‘The Office’: Fans Hilariously Imagine What Coronavirus Would Do to Dunder Mifflin
With the whole world waiting and watching to see what becomes of the coronavirus outbreak, many homebound people are turning to television and film to help them pass the time. Streaming services are releasing new content in anticipation of high viewership, and many fans are eagerly binging episodes of their favorite TV shows.
One show that certainly stands the test of time is The Office. With lighthearted humor and an innovative filming style, The Office is perfect for escapist entertainment. Recently, some fans on social media had fun by imagining what might happen at the Dunder Mifflin office if it was hit by a coronavirus outbreak.
People are practicing social distancing due to COVID-19
COVID-19 started in China in late 2019. As a novel virus, COVID-19 began spreading rapidly, until thousands of people in China became infected. It also started spreading to other countries, including Italy, the United Kingdom, and eventually, the United States.
With state and government officials working rapidly in an attempt to slow the spread of the virus, many officials are recommending that people practice what is being called “social distancing.”
Social distancing includes avoiding crowded places like bars, restaurants, concert halls, and sporting events, and limiting trips out to only essential functions. Many Americans are working from home for a period of several weeks, in hopes that society’s most vulnerable, including the elderly and those with existing health conditions, aren’t affected.
During the nationwide slowdown, lots of people are turning to television and film as a form of escapist entertainment.
‘The Office’ is a modern-day television masterpiece
The Office premiered in 2005 and was initially conceived as a spinoff of the popular British television show of the same name. However, the American version took on a life of its own and quickly eclipsed the BBC show as truly iconic television.
The show followed the lives and fortunes of the employees of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. While workplace comedies aren’t especially revolutionary, The Office managed to do several things to become completely unique.
For one, the show was filmed in a mockumentary style, with actors speaking directly to the camera. The show also didn’t have a laugh track or live audience, both of which had become commonplace for television comedies.
Viewers quickly became hooked on the show, and on hilarious characters such as Michael Scott, as played by Steve Carell, and Dwight Schrute, portrayed by Rainn Wilson. Critics also loved the show, and for eight years, The Office ruled network television.
In 2013, the show went off the air, but it remains hugely popular in reruns and on streaming platforms.
What would ‘The Office’ be like in a coronavirus pandemic?
Recently, some fans on Twitter had fun with imagining what the Dunder Mifflin office would look like if they were dealing with the coronavirus outbreak. The thread, titled “The Office: Coronavirus” has thousands of likes and retweets, with more and more fans adding to the conversation.
The Twitter thread begins by imagining what each character would do in the event of an outbreak, with people stating that Michael Scott would likely ignore the “work from home” memo, in favor of community support, while Dwight would probably state that he’s completely immune from the virus.
Fans even started scripting out a full episode of the show, complete with some sample dialogue and a totally The Office-worthy ending. With anxiety running rampant in the United States, it is good to know that certain things will continue to unite fans everywhere.
