worth it. The show continued to air for nine seasons, serving as a staple of NBC's primetime schedule in the 2000s and early 2010s.

What started as a gamble, low-budget translation turned into a cultural phenomenon — one that almost didn't make it through its first year. The Office's cast includes Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, Mindy Kaling, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, B. J. Novak, and more. It is available for streaming on Netflix.