Mindy Kaling: ‘The Office’ Would Be Too ‘Taboo’ And ‘Inappropriate’ To Air Today

December 7, 2022
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Mindy Kaling doesn’t think “The Office” would resonate the same way with today’s adult audiences — and not just because many are opting to work remotely.

Kaling, who wrote for and acted in the beloved series, appeared on “Good Morning America” last week, and the conversation quickly pivoted towards “The Office” and how the show that aired its finale in 2013 has gained “a whole new generation of fans,” thanks to its availability on Peacock.

A cast photo of “The Office” in 2006.
A cast photo of “The Office” in 2006.

Kaling was then asked if she would ever introduce her own kids — Katherine, 4, and Spencer, 2 — to the Emmy-winning comedy that launched her career.

In response, the “Sex Lives of College Girls” and “Never Have I Ever” creator said she would “never” introduce her kids to “The Office,” saying it’s “so inappropriate now.”

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“The writers who I’m still in touch with now, we always talk about how so much of that show we probably couldn’t make now,” Kaling said. “Tastes have changed, and honestly what offends people has changed so much now. I think that actually is one of the reasons the show is popular, because people feel like there’s something kind of fearless about it or taboo that it talks about on the show.”

“The Mindy Project” star and creator admitted that her kids will probably want to check out “The Office” when they’re teenagers.

“It seems like a 15-year-old boy is the biggest fan of ‘The Office’ right now,” she said.

Earlier in the interview, when Kaling was asked what her “The Office” character — the shallow and pop-culture obsessed Kelly Kapoor — would be doing today, Kaling responded:

“I think she would have quit Dunder Mifflin to become an influencer, and then probably be canceled, almost immediately. Actually, most of the characters on that show would be canceled by now.”

Kaling as Kelly Kapoor on “The Office.”
Kaling as Kelly Kapoor on “The Office.”

Kaling’s opinion does have some merit.

“The Office,” an American adaptation of the British TV series of the same name, ran for 9 seasons on NBC between 2005 and 2013. During its tenure the show aired episodes that could make people who were fans of the show when it aired cringe today. This includes racist and fat jokes, as Looper pointed out in 2020.

Yet, despite some scenes and jokes they may have aged poorly, the show remains to be immensely popular. Soon after it ended its run on NBC, it became available on Netflix and remained one of its most-watched acquired shows until early 2020.

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