Though it brings us no joy to say this, it is our duty to inform you that Netflix is reportedly at risk of losing the proven mood-lifting collection of smiles known as The Office.
A harrowing report from The Wall Street Journal Wednesday, contains the news, with the given reason of NBCUniversal's impending launch of its own streaming service. According to the report, "internal discussions" have already started about getting the American adaptation of the Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant-created comedy off Netflix when its licensing contract runs out in 2021.
Binge the hell out of it while you still can.
The report also includes data on the viewership behind shows like The Office, which—as IndieWire points out—currently stands (by an incredible margin, mind you) as the platform's most-streamed program. In second place is fellow NBC property Friends, while another little network juggernaut by the name of Seinfeld is currently busy enjoying presumed domination over on Hulu.
Reunion chatter surrounding the U.S. Office has seemingly ramped up over the past year or so, with several stars even sharing mini-reunion photos. In November, star Steve Carell was joined for a bit by fellow Office alumni including Jenna Fischer and Ed Helms during an episode of SNL he hosted.
As widely beloved as the Office empire clearly is, Gervais took a moment during a recent New York Times interview to remind everyone that the love isn't entirely uniform. "Some people hate it, which is comforting," he said.
Netflix caught wind of the report, and assured viewers The Office will be available on the streaming service for at least a few more years. "Hello it's me with your regularly scheduled reminder that The Office will be on Netflix until 2021 — at least!" Netflix wrote via Twitter. Guess we'll find out about its fate for 2022 in the future.
In a statement included in the WSJ report, Netflix also noted that watch time stats can be skewed by shows with a greater number of seasons. "It's why we focus on the individual shows or films members watch, as opposed to how much time they spend on one series versus another," the rep said. "And if you look at most watched titles, Netflix originals accounted for 10 out of 10 in the last quarter, or 21 out of the top 25."
