Steve Carrell as Michael Scott in "The Office"
photo: NBC

The Emmy Award–winning NBC series The Office has been a mainstay on Netflix for years, but that's all about to change. 

The series ran for nine seasons from 2005 to 2013, but fans have long since continued to watch the show on the streaming platform. It has remained a cultural icon for fans who watched it week-to-week and those who have only seen it on Netflix. 

With new streaming platforms like Disney + and NBC's NBCUniversal, a war over fan-favorite TV shows and movies has begun. Netflix has even announced a brand-new workplace comedy series starring Steve Carell in retaliation. 

The beloved series will leave January 2021, so there is still plenty of time to binge-watch every episode before the series jumps ship.

Bad news for Office fans: Streaming the beloved series his about to become more difficult. 

photo: NBC

According to The Daily Dot, Netflix's most-watched show of 2018 was the NBC workplace comedy. People everywhere have binged every episode of the nine-season series. Now fans will have to subscribe to NBCUniversal to get their Office fix. With a new streaming service announced regularly, it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that the network would come up with its own method to get viewers. 

People took to Twitter after hearing the news, and they were not happy. 

Netflix confirmed the rumors that the hit show might leave the platform through a tweet. "We're sad that NBC has decided to take The Office back for its own streaming platform — but members can binge watch the show to their hearts' content ad-free on Netflix until January 2021," the tweet read.

Fans were heartbroken, and many shared words of anger and gifs like this one of Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling) and her iconic quote, "Yeah, I have a lot of questions. Number one: How dare you?" 

Say goodbye to the epic pranks that Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) pulled on Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson). 

photo: NBC

The first episode revealed Jim to be a notorious prankster, and this one surpassed the rest in the pilot episode. "He put my stuff in jello again," Dwight exclaims in this scene. Some of the other standout pranks include his Pavlov's Dog test in which he gets Dwight to ask for a mint every time he hears a chime from Jim's computer. Jim also somehow flips the script when Dwight interrogates his coworkers about a joint found near the office, and he convinces Dwight that he actually smoked the weed himself. Jim even convinces Dwight to buy "magic" beans at the warehouse garage sale.

Some people are threatening to cancel their Netflix subscription, it's that serious.

As the most watched show on the platform, this could cause Netflix to take a hit. Luckily they are hard at work with new original shows and movies, so viewers are still invested. One person on Twitter, however, wrote, "If The Office leaving Netflix, I’m leaving Netflix." 

If you watch The Office regularly, consider buying it in full as opposed to starting an entirely new subscription. 

One person shared a pro tip to Twitter about a sale that happens on iTunes. Of course, now that iTunes is shutting down that may not exactly be helpful. The same concept applies to other platforms, though, like Google Play or Amazon Prime. Or, if you want to look like a serious fan, consider buying the entire series' box set on DVD, if you even have a DVD player anymore. 

"Don't wanna pay an extra $10 a month for THE OFFICE when it leaves Netflix in 2021? Pro Tip: You can buy the full series for $70 on iTunes — or wait for a sale. Earlier this month, it was being sold for $25," the tweet reads. 

The streaming wars have begun. How many streaming platforms are worth subscribing to? 

It's hard to say so far, but odds are the Disney streaming platform will be a success with new and exclusive Disney content being released through the service. Plus, it will most likely take back all of the popular Disney and Marvel movies and series available to other streaming sites like Netflix once their own drops. 

One person thought that the recovery of The Office by NBC will spark a flat-out war among the various streaming platforms. "It's real, but also not Netflix's fault. The streaming wars have begun." 

In another tweet from that same user, they shared that it was probably for the best that we all slow down with our Office streaming: "Netflix is getting rid of the office for your own good, you people have a problem." 

The biggest silver lining of all, though, is that Netflix is releasing a brand-new workplace comedy with Steve Carell and the creators of The Office. How fitting.

Netflix knows how to bite back. After it announced that NBC was taking back the hit show, they casually dropped the news that a brand-new series will debut on its own platform, and it's another workplace comedy featuring Steve Carell called Space Force. 

The Netflix account shared the news ever so casually, "Just leaving this here for totally no reason." Mhmm, sure Netflix, we see you. The shade is real. 

In the meantime, keep up with all things Office, including the hilarious blooper reels available on YouTube and every episode until they swap platforms in January 2021. 

Luckily there is still plenty of time to get as much Office from Netflix as you can — an entire year and a half before it's gone for good. Plus, there are lots of outtakes from the set and interviews with cast members on YouTube. Some have more than 10 million views, because The Office fandom is that strong.