The IT Crowd, the beloved British sitcom that introduced us to socially awkward IT specialists Roy (Chris O’Dowd)  and Moss (Richard Ayoade), their “relationship manager” Jen (Katherine Parkinson) and eccentric, horny boss Douglas Reynholm, will not advance into a fifth series. Creator Graham Linehan broke the news today during an online chat on Reddit. The main reason why he is against continuing the program: he simply lost interest in the characters and he wants the show to go out on top. “[The] chief reason was the fact that I just wasn’t looking forward to it the way I used to,” said Linehan. “I felt that the last series was a nice strong point to go out on, and anything further might just be running on the spot. You don’t do your best work when you’re running on the spot.” He went on, “It feels like a natural time to wind things down. Apart from anything else, we’re probably reaching that stage where it begins to feel odd that Roy, Jen and Moss are still stuck down in that basement. I don’t want to start giving everybody babies to make it feel like they’re moving on with their lives. My kind of comedy has always been setpiece-driven… and maybe that kind of thing has a naturally short life.” In sum, The IT Crowd will not move forward with another six-episode run as was previously planned.

But does this mean we will never see the Reynholm Industries gang again? “I’ll never say never, but at the moment I’m just not feeling it,” Linehan remarked. So what could happen when this moment passes? Well first of all, an extended special is already in the works and that is set to air in 2012. He spilled, “”[It’s] a big juicy story with great storylines for all the characters (I think).” He then went on to even acknowledge the potential for an IT Crowd movie. “It all depends on whether I come up with a good idea for one,” he said. “One good enough to attract all the cast. It needs to deserve to be a film, though. So it’s got to be big on all sorts of different levels.” And if that doesn’t work out, ideas are planted in his mind for other TV specials. “I’m quite interested in the idea of the ‘IT Crowd universe’,” he continued. “Like the DC or Marvel Universes. You know, maybe catching up with Bennie Wong as Prime or Douglas’s Big Spaceology Wedding… these might end up just being future specials.” Finally, he dropped this bombshell: he supports the idea of an IT Crowd / Community crossover! Can you imagine Roy and Moss busting into the study room and interacting with the Community gang? Apparently there’s a rumor flying around the Abed will meet Moss at one point. Linehan supports this happening when he says, “[Community] creator Dan [Harmon] is someone I would trust completely with the character.”

The IT Crowd isn’t coming back for a fifth series, but it won’t be long before we see their story wrapped up in a TV special next year and perhaps extended on the big screen.

[Via DigitialSpy]