Will Midwestern 'The Office' Spinoff Land in Indiana?

Fans of The Office will be able to return to the world of the fake docuseries.

NBC recently announced the premise of the as-yet untitled spinoff, which will air on the Peacock Network. Just as the original series focused on a paper company struggling to adapt in an increasingly digital era, the new show turns a mockumentary camera on a failing community newspaper.

Instead of Scranton, Pa., however, the new series will take place somewhere in the Midwest.

And if the show doesn't end up in Indiana, NBC will miss out on the greatest potential sitcom universe crossover of all time.

Most Famous Sitcom Universe Crossovers

I grew up in '80s and the '90s -- a time before binging, children, and when TV executives had to grab eyeballs with ABC TGIF sitcom blocks and spinoffs. Characters wandered from one show onto another with abandon.

Steve Urkel from Family Matters appeared on Full House. Cheers famously led to Frasier. Other universe crossovers included The Golden Girls and Empty Nest, Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life, and Friends and Mad About You.

Given the announcement of The Office reboot's Midwestern setting, Indiana is the most natural fit for the locale. Why? Because it will provide the serendipitous Office/Parks and Rec crossover we deserve.

Why a Crossover Between The Office and Parks and Rec Must Occur

Sure, both The Office and Parks and Rec share a documentary-style setup, workplace dynamics and tone that lend to a natural crossover, but it's more the business the reboot has selected as its backdrop that fits for me.

You know how musician Tom Waits reportedly cried after watching mockumentary movie Spinal Tap because it felt too real?

I'm a former local news reporter and the Parks and Rec scenes showcasing never-ending community meetings with worked up residents railing at officials hit me the same way. Most local reporters have spent hundreds of hours covering town meetings, and the work necessitates regular calls to town employees and visits to municipal offices.

Parks and Rec is set in the fictional Indiana town of Pawnee. It would only be natural for a group of fictional reporters to wander in and out of a town building or covering community events pitting them against crosstown rivals. Why shouldn't one of those rivals be Pawnee?

If the new show's creators are going to set the The Office spinoff in the Midwest, they're missing a comedy lay up and the potential for an epic crossover by not placing the newspaper office in Indiana.