'The Office' seeking new showrunner

There’s new Help Wanted sign on NBC’s The Office. The network’s top-rated scripted series might have a new showrunner next season.

We hear NBC is actively searching for a replacement for Paul Lieberstein, the show’s talented chief writer-producer, who also plays beleaguered HR chief Toby Flenderson on the series.

Lieberstein is looking to focus on running the Office spin-off that the network has in development, which stars Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) returning home to run his family’s beet farm and bed-and-breakfast (working title: The Farm). Even if NBC hires a new day-to-day showrunner for a ninth season of the long-running comedy, Liberstein is expected to continue at least occasionally playing Toby on the show.

Keep in mind this situation is still fluid, since NBC’s schedule next season is a couple months from being set. Still, The Office could be a pretty different workplace next season, with Mindy Kaling potentially exiting for her Fox comedy project (Ed Helms is joining for guest spot), Wilson potentially focusing on the spin-off, and NBC having announced that James Spader will not return as Dunder Mifflin CEO.

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