The Office is an American
comedyComedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
television series broadcast by
NBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
. An adaptation of the original
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
series of the
same nameThe Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
, it depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the
Scranton, PennsylvaniaScranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. To
simulate the look of an actual documentaryA mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
, it is filmed in a
single-camera setupThe single-camera setup, or single-camera mode of production, is a method of filmmaking and video production. A single camera—either motion picture camera or professional video camera—is employed on the set and each shot to make up a scene is taken individually...
, without a
studio audienceA studio audience is an audience present for the taping of all or part of a television program. The primary purpose of the studio audience is to provide applause and/or laughter to the program's soundtrack . A studio audience can also provide volunteers, a visual backdrop and discussion participants...
or a
laugh trackA laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...
.
The Office was adapted for American audiences by executive producer
Greg DanielsGregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
, a veteran writer for
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
,
King of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
, and
The SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
. The creators of the original BBC series,
Ricky GervaisRicky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
and
Stephen MerchantStephen James Merchant is an English writer, director, radio presenter, comedian, and actor. He is best known for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais, as the co-writer and co-director of the popular British sitcom The Office, as the co-writer, co-director and a co-star of Extras, and as the...
, are executive producers and also co-wrote the pilot episode with Daniels and wrote the season three episode, "
The Convict"The Convict" is ninth episode of the third season of The Office . It aired on November 30, 2006 on NBC. It was written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant specifically for the U.S. series...
". It is co-produced by Daniels'
Deedle-Dee ProductionsDeedle-Dee Productions is a television production company owned by Greg Daniels. It is known for producing the long running series King of the Hill, The Office and their newest series, Parks and Recreation...
, and
Reveille ProductionsReveille Productions is an independently-owned television and motion picture studio and production company based in Los Angeles. The studio was founded by Ben Silverman in March 2002....
, in association with
Universal TelevisionUniversal Television is the television production arm of the NBCUniversal Television Group, and by extension, the NBC television network...
. The show debuted on NBC as a
midseason replacementIn American and Canadian television, a midseason replacement is a television series that premieres in the second half of the traditional television season, usually between January and May...
on March 24, 2005.
Off-network syndication of
The Office began in late 2007, notably on
TBSTBS , stylized in the logo as tbs, is an American cable television channel owned by Time Warner that shows a variety of programming, with a focus on comedy. TBS was originally known as WTCG, a UHF terrestrial television station that broadcast from Atlanta, Georgia, during the late 1970s...
and
FoxFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
-owned stations in the United States. Lead actor
Steve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, who portrays
Michael ScottMichael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
, left the series near the end of the seventh season. The eighth season premiered on September 22, 2011, with
James SpaderJames Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
joining the cast, and
Ed HelmsEdward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
, who portrays
Andy BernardAndrew "Andy" Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. The character is highly insecure, yet egotistical, constantly mentioning his education at Cornell University...
, assuming the new role of Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin.
Writing
Greg DanielsGregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
served as the series showrunner for the first four seasons of the series and developed the British series for American television. He then had to leave for
Parks and RecreationParks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
and switches off his time between the two shows.
Paul LiebersteinPaul Bevan Lieberstein is an American screenwriter, actor and television producer. An Emmy Award winner, he is most widely known as a writer, producer, and as supporting cast member Toby Flenderson on the U.S...
and
Jennifer CelottaJennifer Ann Celotta is an American television producer and writer. Among her credits are Home Improvement, Malcolm in the Middle, Greg the Bunny, Andy Richter Controls The Universe and The Office...
were named the series showrunner for the fifth season. Celotta left the series after the sixth season and Lieberstein stayed on as showrunner for the following seasons while
Daniel ChunDaniel Chun is an American comedy writer. He has written for The Office and The Simpsons. He received a Writers Guild Award nomination and an Annie Award for his work on The Simpsons. He is now Head Writer and Co-Executive Producer of The Office...
serves as the series
head writerA head writer is a person who oversees the team of writers on a television or radio series. The title is common in the soap opera genre, as well as with sketch comedies and talk shows that feature monologues and comedy skits, but in prime time series this function is generally performed by an...
. Other executive producers include cast members
B. J. NovakBenjamin Joseph Manaly “B. J.” Novak is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for being a writer and co-executive producer for and playing the role of Ryan Howard on the US version of The Office, as well as appearing in Inglourious Basterds...
and
Mindy KalingVera Mindy Chokalingam , better known as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer who plays Kelly Kapoor on the NBC sitcom The Office. Kaling is also a co-executive producer and writer of several of the show's episodes.-Early life:Kaling was born Vera Chokalingam in...
. Kaling, Novak, Daniels, Lieberstein and former
Office writer
Michael SchurMichael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
made up the original team of writers. Credited with twenty-four episodes, Kaling is the most prolific writer on
The Office writing staff.
Ricky GervaisRicky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
and
Stephen MerchantStephen James Merchant is an English writer, director, radio presenter, comedian, and actor. He is best known for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais, as the co-writer and co-director of the popular British sitcom The Office, as the co-writer, co-director and a co-star of Extras, and as the...
, who created the original British series, are credited as executive producers, and co-wrote the pilot as well as writing the third season episode, "
The Convict"The Convict" is ninth episode of the third season of The Office . It aired on November 30, 2006 on NBC. It was written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant specifically for the U.S. series...
". Merchant later directed the episode "
Customer Survey"Customer Survey" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the show's seventy-ninth episode overall. The episode aired in the United States on November 6, 2008 on NBC...
" while Gervais appeared in the episodes "
The Seminar"The Seminar" is the fourteenth episode of seventh season of the American comedytelevision series The Office, and the show's 140th episode overall. Written by Steve Hely and directed by B. J. Novak, the episode aired January 27, 2011 on NBC....
" and "
Search Committee"Search Committee" is the hour-long finale of the seventh season of the American television comedy series The Office. It is the 151st and 152nd episodes of the series overall and the 25th and 26th episodes of the seventh season. It was written by show runner and executive producer Paul Lieberstein...
".
Before the series aired its second episode, the writers spent time researching in offices. This process was used for Daniels' other series
King of the HillKing of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
and
Parks and RecreationParks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
. The pilot is a direct adaptation of the first episode of the British version. Daniels had decided to go through this route because "completely starting from scratch would be a very risky thing to do" due to the show being an adaptation. He had briefly considered using the idea for "
The Dundies"The Dundies" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office—the show's seventh episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Greg Daniels, who is also a producer for the show, the episode originally aired in the United States on September 20, 2005 on...
" as the pilot episode. After the writers knew who the cast was, they were allowed to write for the actors which allowed the show to be more original for the following episode, "
Diversity Day"Diversity Day" is the second episode of the first season of the American version of The Office. Written by B. J. Novak and directed by Ken Kwapis, it first aired in the United States on March 29, 2005, on NBC. The episode guest stars Office consulting producer Larry Wilmore as Mr...
". A complete script is written for each episode of
The Office; however, actors are given opportunities to improvise during the shooting process. "Our shows are 100 percent scripted," Fischer explained. "They put everything down on paper. But we get to play around a little bit, too. Steve and Rainn are brilliant improvisers."
Casting
NBC programmer Kevin Reilly originally suggested
Paul GiamattiPaul Edward Valentine Giamatti is an American actor. Giamatti began his career as a supporting actor in several films produced during the 1990s including Private Parts, The Truman Show, Saving Private Ryan, The Negotiator, and Man on the Moon, before earning lead roles in several projects in the...
to producer
Ben SilvermanBenjamin Noah "Ben" Silverman is the founder and CEO of Electus, a next generation entertainment studio staked by IAC's Barry Diller....
for the role of
Michael ScottMichael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
, but the actor declined.
Martin ShortMartin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
,
Hank AzariaHenry Albert "Hank" Azaria is an American film, television and stage actor, director, voice actor, and comedian. He is noted for being one of the principal voice actors on the animated television series The Simpsons , on which he performs the voices of Moe Szyslak, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Chief...
and
Bob OdenkirkRobert "Bob" Odenkirk is an American actor, comedian, writer, director and producer. He is best known as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO sketch comedy series Mr...
were also reported to be interested. In January 2004,
VarietyVariety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
reported
Steve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, of the popular
Comedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
program
The Daily Show with Jon StewartThe Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
, was in talks to play the role. At the time, he was already committed to another NBC mid-season replacement comedy,
Come to Papa, but the series was quickly canceled, leaving him fully committed to
The Office. Carell later stated he had only seen about half of the original pilot episode of the British series before he auditioned. He did not continue watching for fear that he would start copying Gervais' characterizations.
Rainn WilsonRainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
, who was cast as the power-hungry
sycophantSycophancy means:# Obsequious flattery; servility.# The character or characteristic of a sycophant.Alternative phrases are often used such as:-Etymology:...
Dwight SchruteDwight Kurt Schrute III is a character on NBC's The Office portrayed by Rainn Wilson. He originally exactly resembled Gareth Keenan from the original UK version of The Office. Dwight is the top salesman and former acting manager for the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and has won numerous awards for...
, watched every episode of the series before he auditioned. Wilson had originally auditioned for Michael, a performance he described as a "terrible
Ricky GervaisRicky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
impersonation"; however, the casting directors liked his audition as Dwight much more and hired him for the role.
John KrasinskiJohn Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
and
Jenna FischerRegina Marie "Jenna" Fischer is an American actress and director. She is most widely known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Pam Halpert on the NBC situation comedy and mockumentary The Office, and has also appeared in several films, including Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,...
were virtual unknowns before being cast in their respective roles as Jim and Pam, the central love interests. Krasinski had attended school with, and was a friend of B. J. Novak. Krasinski recalled accidentally insulting Greg Daniels while waiting to audition for the series, telling him, "I hope [the show's developers] don't screw this up." Daniels then introduced himself and told Krasinski who he was. Fischer prepared for her audition by looking as boring as possible, creating the original Pam hairstyle. In an interview on
NPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
's
Fresh AirFresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
, Fischer recalled the last stages of the audition process for Pam and Jim, with the producers partnering the different potential Pams and Jims (four of each) together to gauge their chemistry. When Fischer finished her scene with Krasinski, he told her that she was his favorite Pam, to which she reciprocated that he was her favorite Jim.
The supporting cast includes actors known for their
improvImprovisational theatre takes many forms. It is best known as improv or impro, which is often comedic, and sometimes poignant or dramatic. In this popular, often topical art form improvisational actors/improvisers use improvisational acting techniques to perform spontaneously...
work:
Angela KinseyAngela Kinsey is an American actress. She currently appears as the uptight accountant Angela Martin on the hit NBC television series The Office.-Personal life:...
,
Kate FlanneryKatherine Patricia "Kate" Flannery is an American actress best known for playing the role of Meredith Palmer on the NBC hit series The Office.-Personal life:...
,
Oscar NunezOscar Nunez , sometimes credited as Oscar Núñez, is a Cuban American actor and comedian.He currently appears as Dunder Mifflin's paper supply accountant, Oscar Martinez, on NBC's The Office.-Career:...
,
Leslie David BakerLeslie David Baker is an American film and television actor who plays Stanley Hudson on The Office. He also had several small roles in Scrubs and appeared on That '70s Show as a janitor after a Ted Nugent concert and played an office worker in several of OfficeMax's "Rubberband Man" series of...
,
Brian BaumgartnerBrian Baumgartner is an Emmy Award-winning American film and television actor, best known for playing Kevin Malone on The Office.-Personal life:...
,
Melora HardinMelora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...
, and
David DenmanDavid Denman is an American film and television actor.-Education:After graduating from Fountain Valley High School, Denman attended the summer training congress at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco before receiving his B.F.A. from Juilliard.-Career:He made his film debut with Keanu...
. Kinsey had originally auditioned for Pam. The producers thought she was "too feisty" for the character, but they called her back for the part of
Angela MartinAngela Noelle Martin is a fictional character from the US television series The Office played by American actress Angela Kinsey. She is an original character, and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
, which she won. Flannery first auditioned for the part of Jan Levenson-Gould, before landing the role of Meredith Palmer. Baumgartner originally auditioned for Stanley, but was eventually cast as Kevin. Ken Kwapis liked the way
Phyllis Smith, a casting associate, read with other actors auditioning so much that he cast her as Phyllis. At the beginning of the third season,
Ed HelmsEdward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
and
Rashida JonesRashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
joined the cast as members of Dunder Mifflin Stamford. While Jones would later leave the cast for a recurring role, in February 2007, NBC announced that Helms was being promoted to a series regular.
Four of the show's writers have also stepped in front of the camera.
B. J. NovakBenjamin Joseph Manaly “B. J.” Novak is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for being a writer and co-executive producer for and playing the role of Ryan Howard on the US version of The Office, as well as appearing in Inglourious Basterds...
was cast as reluctant temp
Ryan HowardRyan Bailey Howard , played by B. J. Novak, is a fictional character on the US television sitcom The Office. He is based upon Ricky Howard from the original version of The Office , but his role is significantly expanded and he is a main character.-Character profile:Little is known about Ryan's...
after Daniels saw his
stand-up actStand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
.
Paul LiebersteinPaul Bevan Lieberstein is an American screenwriter, actor and television producer. An Emmy Award winner, he is most widely known as a writer, producer, and as supporting cast member Toby Flenderson on the U.S...
was cast as
human resourcesHuman resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
director
Toby FlendersonToby Wyatt Flenderson, M.S.W. born 1971 is a character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Paul Lieberstein. He is an original character and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
on Novak's suggestion after his cold readings of scripts. Greg Daniels was originally unsure where to use the
Indian AmericanIndian Americans are Americans whose ancestral roots lie in India. The U.S. Census Bureau popularized the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with Indigenous peoples of the Americas who are commonly referred to as American Indians.-The term: Indian:...
Mindy KalingVera Mindy Chokalingam , better known as Mindy Kaling, is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer who plays Kelly Kapoor on the NBC sitcom The Office. Kaling is also a co-executive producer and writer of several of the show's episodes.-Early life:Kaling was born Vera Chokalingam in...
on-screen in the series until the opportunity came in
the second episode"Diversity Day" is the second episode of the first season of the American version of The Office. Written by B. J. Novak and directed by Ken Kwapis, it first aired in the United States on March 29, 2005, on NBC. The episode guest stars Office consulting producer Larry Wilmore as Mr...
's script, where Michael needed to be slapped by a minority. "Since [that slap], I've been on the show" (as
Kelly KapoorKelly Rajnigandha Kapoor , is a fictional character from the US television series, The Office. She is played by Mindy Kaling, who is also a writer and producer for the show....
), says Kaling.
Michael SchurMichael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
has also made occasional appearances as Dwight's cousin Mose, and consulting producer Larry Wilmore has played
diversity trainerDiversity training is training for the purpose of increasing participants' cultural awareness, knowledge, and skills, which is based on the assumption that the training will benefit an organization by protecting against civil rights violations, increasing the inclusion of different identity groups,...
Mr. Brown. Plans were made for
Mackenzie CrookPaul Mackenzie Crook is a British actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Gareth Keenan in The Office and Ragetti in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.-Life and career:...
,
Martin FreemanMartin John C. Freeman is an English actor. He is known for his roles as John in Love Actually, Tim Canterbury in the BBC's Golden Globe-winning comedy The Office, Arthur Dent in the film adaptation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dr. John Watson in Sherlock and Mr. Madden...
, and
Lucy DavisLucy Clare Davis is an English actress. She is best known for playing the character Dawn Tinsley in the BBC comedy The Office and as Dianne in the horror-comedy movie Shaun of the Dead.-Career:...
from the British version of
The Office to appear in the third season, but those plans were scrapped due to scheduling conflicts.
Format
The Office is a
mockumentaryA mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
. The primary vehicle for the show is that a camera crew has decided to film Dunder Mifflin and its employees, seemingly around the clock. The presence of the camera is acknowledged by the characters, especially Michael Scott, who enthusiastically participates in the filming. Others, for example Jan Levenson, are frequently annoyed or uncomfortable with its presence.
The main action of the show is supplemented with talking-head interviews or "
confessionalsA confessional is a small, enclosed booth used for confession.It may also refer to:In cinema:* The Confessional - a French movie from 1994.* Confessional , a Cebuano mockumentary indie film.In music:...
," with the characters speaking one on one with the camera crew about the day's events. Sometimes two characters share an interview, speaking with each other and the camera at the same time. This occurs most notably with Jim and Pam, or, occasionally, Oscar and Kevin, Kelly and Ryan, Jim and Dwight, and once, Michael and Toby. Dwight frequently interrupts Michael's interviews, as he is often standing off-screen next to Michael as the interview begins.
Some characters use the camera's presence to their advantage. For example, in "Christmas Party", Phyllis' boyfriend, Bob Vance, introduces himself repeatedly as "Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration" to garner publicity for his business. In other instances, the camera seemingly has affected plot lines. In "
The Dundies"The Dundies" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office—the show's seventh episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Greg Daniels, who is also a producer for the show, the episode originally aired in the United States on September 20, 2005 on...
", a drunken Pam nearly confesses something to Jim, but shies away when she realizes the camera is still there. In "
E-mail Surveillance"E-mail Surveillance" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's fifteenth episode overall...
", Pam asks the crew to help her look for evidence of Dwight and Angela's secret relationship, which they later provide.
In the character's final episode in season seven,
Michael ScottMichael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
asks the cameraman filming his departure to let him know if the show ever airs. This would seem to imply that the series has yet to reach television within its fictional universe, at least as of the point in time that season seven was being "filmed." Michael may also not have been aware of an airing.
Music and title sequence
The theme song for
The Office was written by
Jay FergusonJay Ferguson is an American rock and roll musician, known for his work with Spirit and Jo Jo Gunne, and his 1978 solo hit "Thunder Island". His later career has been as a composer of music for television programs and films.-Childhood and early musical career:He was born in Burbank, California, in...
and performed by The Scrantones. It is played over the title sequence, which features scenes of Scranton and various tasks around the office. Some episodes of the series use a shortened version of the theme song. Starting with the fourth season, the theme song is played over the
closing creditsClosing credits or end credits are added at the end of a motion picture, television program, or video game to list the cast and crew involved in the production. They usually appear as a list of names in small type, which either flip very quickly from page to page, or move smoothly across the...
, which previously rolled in silence. Originally the theme song began each episode. However, starting with the episode "
Office Olympics"Office Olympics" is the third episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's ninth episode overall. Written by Michael Schur, and directed by Paul Feig, the episode first aired in the United States on October 4, 2005 on NBC.In the episode, Michael...
", most episodes have begun with a
cold openA cold open in a television program or movie is the technique of jumping directly into a story at the beginning or opening of the show, before the title sequence or opening credits are shown...
followed by the theme. The exteriors of buildings in the title sequence are actual buildings in
Scranton, PennsylvaniaScranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
, and were shot by cast member
John KrasinskiJohn Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
.
The
mockumentaryA mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
format of the show contains no
laugh trackA laugh track is a separate soundtrack invented by Charles "Charley" Douglass, with the artificial sound of audience laughter, made to be inserted into television programming of comedy shows and sitcoms.The term "laugh track" does not apply to the genuine audience laughter on shows that shoot in...
, and most of the music is
diegeticDiegesis is a style of representation in fiction and is:# the world in which the situations and events narrated occur; and# telling, recounting, as opposed to showing, enacting.In diegesis the narrator tells the story...
, with songs either sung or played by the characters or heard on radios, computers, or other devices. However, songs have been played during montages or the closing credits, such as "
Tiny Dancer"Tiny Dancer" is a 1971 song by Elton John with lyrics by Bernie Taupin. It appears on John's fourth album, Madman Across the Water, and was released as a single in 1972...
" by
Elton JohnSir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
("
The Dundies"The Dundies" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office—the show's seventh episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Greg Daniels, who is also a producer for the show, the episode originally aired in the United States on September 20, 2005 on...
") and "
Islands in the Stream"Islands in the Stream" is the title of a song written by the Bee Gees and sung by American country music artists Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. It was released in August 1983 as the first single from Rogers' album Eyes That See in the Dark and the second pop number-one for both Rogers and Parton...
" by
Kenny RogersKenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
and
Dolly PartonDolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
("
E-mail Surveillance"E-mail Surveillance" is the ninth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's fifteenth episode overall...
"). Featured music tends to be well known, and often songs reflect the character, such as Michael's attempt to seem hip by using "
Mambo No. 5"Mambo No. 5" is a mambo and jive dance song originally recorded and composed by Pérez Prado in 1949.The song's popularity was renewed by Lou Bega's sampling of the original, released under the same name on Bega's 1999 debut album A Little Bit of Mambo....
" and later "
My Humps"My Humps" is the third single by The Black Eyed Peas from their fourth album, Monkey Business. It samples a section of the song "I Need a Freak" by Sexual Harassment, as well as the 1989 song "Wild Thing" by Tone Lōc and "It's Automatic" by Freestyle. Released in 2005, it reached number three in...
" as his cell phone ringtone. The song "Sing" by
TravisTravis are a post-Britpop band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Fran Healy , Dougie Payne , Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose...
is used twice on the series, first in "The Client" which Jim and Pam jointly listen to through a single pair of earbuds prior to their relationship; and later in a montage of their relationship in the
clip episode"The Banker" is the 14th episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 114th episode overall. It was written by Jason Kessler and directed by Jeffrey Blitz....
. Dwight will often play loud music when driving or to get himself psyched up before making a sale, such as listening to "
Wild Side"Wild Side" is a single by the American heavy metal band Mötley Crüe from their 1987 album Girls, Girls, Girls which charted at #2 on the Billboard 200.-Composition:...
" and "
Kickstart My Heart"Kickstart My Heart" is a Grammy Award-nominated song by the American rock band Mötley Crüe, originally released on their 1989 album, Dr. Feelgood. The song has also been used numerous in media, including the trailers for Robert Rodriguez's family comedy Shorts and the Disney/Pixar film Cars...
" by
Mötley CrüeMötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1981. The group was founded by bass guitarist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, who were later joined by lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil...
. In the episode "
Michael Scott Paper Company"Michael Scott Paper Company" is the twenty-third episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the 95th overall episode of the series...
", Dwight and Andy play
John DenverHenry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
's "
Take Me Home, Country Roads"Take Me Home, Country Roads" is a song written by John Denver, Taffy Nivert, and Bill Danoff and initially recorded by John Denver. It was included on his 1971 breakout album Poems, Prayers and Promises; the single went to #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100...
". Notably, Dwight sings a portion in German.
Originally, only
Steve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
,
Rainn WilsonRainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
,
John KrasinskiJohn Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
,
Jenna FischerRegina Marie "Jenna" Fischer is an American actress and director. She is most widely known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Pam Halpert on the NBC situation comedy and mockumentary The Office, and has also appeared in several films, including Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,...
and
B. J. NovakBenjamin Joseph Manaly “B. J.” Novak is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for being a writer and co-executive producer for and playing the role of Ryan Howard on the US version of The Office, as well as appearing in Inglourious Basterds...
were credited in the title sequence. The sequence was first updated in the season 2 episode, "Office Olympics", with an updated clip for Steve Carell's character. The title sequence for the season 5 episode "
Stress Relief"Stress Relief" is a two-part episode of the American comedy television series The Office. They constituted the fourteenth and fifteenth episode of the fifth season, and the 86th and 87th overall episodes of the series...
", which aired after
Super Bowl XLIIISuper Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
, included new footage and added the rest of the starring cast. However, the sequence only appeared in the aforementioned episode. The season 5 episode "
Michael Scott Paper Company"Michael Scott Paper Company" is the twenty-third episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the 95th overall episode of the series...
" featured an altered title sequence that focused on the titular company.
Starting with the season 6 episode "
Sabre"Sabre" is the 15th episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office and the show's 115th episode overall. It was written by Jennifer Celotta and directed by John Krasinski, which marks his television directorial debut...
",
Ed HelmsEdward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
is added to the opening sequence and is credited after B. J. Novak. In the seventh season premiere episode, "
Nepotism"Nepotism" is the seventh season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 127th episode overall. Written by Daniel Chun and directed by Jeffrey Blitz, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on September 23, 2010...
", the title sequence was updated with new scenes. Beginning with "
The Inner Circle"The Inner Circle" is the twenty-third episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 149th episode overall. The episode originally aired on May 5, 2011, on NBC...
", the first episode after Steve Carell's departure, Rainn Wilson now receives first billing, and all clips that feature Steve Carell are replaced with new ones of the other cast members. Also, for the rest of the seventh season the image of Carell moving his Dundie would be replaced by that certain manager moving a different object. Then, with the eighth season premiere,
James SpaderJames Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
was added to the credits at the end while new manager
Andy BernardAndrew "Andy" Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. The character is highly insecure, yet egotistical, constantly mentioning his education at Cornell University...
is seen at his desk adjusting a figurine that falls off the desk.
Characters
The Office employs an
ensemble castAn ensemble cast is made up of cast members in which the principal actors and performers are assigned roughly equal amounts of importance and screen time in a dramatic production. This kind of casting became more popular in television series because it allows flexibility for writers to focus on...
. A significant number of the main and minor characters are based on characters from the British version of
The OfficeThe Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
.
Michael ScottMichael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
, regional manager of the
ScrantonScranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, feels he is everyone's best friend in the office; his employees feel otherwise. His former co-manager, sales representative
Jim HalpertJames Duncan "Jim" Halpert is a fictional character in the United States version of the television sitcom The Office, played by John Krasinski. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office...
, is newly married to the former receptionist turned sales representative turned office administrator, Pam Halpert née Beesly. Their relationship comes after three seasons of friendship laced with romantic tension.
Dwight SchruteDwight Kurt Schrute III is a character on NBC's The Office portrayed by Rainn Wilson. He originally exactly resembled Gareth Keenan from the original UK version of The Office. Dwight is the top salesman and former acting manager for the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and has won numerous awards for...
, the assistant to the regional manager, is an award-winning salesman and former
Lackawanna CountyAs of the census of 2000, there were 213,295 people, 86,218 households, and 55,783 families residing in the county. The population density was 465 people per square mile . There were 95,362 housing units at an average density of 208 per square mile...
volunteer reserve
deputy sheriffA sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
known for his
authoritarianAuthoritarianism is a form of social organization characterized by submission to authority. It is usually opposed to individualism and democracy...
personality and his adoration of
science fiction fandomScience fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or "fandom" of people actively interested in science fiction and fantasy and in contact with one another based upon that interest...
.
Ryan HowardRyan Bailey Howard , played by B. J. Novak, is a fictional character on the US television sitcom The Office. He is based upon Ricky Howard from the original version of The Office , but his role is significantly expanded and he is a main character.-Character profile:Little is known about Ryan's...
, who started out as a temporary worker in the Scranton office, was later promoted to Dunder Mifflin's Vice President for Regional Sales, which would make him Michael's boss, until his treachery was exposed for corporate fraud and he was fired, ending up again as the temporary worker at the Scranton branch.
Andy BernardAndrew "Andy" Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. The character is highly insecure, yet egotistical, constantly mentioning his education at Cornell University...
, a Cornell alumnus, anger-management grad and Angela's former fiancé, formerly of the
Stamford, ConnecticutStamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
branch office, now the new Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton.
The accounting department features
Angela MartinAngela Noelle Martin is a fictional character from the US television series The Office played by American actress Angela Kinsey. She is an original character, and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
, an admitted uptight Christian who wishes to keep things orderly and make sure situations remain as serious as possible;
Kevin MaloneKevin Jaye Malone is a character in the United States television series The Office. He is played by Brian Baumgartner. Kevin's counterpart in the UK series is Keith Bishop.-Biography:...
, a clueless, overweight man who revels in juvenile humor and frequently indulges himself with gambling and M&Ms; and the patient
Oscar MartinezOscar Jual Paul Martinez is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Oscar Nunez.-Overview:Oscar Martinez is an accountant at the paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. He is a first generation Mexican-American. Oscar is also openly homosexual after being...
, whose
homosexualityHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
and
HispanicHispanic is a term that originally denoted a relationship to Hispania, which is to say the Iberian Peninsula: Andorra, Gibraltar, Portugal and Spain. During the Modern Era, Hispanic sometimes takes on a more limited meaning, particularly in the United States, where the term means a person of ...
heritage make him a favorite target for Michael's off-color comments. Rounding out the office are the stern salesman
Stanley HudsonStanley James Hudson is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Leslie David Baker. Stanley's counterpart in the UK series is Malcolm.-Overview:...
, who barely stands for Michael's constant references to his
Black-AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
heritage (he also doesn't like to take part in Michael's time wasting meetings and sometimes sleeps in them or works on one of his crossword puzzles); eccentric
quality assuranceQuality assurance, or QA for short, is the systematic monitoring and evaluation of the various aspects of a project, service or facility to maximize the probability that minimum standards of quality are being attained by the production process...
representative
Creed BrattonCreed Rowland Bratton a.k.a. "William Charles Schneider" is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. Confusion may arise from the fact that the character is played by and partially based on the musician of the same name, Creed Bratton...
; the kind and caring saleswoman Phyllis Lapin-Vance, who marries Bob Vance from Vance Refrigeration across the hall from the office; the bubbly and talkative customer service representative
Kelly KapoorKelly Rajnigandha Kapoor , is a fictional character from the US television series, The Office. She is played by Mindy Kaling, who is also a writer and producer for the show....
; the promiscuous
alcoholicAlcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
single mother supply relations representative
Meredith PalmerMeredith Elizabeth Palmer is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. She is played by Kate Flannery. She is an original character and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office....
; and frequent target of Michael's abuse,
human resourcesHuman resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
representative
Toby FlendersonToby Wyatt Flenderson, M.S.W. born 1971 is a character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Paul Lieberstein. He is an original character and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
.
Dunder Mifflin Scranton warehouse supervisor
Darryl PhilbinDarryl Mathias Philbin is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Craig Robinson.-Overview:Darryl Philbin is the foreman of the warehouse of the Scranton branch of fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin....
is a key secondary character who has gained increased prominence throughout the run of the show. At the end of season five, new receptionist
Erin HannonKelly Erin Hannon is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is the office receptionist for the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, a position previously held by Pam Halpert before she left the company. Erin is played by Ellie Kemper...
is introduced as Pam's replacement at the reception desk.
Gabe LewisGabriel Stuart "Gabe" Lewis is a fictional character on NBC's The Office. He first appears in the sixth season, where he is the Coordinating Director of Emerging Regions for the Sabre Corporate headquarters in Florida...
, introduced near the end of season six, is a Sabre employee who is assigned to the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch as the Regional Director of Sales. A story arc at the start of the season five has
Holly FlaxHollis "Holly" Partridge Flax is a fictional character from the US television series The Office played by Amy Ryan. She was an original character, and not based on a character from the British version of the show...
transferred to the office as Toby's replacement. She acts as a love interest for Michael, as they share very similar personalities. However, Holly is transferred away after corporate discovers that Michael and Holly are involved, resulting in their breakup. Much to Michael's dismay, Toby is rehired shortly after Holly's transfer. Holly returns to Scranton in season seven, where she and Michael rekindle their relationship, get engaged, and move to Colorado. When Michael Scott left the series in the seventh season, he was replaced by a series of short-lived successors. After a search for a new manager,
Robert CaliforniaRobert California is a fictional character on The Office, played by James Spader. He has no counterpart on the original British version of the series.- Season 7 :...
is hired as office manager. California is promptly promoted to CEO, and his first order of business is to promote Andy to the Scranton managerial post.
In addition to Scott, former main characters no longer regularly part of the show include Pam's ex-fiancé,
Roy AndersonRoyson "Roy" Allan Anderson is a fictional character from the US television series The Office, portrayed by David Denman. His counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Lee.-Overview:...
, who left the show in the third season after nearly assaulting Jim in the workplace; and Michael's former love interest—and former Vice President for Regional Sales for Dunder Mifflin—Jan Levenson, with whom Michael broke up in season four, and who subsequently became pregnant via sperm donation. Both characters returned for one episode each in season five, but neither was seen in the sixth season; Jan returned in season seven as a successful employee and happy single mother to daughter Astrid. Both appear in season seven in Michael's film
Threat Level Midnight.
The series has had a large variety of characters including love interests, co-workers and friends. Initially the actors who portray the other office workers were credited as guest stars before they were named series regulars during the second season. The show's large ensemble has been mainly praised by critics and led to the series winning two Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Season synopses
A typical episode for a half-hour time slot runs 20-and-a-half minutes. The final episode of season two introduced the first of what would be several super-sized episodes that are approximately 28-minute running time for a 40-minute time slot (shortened in repeats and syndication). Season three introduced the first of occasional hour-long episodes (approximately 42-minute running time; suitable for being shown as two separate normal episodes).
Season one
The first season consisted of six episodes.
The series begins by introducing the office's workers via a tour given by branch manager Michael Scott for both the camera crew and a first-day temp (Ryan Howard). The audience learns salesman Jim Halpert has a crush on receptionist Pam Beesly (who helps him play pranks on co-worker Dwight Schrute), even though she is engaged to Roy (who works in the building's lower-level warehouse). News spreads throughout the office that Dunder Mifflin's corporate headquarters is planning to downsize an entire branch, leading to general anxiety, but Michael chooses to deny or downplay the realities of the situation in order to maintain employee morale.
Season two
The second season was the series' first full (twenty-two episode) season, and had its first 40-minute "super-sized" episode. Many workers seen in the background of the first season were developed into secondary characters, while the general threat of downsizing continued.
Romantic relationships begin to develop between some of the characters. Michael spends the night with his boss Jan, in the wake of the latter's divorce, but does not sleep with her. Dwight and Angela become romantically involved, but keep the relationship a secret from everyone else. Kelly develops a crush on Ryan, and they start dating. When Roy sets a date for his wedding to Pam, Jim grows depressed and considers transferring to the
Stamford, ConnecticutStamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
branch, but tells Pam in the season finale that he loves her, even though Pam still insists she will marry Roy. The two kiss, but Jim transfers to the Stamford branch soon after.
Season three
The third season consisted of 25 half-hours of material, divided into 17 half-hour episodes, four 40-minute "super-sized" episodes, and two one-hour episodes.
Jim briefly transfers to the
StamfordStamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643, making it the fourth largest city in the state and the eighth largest city in New England...
branch after Pam confirmed her commitment to Roy, before corporate is forced to merge the Stamford branch and staff into the Scranton branch. Included in the transfer to Scranton are
Karen FilippelliKaren Filippelli is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is played by Rashida Jones. She is loosely based on the character of Rachel from the original UK version of the show, in that she transferred during the merger of the two branches, and became romantically...
, with whom Jim has developed a relationship, and the anger-prone
Andy BernardAndrew "Andy" Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. The character is highly insecure, yet egotistical, constantly mentioning his education at Cornell University...
; all other former Stamford employees quit in frustration with Michael's managerial style. Pam is newly single after calling off her marriage and relationship to Roy prior to the merger, and Jim's unresolved feelings for her and new relationship with Karen lead to shifting tensions amongst the four. This culminates when Roy, in a brief reunion with Pam, attempts to assault Jim after learning of his and Pam's kiss.
Roy is summarily dismissed from Dunder Mifflin, and Pam leaves him once again. Feeling confident in her life, and put-upon or ignored by her various co-workers, Pam builds the courage to make a speech which reveals her true feelings towards each of them, and confesses to Jim he was the reason she called off her wedding.
Meanwhile, the Scranton branch inherits all of Stamford's clients, eventually becoming the most successful branch, and eliminating the fear of further downsizing. Ryan has been hired as a full-time sales representative but fails to make a single sale. Michael and Jan begin a relationship, which causes her to behave erratically on the job. Oscar is inadvertently
outedOuting is the act of disclosing a gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender person's true sexual orientation or gender identity without that person's consent. Outing gives rise to issues of privacy, choice, hypocrisy, and harm in addition to sparking debate on what constitutes common good in efforts...
as
gayHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
by Michael, but accepts an offer, from Jan, for a three-month paid vacation and use of a company car in exchange for not suing. Dwight and Angela continue their secret relationship.
Andy is missing for much of the season as he is sent to
anger managementThe term anger management commonly refers to a system of psychological therapeutic techniques and exercises by which someone with excessive or uncontrollable anger & aggression can control or reduce the triggers, degrees, and effects of an angered emotional state...
training, due to an outburst where he punched a hole in the wall, but he later returns as a much calmer and approachable co-worker. Phyllis becomes engaged to and marries Bob Vance, owner of neighboring business Vance Refrigeration.
In
the season's finale"The Job" is the third season finale of the U.S. version of The Office, and the show's 52nd and 53rd episode overall. It aired in the United States on April 19, 2007 on NBC. It is the season's second hour-long episode...
, Jim, Karen, and Michael interview for a corporate position that turns out to be Jan's, who is fired that day for poor performance. Jim wins and rejects the offer off-screen, opting instead to return to Scranton without Karen and asks Pam to a date, which she joyfully accepts. In the final scene, we learn Ryan has been awarded Jan's job due to his business school credentials.
Season four
NBC ordered a full fourth season of 30 half-hour episodes, but ended with only 19 due to a halt in production caused by the
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strikeThe 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
. The season consisted of 9 half-hour episodes, and 5 hour-long episodes to comprise the 19 total episodes of material created.
Karen has left the Scranton branch after her breakup with Jim, and becomes regional manager at the
UticaUtica is a city in and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 62,235 at the 2010 census, an increase of 2.6% from the 2000 census....
branch. Pam and Jim date happily. An unemployed Jan moves in with Michael, until the dissolution of their relationship midway through the season. After Dwight's crude (though well-intentioned) method of
euthanasiaAnimal euthanasia is the act of putting to death painlessly or allowing to die, as by withholding extreme medical measures, an animal suffering from an incurable, especially a painful, disease or condition. Euthanasia methods are designed to cause minimal pain and distress...
of Angela's ailing cat without her permission, she leaves him for Andy, leading Dwight into depression.
Ryan, in his new corporate life in New York City, attempts to modernize Dunder Mifflin with a new website for online sales; he also learns that his boss,
David WallaceDavid Wallace is a character in the American television show The Office and was the chief financial officer of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, before being fired in late 2009 after the company was bought by Sabre. He is portrayed by Andy Buckley.- Character history :David Wallace was...
, favors Jim, and thus Ryan attempts to sabotage Jim's career. Ryan is soon arrested and fired for committing fraud related to the website's sales numbers. Meanwhile, Kelly moves on from her relationship with Ryan and briefly starts dating Darryl. Toby, embarrassed after accidentally revealing an affection for Pam, announces he is moving to
Costa RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, and is replaced by
Holly FlaxHollis "Holly" Partridge Flax is a fictional character from the US television series The Office played by Amy Ryan. She was an original character, and not based on a character from the British version of the show...
, who quickly shows fondness towards Michael. Pam decides to follow her artistic interests and attend a three-month graphic design course at the
Pratt InstitutePratt Institute is a private art college in New York City located in Brooklyn, New York, with satellite campuses in Manhattan and Utica. Pratt is one of the leading undergraduate art schools in the United States and offers programs in Architecture, Graphic Design, History of Art and Design,...
in New York City, while Jim plans to propose.
In the season finale Andy proposes to Angela, who reluctantly agrees, ruining Jim's proposal plans and leaving Pam disappointed. Phyllis then catches Dwight and Angela having sex in the office.
Season five
The fifth season consisted of 28 half-hours of material, divided into 24 half-hour episodes and two hour-long episodes, one of which aired after
Super Bowl XLIIISuper Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
.
Jim and Pam become engaged, and she ultimately returns from New York to Scranton, where Jim has bought his parents' house for the two of them. Having avoided jail and only been sentenced to community service, Ryan returns to Dunder Mifflin as a temp, but then leaves for Thailand. He is eventually revealed to be working at a bowling alley.
Michael initiates a romance with Holly, in part because of Jan's choice to exclude Michael from the birth of her daughter. When David Wallace learns of their relationship, Holly is transferred to the
Nashua, New Hampshire-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...
branch, where she gains a long-term boyfriend, to Michael's sadness. Toby returns from
Costa RicaCosta Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
and resumes his duties as Scranton's
HRHuman resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
representative. When Andy is made aware of Dwight and Angela's continued affair, both men leave her—Andy because of her infidelity; Dwight once he learns that she has been sleeping with both of them, despite her claims not to be sleeping with Andy.
Newly hired Vice President
Charles MinerCharles Miner was the Vice President of Northeast Sales for Dunder Mifflin, having taken over the position vacated by Ryan and Jan. He is portrayed by Idris Elba.-Character history:Charles is first introduced in "New Boss"...
implements a rigid managerial style over the branch that causes Michael to resign in protest; additionally, Jim's job is jeopardized when Miner catches him playing a prank and his reputation suffers from there. Michael opens the
Michael Scott Paper Company"Michael Scott Paper Company" is the twenty-third episode of the fifth season of the television series The Office, and the 95th overall episode of the series...
, enticing Pam and Ryan to join as salespeople, and though his business model is ultimately unsustainable, Dunder Mifflin's profits are immediately threatened. In a
buyoutA buyout, in finance, is an investment transaction by which the ownership equity of a company, or a majority share of the stock of the company is acquired. The acquiror thereby "buys out" control of the target company....
of the Michael Scott Paper Company, the three are rehired (with Pam promoted to sales and Ryan returning as a temp), while Miner is banished from overseeing the branch. During the chaos, new receptionist
ErinKelly Erin Hannon is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is the office receptionist for the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, a position previously held by Pam Halpert before she left the company. Erin is played by Ellie Kemper...
is hired to fill the vacancy originally left by Pam. The
season's finale"Company Picnic" is the fifth season finale of the American comedy television series The Office, and the 100th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on May 14, 2009...
ends with a cliffhanger ending hinting that Pam might be pregnant.
Season six
The sixth season consisted of 26 half-hours of material, divided into 22 half-hour episodes and two hour-long episodes.
Jim and Pam marry; Jim, looking to ensure security for his future family, tries to convince David Wallace to promote him to Regional Manager, and Michael to Jan's old job. After Michael refuses, Jim is promoted to co-regional manager alongside Michael. Jim struggles to assert his authority; among his problems is a furious Dwight, who allies with Ryan in attempts to sabotage the new boss. Andy and Erin develop mutual interest in one another, but find their inherent awkwardness inhibits his attempts to ask her out on a date. For a short time after the wedding, Michael dates Pam's mom, Helene (
Linda PurlLinda Purl is an American actress and singer, perhaps best known for portraying Ben Matlock's daughter Charlene Matlock in season one of Matlock.-Early life and education abroad:...
), but dumps her on her birthday after realizing she's too old for him; to get even, Michael allows Pam to hit him in the face.
Rumors of bankruptcy begin to surround Dunder Mifflin. By Christmas, Wallace announces to the branch that Dunder Mifflin has accepted a buyout from Sabre Corporation, a printer company. While Wallace and other executives are let go, the Scranton office survives due to its relative success within the company. However, they find their own challenges in adapting to new corporate rules and the spirited style of Sabre's CEO,
Jo BennettJoleen MaryAnn "Jo" Bennett is a fictional character from the US comedy television series The Office, who first appeared in Season 6. She is the CEO of Sabre, who purchased Dunder Mifflin, and is played by Kathy Bates.-Biography:...
(
Kathy BatesKathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
). When she discovers that there are two co-regional managers, she orders one of them to return to sales; Jim volunteers, as Sabre policy means he can earn more money as a salesman, anyway.
Jim and Pam have a girl named Cecelia Marie Halpert. Andy and Erin finally date, but Erin decides they need a break when Michael tells her about Andy's previous relationship with Angela. When the local news discovers that Sabre printers have been catching fire, Jo again visits the Scranton branch demanding to know the source of the leak. Darryl, Pam, and Kelly confess to Michael, but Andy is ultimately blamed after Nick (Nelson Franklin) reveals he was the first to contact the press. After Jo suggests he invest in property, Dwight buys the office park. Michael agrees to make an announcement to the press regarding the faulty printers. When Jo asks how she can repay him, Michael responds that she could bring Holly back to the Scranton branch.
Season seven
The seventh season consisted of 26 half-hours of material, divided into 22 half-hour episodes and two hour-long episodes. This is the final season for
Steve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
, who plays the lead character
Michael ScottMichael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
, as Carell wanted to move on after his contract expired during this season. Beginning with this season,
Zach WoodsZach Woods is an American actor and comedian. From 2010-11, he portrayed Gabe Lewis on the NBC sitcom The Office. He was promoted to a series regular beginning in Season 7....
, who portrays
Gabe LewisGabriel Stuart "Gabe" Lewis is a fictional character on NBC's The Office. He first appears in the sixth season, where he is the Coordinating Director of Emerging Regions for the Sabre Corporate headquarters in Florida...
, was promoted to a series regular. Guest appearances in the season include the return of
Melora HardinMelora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...
as Jan Levenson,
Amy RyanAmy Ryan is an American actress. She has been nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her performance in Gone Baby Gone and is also known for her roles in the HBO series The Wire, playing Port Authority Officer Beadie Russell; In Treatment, playing psychiatrist Adele Brousse; and The...
as
Holly FlaxHollis "Holly" Partridge Flax is a fictional character from the US television series The Office played by Amy Ryan. She was an original character, and not based on a character from the British version of the show...
,
David KoechnerDavid Michael Koechner is an American comedian, musician, and character actor. Koechner began studying improvisational comedy in Chicago at the ImprovOlympic, under the teachings of Del Close, before joining the Second City Northwest...
as
Todd PackerTodd Finch Packer is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by David Koechner, and based on Chris Finch from the original British version.-Overview:Todd is a boorish Outside Sales Representative...
,
Kathy BatesKathleen Doyle "Kathy" Bates is an American actress and director.After several small roles in film and television, Bates rose to prominence with her performance in Misery , for which she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe...
as
Jo BennettJoleen MaryAnn "Jo" Bennett is a fictional character from the US comedy television series The Office, who first appeared in Season 6. She is the CEO of Sabre, who purchased Dunder Mifflin, and is played by Kathy Bates.-Biography:...
,
Rashida JonesRashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
as
Karen FilippelliKaren Filippelli is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is played by Rashida Jones. She is loosely based on the character of Rachel from the original UK version of the show, in that she transferred during the merger of the two branches, and became romantically...
,
David DenmanDavid Denman is an American film and television actor.-Education:After graduating from Fountain Valley High School, Denman attended the summer training congress at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco before receiving his B.F.A. from Juilliard.-Career:He made his film debut with Keanu...
as
Roy AndersonRoyson "Roy" Allan Anderson is a fictional character from the US television series The Office, portrayed by David Denman. His counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Lee.-Overview:...
, and Andy Buckley as
David WallaceDavid Wallace is a character in the American television show The Office and was the chief financial officer of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, before being fired in late 2009 after the company was bought by Sabre. He is portrayed by Andy Buckley.- Character history :David Wallace was...
.
Ricky GervaisRicky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
reprised his role as
David BrentDavid Brent is a fictional character in the BBC television mockumentary The Office, as well as a recurring character in the NBC series of the same name, portrayed by co-writer and director Ricky Gervais. Brent is a white-collar office middle-manager and the principal character of the BBC series...
from the original
British seriesThe Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
in cameo appearances in the episodes "
The Seminar"The Seminar" is the fourteenth episode of seventh season of the American comedytelevision series The Office, and the show's 140th episode overall. Written by Steve Hely and directed by B. J. Novak, the episode aired January 27, 2011 on NBC....
" and "
Search Committee"Search Committee" is the hour-long finale of the seventh season of the American television comedy series The Office. It is the 151st and 152nd episodes of the series overall and the 25th and 26th episodes of the seventh season. It was written by show runner and executive producer Paul Lieberstein...
".
Will FerrellJohn William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
appears in four episodes as Michael Scott's temporary replacement.
Pam tricks Gabe into promoting her to a phony new
salariedA salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis....
position as "office administrator." Erin and Gabe have begun a relationship, much to Andy's chagrin, and he attempts to win her affection back. Angela begins a relationship with a charming man named Robert Lipton, who is a State Senator (Jack Coleman), and then cancels her procreation contract with Dwight. At the office's Christmas party, Holly returns to Scranton to fill in for Toby who is doing jury duty for the "Scranton Strangler" trial. Michael becomes depressed upon learning that Holly and A.J. are still together and have moved in with each other. Pam gives Michael hope when she tells him Holly is going to give A.J. an
ultimatumAn ultimatum is a demand whose fulfillment is requested in a specified period of time and which is backed up by a threat to be followed through in case of noncompliance. An ultimatum is generally the final demand in a series of requests...
regarding their relationship, indicating that they will not last long. Michael is excited to find out that Holly and A.J. are no longer together, and they begin dating soon afterward.
After the office garage sale, Michael proposes to Holly, which she accepts. He then reveals he will be leaving Scranton to go to Colorado with Holly in order to support her elderly parents. Michael begins to train his office replacement,
Deangelo VickersDeangelo Jeremitrius Vickers is a fictional character in the television series The Office. Played by actor Will Ferrell, Vickers was Michael Scott's replacement as Branch Manager during the end of Season 7, since Michael was moving to Colorado with his fiancee Holly...
(
Will FerrellJohn William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
), including hosting the Dundie Awards. Michael walks to the front desk of the office and sees his former employees working as diligently as ever, none except for Jim knowing his departure is that day. Michael is seen in an airport terminal, where he removes his microphone. As he walks away to board his flight, Pam is seen running up to Michael. They say their goodbyes, and Michael continues walking. Pam watches through a window as Michael's plane takes off. Deangelo is soon badly injured and taken to the hospital after a failed attempt at a basketball stunt, leaving the office without a manager. Jim is offered the position as interim manager but turns it down. The job is then given to Dwight, who loses it after only a week. Jo Bennett then moves Creed Bratton to acting manager, based solely on his seniority. Jo creates a search committee, led by Jim and including Toby and Gabe (who is later replaced by Kelly), to interview candidates and choose a new manager for the office.
Season eight
The eighth season premiered on September 22, 2011.
James SpaderJames Todd Spader is an American actor best known for his eccentric roles in movies such as Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Crash, Stargate, and Secretary...
reprises his role as
Robert CaliforniaRobert California is a fictional character on The Office, played by James Spader. He has no counterpart on the original British version of the series.- Season 7 :...
, the new CEO of Sabre-Dunder Mifflin. Pam and Jim are expecting their second child at the start of the season, to coincide with Jenna Fischer's real life pregnancy.
Robert is hired as the regional branch manager of Scranton but within a day, becomes CEO of Sabre by talking Jo Bennett out of her job. Andy is then promoted to regional manager and works hard to make a good impression on Robert, and tasks Dwight to be his number two. Pam is pregnant with a second child while Angela is also pregnant with her husband's child. Darryl also briefly dates Justine, his ex-wife.
Webisodes
"The Accountants": Between the second and third seasons, the summer
webisodeA webisode is a short episode which airs initially as Internet television, either download or stream as opposed to first airing on broadcast or cable television. The format can be used as a preview, a promotion, as part of a collection of shorts, or a commercial.A webisode can be an episode...
series "The Accountants" was released, the first premiering on July 13, 2006. The webisodes follow the accountants Angela, Oscar, and Kevin as they try to find out who stole $3,000 from the books.
"
Kevin's Loanthumb|225px|Darryl trying to get the bank to give Kevin a loan for his Ice Cream business.Kevin's Loan is a spin-off series of mini-episodes of The Office; it premiered as original internet-only content, available online at NBC.com. It started its run on July 10, 2008...
": Between the fourth and fifth seasons, the summer webisode series "Kevin's Loan" was released in four weekly episodes, the first premiering on July 10, 2008. The webisodes follow Kevin, Oscar, and Darryl. In the story, Kevin attempts to repay his gambling debts by taking out a loan, which he intends to say is for starting an ice cream business. Although Oscar attempts to dissuade him, Kevin goes through with his plan which inevitably fails, even with Darryl's help.
"
The OutburstThe Outburst is a spin-off series of mini-episodes of The Office; it premiered as original internet-only content, available online at NBC.com. It started its run on November 20, 2008...
": During the fifth season, the winter webisode series "The Outburst" was released in weekly episodes, the first premiering on November 20, 2008. Oscar is overheard angrily yelling at someone on the phone; Kevin, Angela, Andy, Phyllis, Kelly, Creed, Meredith, and Toby all investigate the mysterious call.
"
BlackmailBlackmail is a spin-off series of mini-episodes of The Office; it premiered as original internet-only content, available online at NBC.com.-Cast:*Creed Bratton as Creed Bratton*Oscar Nunez as Oscar Martinez*Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer...
": At the conclusion of the fifth season, the summer webisode series "Blackmail" was released similarly to the previous two, in weekly episodes. The first episode was released on May 7, 2009. The webisodes look at a plot by Creed to get money from his fellow employees by trying to blackmail them with secrets. Creed enlists the help of some office workers but the office fights back.
"
Subtle SexualitySubtle Sexuality is a spin-off series of mini-episodes of The Office. It premiered as original internet-only content, available online at NBC.com. It aired its episodes on October 29, 2009.-Cast:*Mindy Kaling as Kelly Kapoor...
": During the sixth season, the fall webisode series "Subtle Sexuality" aired in its entirety on October 29, 2009. The series focuses on Kelly and Erin forming their own girl group called Subtle Sexuality. The first two webisodes document the behind-the-scenes aspects and troubles of shooting the music video for their first single "Male Prima Donna", while the third and final webisode is the music video itself, which features Ryan as a guest rapper and Andy singing the bridge. The webisodes earned
The Office a 2010
Streamy AwardThe Streamy Awards, popularly known as the Streamys, are presented annually by the International Academy of Web Television to recognize excellence in the arts and science of web television production, including directing, acting, producing, and writing. The formal ceremony at which the awards are...
for "Best Companion Web Series."
"The Mentor": During the sixth season, the winter webisode series "The Mentor" aired in its entirety on March 4, 2010. Erin wants to be an accountant so Angela decides to train her. But, Erin's relationship with Kelly turns bad when she spends too much time with Angela. Kelly and Ryan then interfere in Angela and Erin's relationship.
"The 3rd Floor": During the seventh season, the fall webisode series "The 3rd Floor" aired in its entirety on October 28, 2010. Ryan attempts to make a horror film titled
The 3rd Floor using Dunder Mifflin as a location, and workers such as Kelly, Erin, Gabe, Kevin and Meredith as actors.
"
The PodcastThe Podcast is a spin-off series of mini-episodes of The Office; The webisodes were made available on January 20, 2011 on NBC.com, but were previously included on the season 6 DVD release.-Cast:*Zach Woods as Gabe Lewis*Oscar Nunez as Oscar Martinez...
": During the seventh season, the winter webisode series "The Podcast" aired in its entirety on January 20, 2011. The websisodes were previously available on the season 6 DVD. Gabe attempts to record a podcast in the office about the Sabre website, hoping to impress corporate.
"The Girl Next Door": During the seventh season, the webisode series "The Girl Next Door" aired in its entirety on May 4, 2011. The series focuses on Kelly and Erin's girl group called Subtle Sexuality. The first webisode document the behind-the-scenes aspects of their second single "The Girl Next Door", while the second and final webisode is the music video itself, which features Ryan.
Deleted scenes
On
The Office, deleted scenes are considered part of the show's
canonIn the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
and storyline. Almost every episode of
The Office includes deleted scenes on DVD and Blu-ray. Deleted scenes have sometimes been restored in repeats to make episodes longer or draw people who have seen the episode before back to see the bonus footage. In an experiment, a deleted scene from "
The Return"The Return" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the US version of The Office. It aired on January 18, 2007 on NBC and marked the return to work of Oscar Martinez, who had been on vacation since the first episode of the season....
" was made available over NBC.com and
iTunesThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
; explaining the absence of a character over the next several episodes. Daniels hoped that
word of mouthWord of mouth, or viva voce, is the passing of information from person to person by oral communication. Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. Oral tradition is cultural material and...
among fans would spread the information, but eventually considered the experiment a failure.
Product placement
The Office has had product placement deals with Staples and the Olympic
balerA baler is a piece of farm machinery used to compress a cut and raked crop into compact bales that are easy to handle, transport and store...
, as well as mentioning in dialogue or displaying clear logos for products such as
Sandals ResortsSandals Resorts is an operator of all-inclusive resorts in the Caribbean and part of Sandals Resorts International , parent company of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts, Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts and The Royal Plantation Collection. Sandals Resorts has a total of 15 couples-only properties,...
,
HPHewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including...
, Apple, and
GatewayGateway Computer Corporation, is a computer hardware company headquartered in Irvine, California, USA which develops, manufactures, supports, and markets a wide range of personal computers, computer monitors, servers, and computer accessories...
computers, and
ActivisionActivision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
's
Call of DutyCall of Duty is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision in 2003. It is the first game in a series with the same name. The game simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II. The game is based on the Quake III: Team Arena engine...
video game series. In "
The Merger"The Merger" is the eighth episode of the third season of The Office . It aired on November 16, 2006, as a special 40-minute episode on NBC.In this episode, the Scranton and Stamford branches are merged...
",
Kevin MaloneKevin Jaye Malone is a character in the United States television series The Office. He is played by Brian Baumgartner. Kevin's counterpart in the UK series is Keith Bishop.-Biography:...
uses a Staples-branded shredding machine to shred a Staples-branded
CD-RA CD-R is a variation of the Compact Disc invented by Philips and Sony. CD-R is a Write Once Read Many optical medium, though the whole disk does not have to be entirely written in the same session....
and many other non-paper items, including a salad. As with HP,
Cisco SystemsCisco Systems, Inc. is an American multinational corporation headquartered in San Jose, California, United States, that designs and sells consumer electronics, networking, voice, and communications technology and services. Cisco has more than 70,000 employees and annual revenue of US$...
, a supplier of networking and telephone equipment, pays for product placement, which can be seen on close-up shots of the Cisco IP Telephones. Some products have additional branding labels attached, this can be clearly seen with the HP photo printer on Toby's desk in season 6, and is less noticeable with the Cisco phones. In "The Secret" Michael takes Jim to
HootersHooters is the trade name of two privately held American restaurant chains: Hooters of America, Incorporated, based in Atlanta, Georgia, and Hooters, Incorporated, based in Clearwater, Florida...
to discuss Jim's feelings for Pam. In "
The Merger"The Merger" is the eighth episode of the third season of The Office . It aired on November 16, 2006, as a special 40-minute episode on NBC.In this episode, the Scranton and Stamford branches are merged...
," Angela refers to Hooters as a strip club, causing Michael to defend Hooters as a family place, and inform the camera of how many chains there are worldwide. Hooters is also identified as the company's caterer in "Casino Night".
Many products featured are not part of product placement agreements, but rather inserted by writers as products the characters would use to create realism under the guise of a documentary.
Chili'sChili's Grill & Bar is a restaurant chain founded by Larry Lavine. The chain has more than 1400 casual dining restaurants, mostly located in the United States and Canada...
restaurants were used for filming in "
The Dundies"The Dundies" is the second season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office—the show's seventh episode overall. Written by Mindy Kaling and directed by Greg Daniels, who is also a producer for the show, the episode originally aired in the United States on September 20, 2005 on...
" and "The Client", as the writers believed they were realistic choices for a company party and business lunch. Though not an explicit product placement, the producers of the show had to allow Chili's to have final approval of the script before filming, causing a scene of "The Dundies" to be hastily rewritten when the chain objected to the original version. Apple Inc. received over four minutes of publicity for the
iPodiPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
when it was used as a much-desired gift in "Christmas Party", though the company did not pay for the placement. Several Apple products have been featured on the series including iPod Classic, iPhone, iBook, MacBook Pro, eMac, and iMac.
AdobeAdobe Systems Incorporated is an American computer software company founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Jose, California, United States...
products such as
FlashAdobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
,
PhotoshopAdobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
and
PremiereAdobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based video editing software application. It is part of the Adobe Creative Suite, a suite of graphic design, video editing, and web development applications developed by Adobe Systems, though it can also be purchased separately. When purchased separately, it comes...
have also been mentioned or shown. Web sites such as
CraigslistCraigslist is a centralized network of online communities featuring free online classified advertisements, with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums....
,
TripAdvisorTripAdvisor.com is a travel website that assists customers in gathering travel information, posting reviews and opinions of travel-related content and engaging in interactive travel forums. It is part of the TripAdvisor Media Group, operated by Expedia, Inc. TripAdvisor is a pioneer of...
,
MonsterMonster.com is one of the largest employment websites in the world, owned and operated by Monster Worldwide, Inc. Monster is one of the 20 most visited websites out of 100 million worldwide, according to comScore Media Metrics...
,
YouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
and
WikipediaWikipedia is a free, web-based, collaborative, multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its 20 million articles have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world. Almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone with access to the site,...
are often mentioned. The appearance of
Second LifeSecond Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
in the episode "
Local Ad"Local Ad" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's sixty-second episode overall. The episode was written by B. J. Novak, who also acts in the show as Ryan Howard, and directed by Jason Reitman...
" was rated eighth in the top ten most effective product placements of 2007.
The Office was the only non-
reality showReality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...
to make the list, and
Second Life was the only product on the list that did not pay for its placement.
Proposed spin-off series and feature film
A
spin-offIn media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
to the series was proposed in 2008, with a
pilot episodeA "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
expected to debut as the
Super Bowl lead-out program in 2009. However,
The Offices creative team instead decided to develop Parks and RecreationParks and Recreation is an American comedy television series on NBC that focuses on Leslie Knope , a mid-level bureaucrat in the parks department of Pawnee, a fictional town in Indiana. Created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, the series debuted on April 9, 2009; it has run for three seasons and...
as a separate series. In 2009,
Greg DanielsGregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
revealed that a spin-off series was still a possibility.
Paul LiebersteinPaul Bevan Lieberstein is an American screenwriter, actor and television producer. An Emmy Award winner, he is most widely known as a writer, producer, and as supporting cast member Toby Flenderson on the U.S...
mentioned that a feature film adaptation of the series is also possible after the series ends its run.
Reception
Before the show aired, Gervais acknowledged that there were feelings of hesitation from certain viewers.
Critical reviews and commentary
Before its first airing, the
New York Daily NewsThe Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
called it "so diluted there's little left but muddy water," and USA TodayUSA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
called it a "passable imitation of a miles-better BBC original." A Guardian Unlimitedguardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...
review panned its lack of originality, stating, "(Steve Carell) just seems to be trying too hard ... Maybe in later episodes when it deviates from Gervais and Merchant's script, he'll come into his own. But right now he's a pale imitation." Tom ShalesThomas William "Tom" Shales is an American critic of television programming and operations. He is best known as TV critic for The Washington Post; in 1988, Shales received the Pulitzer Prize...
of the Washington Post
said it was "not the mishmash that [the Americanized versionCoupling is a 2003 American remake of the British television sitcom of the same title which aired on NBC.-Reception:It failed to perform in the ratings and was canceled before the November sweeps, with several episodes remaining unaired despite heavy publicity by the network. It was immediately...
of] CouplingCoupling is a British television sitcom written by Steven Moffat that aired on BBC2 from May 2000 to June 2004. Produced by Hartswood Films for the BBC, the show centres on the dating and sexual adventures and mishaps of six friends in their thirties, often depicting the three women and the three...
turned out to be, but again the quality of the original show causes the remake to look dim, like when the copying machine is just about to give out."
Reviews became more positive in the second season. TimeTime is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
remarked, "Producer Greg Daniels created not a copy but an interpretation that sends up distinctly American work conventions ... with a tone that's more satiric and less mordant. ... The new boss is different from the old boss, and that's fine by me." Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
echoed these sentiments a week later, stating, "Thanks to the fearless Steve Carell, an ever-stronger supporting cast, and scripts that spew American corporate absurdist vernacular with perfect pitch, this undervalued remake does the near impossible—it honors Ricky Gervais' original and works on its own terms." The A.V. ClubThe A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
expressed its views on the show's progression: "After a rocky start, The Office
improved immeasurably, instantly becoming one of TV's funniest, sharpest shows. The casting of Steve Carell in the Gervais role proved to be a masterstroke. The American Office
is that rarest of anomalies: a remake of a classic show that both does right by its source and carves out its own strong identity."
The series has been included on several top TV series lists. Times
James PoniewozikJames Poniewozik is an American journalist and television critic. He writes Times Tuned In column and has a blog with the same name.Originally from Monroe, MI, Poniewozik attended the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, graduating with a BA in English. He subsequently attended the graduate program...
named it one of the top 10 returning series of 2007, ranking it at #6. He also included it on his "The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME" list. The show was also named the best show of 2006 by
BuddyTVBuddyTV is an entertainment-based website based in Seattle, Washington, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profiles, actor biographies and...
.
MetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
named it the thirteenth most mentioned series on "Best of Decade" top-ten lists while
PastePaste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
named it the sixth best sitcom of 2010. The show has some superficial similarities to the comic-strip
DilbertDilbert is an American comic strip written and drawn by Scott Adams. First published on April 16, 1989, Dilbert is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office featuring the engineer Dilbert as the title character...
, which also features employees coping with an inept superior. John Spector, CEO of The Conference Board, says that both show the impact a leader can have, for good or bad. Dilbert creator
Scott AdamsScott Raymond Adams is the American creator of the Dilbert comic strip and the author of several nonfiction works of satire, commentary, business, and general speculation....
also touts the similarities: "The lesson from
The Office and from
Dilbert is that people are often dysfunctional, and no amount of training can fix it." A labor-affiliated group praised the episode "Boys and Girls" for what it considered an unusually frank depiction of
union bustingUnion busting is a wide range of activities undertaken by employers, their proxies, and governments, which attempt to prevent the formation or expansion of trade unions...
on American television. The third season of
The Office got a 85/100 score on
MetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, while the sixth season of got a 78/100 score.
Recent seasons have been criticized for a dip in quality. The sixth season received criticisms for a lack of stakes for the characters. Several critics and fans have also criticized the Jim and Pam romance.
The Office co-creator
Ricky GervaisRicky Dene Gervais is an English comedian, actor, director, radio presenter, producer, musician, and writer.Gervais achieved mainstream fame with his television series The Office and the subsequent series Extras, both of which he co-wrote and co-directed with friend and frequent collaborator...
wrote in his blog, referring to "
Search Committee"Search Committee" is the hour-long finale of the seventh season of the American television comedy series The Office. It is the 151st and 152nd episodes of the series overall and the 25th and 26th episodes of the seventh season. It was written by show runner and executive producer Paul Lieberstein...
" particularly
Warren BuffettWarren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely regarded as one of the most successful investors in the world. Often introduced as "legendary investor, Warren Buffett", he is the primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is...
's guest appearance, "If you're going to jump a shark, jump a big one." and compared the episode to the
Chris MartinChristopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin is an English song-writer, who is the lead vocalist, pianist and rhythm guitarist of the band Coldplay. He is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.-Early life:...
episode of Gervais's other series,
Extras. He later said "I fucking didn't [diss
The Office], that's for sure". Many critics have said the series should have ended after the departure of Steve Carell. Despite this, some recent episodes have received critical acclaim including: "
Stress Relief"Stress Relief" is a two-part episode of the American comedy television series The Office. They constituted the fourteenth and fifteenth episode of the fifth season, and the 86th and 87th overall episodes of the series...
", "
Niagara"Niagara" is an hour-long episode of the sixth season of the U.S. comedy series The Office. It is the 4th and 5th episodes in the season's episode count and the 104th and 105th episode of the series overall. The episode was written by executive producer Greg Daniels and Mindy Kaling, and was...
", "
Garage Sale"Garage Sale" is the nineteenth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 145th episode overall. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and was directed by series star Steve Carell...
" and "
Goodbye, Michael"Goodbye, Michael" is the twenty-second episode of the seventh season of the American comedy series The Office and the show's 148th episode overall. The episode was written by series developer and executive producer Greg Daniels and was directed by Paul Feig. The episode originally aired on April...
".
Ratings
Premiering on Thursday, March 24, 2005, after an episode of
The ApprenticeThe Apprentice is an American reality television show hosted by real estate magnate, businessman and television personality Donald Trump, created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on NBC...
on NBC,
The Office brought in 11.2 million viewers in the U.S., winning its time slot. When NBC moved the series to its intended Tuesday night slot, it lost nearly half its audience with only 5.9 million viewers. The program averaged 5.4 million viewers, ranking it #102 for the 2004–2005 U.S. television season. "Hot Girl", the first season's
finaleA season finale is the final episode of a season of a television program...
, rated a 2.2 with a 10
audience measurement shareAudience measurement measures how many people are in an audience, usually in relation to radio listenership and television viewership, but also in relation to newspaper and magazine readership and, increasingly, web traffic on websites...
, the lowest rating in the show's history. Episodes were also rerun on
CNBCCNBC is a satellite and cable television business news channel in the U.S., owned and operated by NBCUniversal. The network and its international spinoffs cover business headlines and provide live coverage of financial markets. The combined reach of CNBC and its siblings is 390 million viewers...
.
As the second season started, the success of Carell's hit summer movie
The 40-Year-Old VirginThe 40-Year-Old Virgin is a 2005 American buddy comedy film about a middle-aged man's journey to finally have sex. The film was written and directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by its lead star, Steve Carell, though the film itself features a great deal of improvised dialogue...
and online sales of episodes at
iTunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
helped the show. The increase in viewership led NBC to move the series to the "
Must See TV"Must See TV" is an advertising slogan used by the NBC television network to brand its prime time blocks of sitcoms during the 1990s, and most often applied to the network's Thursday night lineup, which featured such popular sitcoms as The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, Night Court, A Different...
" Thursday night in January 2006, where ratings continued to grow. By the 2005–2006 season, it placed #67 (tied with
20/20). It averaged 8.0 million viewers with a 10/10 rating, and was up 80% in viewers from the year before and up 60% in viewers ages 18–49. The third-season premiere received a 9.9 and made a large increase in total viewers and viewers 18–49 over
My Name Is EarlMy Name Is Earl is an American television comedy series created by Greg Garcia that was originally broadcast on the NBC television network from September 20, 2005, to May 14, 2009, in the United States...
. By the end of the 2006–2007 season, it placed #68 (tied with
The Biggest Loser 3The Biggest Loser is the third season of the NBC reality television series entitled The Biggest Loser. The third season premiered on September 20, 2006 with fifty overweight contestants , each competing to lose the most weight...
). It averaged 8.3 million viewers with a 11/11 rating, a large improvement from the previous season.
The season five premiere received was on par with the previous season's premiere, placing third for viewership during its timeslot and second in 18-49 demo. Season 5 ranked #14 for Adults 18-49, averaging 5.3 million viewers in that age group.
Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
released figures for delayed viewing, and
The Office increased 48 percent from its fourth season debut, adding 2.5 million viewers in playback. Recent seasons have dropped in the ratings with the eight season episode, "
Spooked"Spooked" is the fifth episode of the eighth season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 157th episode overall. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 27, 2011. It was written by Carrie Kemper and directed by Randall Einhorn...
" ranking as the lowest rated episode of the series to air on Thursday. Despite this, the show is still one of NBC's highest rated shows and currently costs $178,840 per-30 second commercial, the most for any NBC scripted series.
Seasonal ratings
| Season |
Timeslot (ET The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
) |
Season premiere |
Season finale |
TV season |
Rank |
Viewers
(in millions) |
| 1 |
Thursday 9:30 pm ("Pilot")
Tuesday 9:30 pm |
March 24, 2005 |
April 26, 2005 |
2005 |
#102 |
5.4 |
| 2 |
Tuesday 9:30 pm
(September 20 – December 6, 2005)
Thursday 9:30 pm
(January 5 – May 11, 2006) |
September 20, 2005 |
May 11, 2006 |
2005–2006 |
#67 |
8.0 |
| 3 |
Thursday 8:30 pm |
September 21, 2006 |
May 17, 2007 |
2006–2007 |
#68 |
8.3 |
| 4 |
Thursday 9:00 pm |
September 27, 2007 |
May 15, 2008 |
2007–2008 The following article details the developing fall prime time schedules for the United States' six major English language broadcast networks. Following are lists of what programs have been either renewed or canceled by their networks, the new programs picked up by the networks, and then a schedule...
|
#77 |
8.0 |
| 5 |
September 25, 2008 |
May 14, 2009 |
2008–2009 The following is the 2008–2009 network television schedule for the six major English language broadcast networks in the United States. The schedule covers primetime hours from September 2008 through May 2009. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and...
|
#53 |
9.2 |
| 6 |
September 17, 2009 |
May 20, 2010 |
2009–2010 |
#52 |
7.8 |
| 7 |
September 23, 2010 |
May 19, 2011 |
2010–2011 |
#53 |
7.7 |
| 8 The eighth season of the American television comedy The Office premiered on September 22, 2011 on NBC. The Office is an American adaptation of the British TV series of the same name, and is presented in a mockumentary format, portraying the daily lives of office employees in the Scranton,...
|
September 22, 2011 |
|
2011–2012 The 2011–2012 network television schedule for the five major English commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers primetime hours from September 2011 through May 2012...
|
|
|
Cultural effects
The city of Scranton, long known mainly for its industrial past as a
coal miningThe goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
and
railPresently, most rail transport in the United States is based on freight train shipments. The U.S. rail industry has experienced repeated convulsions due to changing U.S. economic needs and the rise of automobile, bus, and air transport....
center, has eagerly embraced, and ultimately has been redefined by the show. "We're really hip now," says the mayor's assistant. The Dunder Mifflin logo is on a lamppost banner in front of
Scranton City HallScranton City Hall is located at Washington and Mulberry streets in the downtown section of that city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is a three-story limestone ashlar Victorian Gothic Revival building with sandstone trim, designed by architects Edwin L...
, as well as the pedestrian bridge to the
Mall at SteamtownThe Mall at Steamtown is a shopping center and the commercial centerpiece of Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. It features nearly one hundred retail and specialty stores. The Mall at Steamtown was conceived in the mid 1980s as the keystone of downtown revitalization, though the project was...
. The Pennsylvania Paper & Supply Company, whose tower is shown in the opening credits, plans to add it to the tower as well. Newspapers in other
NortheasternThe Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
cities have published travel guides to Scranton locations for tourists interested in visiting places mentioned in the show.
Scranton has become identified with the show outside the United States as well. In a 2008 St. Patrick's Day speech in its suburb of
Dickson CityDickson City is a borough in Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, north of Scranton. Coal mining had been an important industry in the past. Some of the population totals follow: in 1900, 4,948; in 1910, 9,331; in 1920, 11,049; and in 1940, 11,548...
, former
TaoiseachThe Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
(Irish prime minister)
Bertie AhernPatrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
identified the city as the home of Dunder Mifflin.
The inaugural
The Office convention was held downtown in October 2007. Notable landmarks, some of which have been settings for the show, that served as venues include the
University of ScrantonThe University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Catholic and Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a...
, the
Radisson Lackawanna Station HotelThe Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel, built as the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Station, is a neo-classical building in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was built as a train station and office building in 1908; closed in 1970; listed on the U.S...
and the
Mall at SteamtownThe Mall at Steamtown is a shopping center and the commercial centerpiece of Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States. It features nearly one hundred retail and specialty stores. The Mall at Steamtown was conceived in the mid 1980s as the keystone of downtown revitalization, though the project was...
. Cast appearances were made by B.J. Novak, Ed Helms, Oscar Nunez, Angela Kinsey, Brian Baumgartner, Leslie David Baker, Mindy Kaling, Craig Robinson, Melora Hardin, Phyllis Smith, Creed Bratton, Kate Flannery, Bobby Ray Shafer, and Andy Buckley. Writer appearances, besides Novak and Kaling, were made by Greg Daniels, Michael Schur, Jennifer Celotta, Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky, Justin Spitzer, Anthony Ferrell, Ryan Koh, Lester Lewis, and Jason Kessler. Not present were writer-actor Paul Lieberstein (who was originally going to make an appearance), Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, and Jenna Fischer.
On an episode of
The Daily ShowThe Daily Show , is an American late night satirical television program airing each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central. The half-hour long show premiered on July 21, 1996, and was hosted by Craig Kilborn until December 1998...
,
RepublicanThe Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
presidential candidate
John McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
, reportedly a devoted fan of the show, jokingly told
Jon StewartJon Stewart is an American political satirist, writer, television host, actor, media critic and stand-up comedian...
he might take Dwight Schrute as his running mate. Rainn Wilson later accepted on Dwight's behalf while on
The Tonight Show with Jay LenoThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
. After the airing of "
Garage Sale"Garage Sale" is the nineteenth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office and the show's 145th episode overall. The episode was written by Jon Vitti and was directed by series star Steve Carell...
", Colorado governor
John HickenlooperJohn Wright Hickenlooper is an American politician and current Governor of Colorado. A Democrat, he was previously the Mayor of Denver, Colorado from 2003 to 2011.-Early life, education and career:...
issued a press release appointing Michael Scott to the position of Director of Paper Distribution in the Department of Natural Resources.
In multiple episodes, characters can be seen wearing undershirts and sweatshirts from the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton PioneersThe Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers were a minor league arena football team that played in the AF2. The team was part of the East Division in the American conference. The Pioneers were an expansion team for the league's 2002 season, and were the runner-ups in ArenaCup VIII and ArenaCup X.-2001:The...
, an
Arena FootballArena football is a variety of gridiron football played by the Arena Football League . It is a proprietary game, the rights to which are owned by Gridiron Enterprises, and is played indoors on a smaller field than American or Canadian outdoor football, resulting in a faster and higher-scoring game....
team in the
Arena Football LeagueThe Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
.
International broadcast
In the United Kingdom, the show was named in listings magazines (but not onscreen) as
The Office: An American Workplace when it was originally aired on
ITV2ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
. This is done to differentiate this version of the show from the original British series. The show is now being broadcast on
ITV4ITV4 is a British television station which was launched on 1 November 2005. It is owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc, and is part of the ITV network. The channel has a male-oriented line-up, including sport, cop shows and US comedies and dramas, as well as classic ITV action...
and
Comedy CentralComedy Central in the United Kingdom and Ireland is a localised version of Comedy Central which first began in the United States in the 1990s. The television channel is available through the Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk TV in the United Kingdom, Sky Ireland, UPC Ireland and Magnet Networks in the...
.
In Canada, early seasons were
simulcastSimulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
or broadcast earlier than their American debut on
CitytvCitytv is a Canadian English language television system owned and operated by Rogers Communications under its Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. division...
, until simulcast rights were purchased by CH beginning with the third season. The rights were transferred in early 2007 to then-parent network
GlobalGlobal Television Network is an English language privately owned television network in Canada, owned by Calgary-based Shaw Communications, as part of its Shaw Media division...
, where it continues to air. In Brazil,
FXFX Latin America is a cable television channel and is the Latin American version of the popular American television network FX. The channel does not share the same logo as its American counterpart. FX Latin America is intended as a counterpart to Fox Life, the first being produced for the male...
began airing the show on April 9, 2006 at 8:30 pm. In Germany,
Super RTLSuper RTL is a Cologne-based German television network operated by RTL Disney Fernsehen GmbH & Co. KG. It was the second German television channel aimed mostly at children...
began airing the show on January 5, 2008 at 11:10 pm. In Austria,
ORF1ORF eins is an Austrian television channel. It was the first television channel in Austria, started in 1955.ORF eins is one of four public TV channels in Austria. ORF eins broadcasts TV series and featured films, whereas ORF2 focuses on cultural programming and information. ORF Sport Plus is the...
began airing the show on March 6, 2008 at 11:10 pm. In Spain, TNT,
Paramount Comedy (Spain)Paramount Comedy is a 24-hour Spanish cable television and satellite television comedy channel available in Spain. It is owned by MTV Networks Europe and Viacom. In other parts of the world, such as the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy, the channel is known as Comedy Central...
and laSexta are airing the show. In Ireland,
3e3E or 3-E may refer to:*3e, general entertainment channel operated in Ireland*3rd meridian east*Third edition in the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons*NY 3E, alternate name for New York State Route 104*OK-3E, abbreviation for Oklahoma State Highway 3...
broadcast the show with the title
The US Office. In the Netherlands, the show began airing on
Comedy CentralComedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
under the title
The Office US in April 2007. In India, the show is broadcast on
STAR WorldSTAR World is an Asian English language cable and satellite television network owned by Star TV and Fox International Channels, fully owned subsidiaries of News Corporation. The channel is the successor of STAR Plus, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
. In Australia, it airs on
FoxtelFoxtel is an Australian pay television company, operating cable, direct broadcast satellite television and IPTV services. It was formed in 1995 through a joint venture established between Telstra and News Corporation....
,
Network TenNetwork Ten , is one of Australia's three major commercial television networks. Owned-and-operated stations can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth, while affiliates extend the network to cover most of the country...
and in 2011 it will also air on
ElevenEleven is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel, which was launched by ElevenCo, on 11 January 2011.-Joint venture:...
. In France, the show is broadcast late nights on
Canal+Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
. In Russia,
Channel OneChannel One is the first television channel to broadcast in the Soviet Union. The channel was renamed Ostankino Channel 1 in 1991, after the Soviet Union broke up and the Russian SFSR became the Russian Federation. According to a recent government publication, the Russian government controls 51%...
began airing the show on July 14, 2008 at 12:20 am. In Hungary, the series is broadcast by
Viasat 3Viasat 3 is a Hungarian TV channel. It was originally named Alfa TV, but when in 2000 the station was bought by Swedish MTG its name was changed. It began broadcasting as Viasat 3 in October 2000....
. In Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, it began airing on
TV6TV6 may refer to:*TV-6 , defunct Russian television channel, closed by Russian authorities in 2002*TV6 , defunct French television channel broadcasting in 1986 and 1987, predecessor to M6...
since spring 2008. In Denmark, the show ran on
DR2DR2 is a Danish television station. It is part of Danmarks Radio, the public service broadcasting company of Denmark.It was launched in 1996 as a satellite-/cable-only channel. This was highly controversial at the time, as it was considered close to a breach of public service principles that the...
for some months in 2008 before being discontinued. The show's first season ran on the Norwegian channel
TV2TV 2 is the largest commercial television station in Norway. Over 30% of the time Norwegians spend watching TV is spent watching TV 2. The station has 65% of the market for TV commercials in Norway....
in 2007/2008. In the Philippines, it airs on
Jack TVJack TV is a Philippine cable TV network owned by Solar Entertainment Corporation, test launched on May 2005, officially debuting on July 12, 2005. It offers Western comedy, animation, sports entertainment, drama series and reality shows, such as Cartoon Network, USA Network, The CW, MyNetworkTV,...
. In Greece, the show is broadcast on
Universal ChannelUniversal Channel is a television channel specializing in movies and television series in the thriller, drama, comedy, horror, crime and investigation genres, owned by Universal Networks International, a division of NBCUniversal and available on satellite and cable platforms...
. In Turkey, the show is has been broadcasting on TNT since 2008. In South Korea, it began broadcasting on
Fox LifeFox Life is a television network, launched by the Fox Broadcasting Company, which airs across Latin America, Europe and Japan . Its basic programming include numerous television series, sitcoms and movies, among others, which includes some original programming in certain regions...
since May 29, 2010. In Belgium, 2BE aired the first season in 2010. In Croatia, the series airs on
HRTCroatian Radiotelevision is a Croatian public broadcasting company. It operates several radio and television channels, over a domestic transmitter network as well as satellite...
Channel 2. In
Republic of MacedoniaMacedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
, the series started to air in May 2011 on
TelmaTelma TV is a private national and satellite television channel in Macedonia, formed in September, 1996....
.
Online releases
Episodes from
The Office were among the first shows available for download from the
iTunes StoreThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
beginning in December 2005. In 2006, ten internet-exclusive webisodes featuring some of the characters on
The Office aired on NBC.com. "Producer's Cuts" (containing approximately ten additional minutes of material) of the episodes "
Branch Closing"Branch Closing" is the seventh episode of the third season of The Office . It was first aired on November 9, 2006 on NBC. It was written by Michael Schur and directed by Tucker Gates. It is the first episode to have a "Producer's Cut" on NBC.com, with deleted scenes edited into the full episode...
" and "
The Return"The Return" is the fourteenth episode of the third season of the US version of The Office. It aired on January 18, 2007 on NBC and marked the return to work of Oscar Martinez, who had been on vacation since the first episode of the season....
" were also made available on NBC.com.
The Office also became available for download from Amazon.com's
UnboxAmazon Instant Video is an Internet video on demand service, only available in the United States, offered by Amazon.com which offers television shows and films for rental and purchase. The service became available on September 7, 2006 as Amazon Unbox...
video downloads in 2006. Sales of new
The Office episodes on iTunes ceased in 2007 due to a dispute between NBC and Apple ostensibly over pricing. As of September 9, 2008
The Office was put back on the iTunes store, and can be bought in HD and Regular format.
NetflixNetflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
also offers the show for online viewing by subscribers, in addition to traditional DVD rental.
The Office is also available on
MicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
s
ZuneZune is a digital media brand owned by Microsoft which includes a line of portable media players, a digital media player software for Windows machines, a music subscription service known as a 'Zune Music Pass', music and video streaming for the Xbox 360 via the Zune Software, music, TV and movie...
Marketplace.
Of the 12.4 million total viewings of "
Fun Run"Fun Run" is the fourth season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's fifty-fourth episode overall...
", the fourth season's premiere, 2.7 million, or 22%, were on a computer via online streaming. "
The Office," said
The New York TimesThe New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, "is on the leading edge of a sharp shift in entertainment viewing that was thought to be years away: watching television episodes on a computer screen is now a common activity for millions of consumers." It was particularly popular with online viewers, an NBC researcher said, because as an episode-driven sitcom without special effects it was easy to watch on smaller monitors such as those found on
laptopA laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
s and
iPodiPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
s. Between the online viewings and those who use
digital video recorderA digital video recorder , sometimes referred to by the merchandising term personal video recorder , is a consumer electronics device or application software that records video in a digital format to a disk drive, USB flash drive, SD memory card or other local or networked mass storage device...
s, 25-50% of the show's viewers
watch it after its scheduled airtimeTime shifting is the recording of programming to a storage medium to be viewed or listened to at a time more convenient to the consumer. Typically, this refers to TV programming but can also refer to radio shows via podcasts....
.
The show's Internet success became an issue in the
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strikeThe 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
. Daniels and many of the cast members who double as writers posted a video to
YouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
shortly after the strike began, pointing out how little, if any, they received in
residualsA residual is a payment made to the creator of performance art for subsequent showings or screenings of the work. A typical use is in the payment of residuals for television reruns. The word is often used in the plural form.-Radio and television:The residual system started in U.S. network radio...
from online and DVD viewing. "You're watching this on the Internet, a thing that pays us zero dollars," Schur said. "We're supposed to get 11 cents for every two trillion downloads." The writers were particularly upset that they weren't compensated for the
Daytime Emmy AwardThe Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
winning summer webisodes "The Accountants", which NBC considered promotional material despite the embedded commercials.
Promotional
The show's success has resulted in expansion outside of television. Characters have appeared in promotional materials for NBC, and a licensed video game—
The OfficeThe Office is a video game based on the sitcom of the same name, developed by MumboJumbo featuring the characters from the show as bobblehead dolls. Players will be challenged to complete jobs and pull pranks around the office...
—was released in 2007. In 2008 two games were introduced via Pressman Toy Corp:
The Office Trivia Board Game and
The Office DVD Board Game. In 2009,
The Office Clue was released, and
The Office Monopoly was released in 2010. Other merchandise, from T-shirts and a bobblehead doll of Dwight Schrute to more office-specific items such as parodies of the
SuccessoriesSuccessories is a producer and retailer of motivational office decorations, mostly featuring photographs paired with sentiments about motivation, teamwork, and perseverance. The word "Successories" is itself a registered trademark.-History:...
motivational poster series featuring the cast, is available. Dunder Mifflin has two websites, and the cast members maintain blogs both as themselves and in character.
Cast blogs
Several members of the cast maintained blogs. These include Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, and Brian Baumgartner, who posted regularly during the season.
Rainn WilsonRainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
wrote in character on "Schrute Space" on NBC.com, which is updated periodically. However, he stopped writing the blog himself. It is unknown whether
Creed BrattonCreed Bratton is an American actor and musician, a former member of The Grass Roots...
authors "Creed Thoughts", the blog attributed to
his characterCreed Rowland Bratton a.k.a. "William Charles Schneider" is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. Confusion may arise from the fact that the character is played by and partially based on the musician of the same name, Creed Bratton...
. Some cast members also have
TwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
accounts, including Rainn Wilson, Ed Helms, Brian Baumgartner and Mindy Kaling. Some of the characters have Twitter accounts as well, including Kelly Kapoor, Erin Hannon, Ryan Howard, and Creed Bratton.
Home video releases
| Season | Region 1 Release Date | Region 2 Release Date | Region 4 Release Date | Episodes | Discs | Bonus Features |
| 1 |
August 16, 2005 |
April 10, 2006 |
June 6, 2006 |
6 |
1 |
Deleted scenes from all episodes, five commentary tracks by cast and crew on select episodes. |
| 2 |
September 12, 2006 |
January 28, 2008 |
April 4, 2007 |
22 |
4 |
Deleted scenes from every episode, ten commentary tracks by cast and crew on select episodes, The Accountants webisodes, Faces of Scranton video, blooper reel, 17 fake public service announcement A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
s, OlympicsThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
promos and "Steve on Steve" promos. |
| 3 |
September 4, 2007 |
July 21, 2008 |
August 20, 2008 (Part 1)
April 22, 2009 (Part 2) |
25 |
4 |
Deleted scenes, eight commentary tracks by cast and crew on select episodes, "Kevin Cooks Stuff in The Office", 2006 NBC Primetime Preview, Toby wraparound promos, Dwight Schrute music video, Joss WhedonJoseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures...
interview, blooper reel, Lazy Scranton"The Merger" is the eighth episode of the third season of The Office . It aired on November 16, 2006, as a special 40-minute episode on NBC.In this episode, the Scranton and Stamford branches are merged...
video, and a 58th Annual Emmy Awards excerpt. A special edition for TargetTarget Corporation, doing business as Target, is an American retailing company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the second-largest discount retailer in the United States, behind Walmart. The company is ranked at number 33 on the Fortune 500 and is a component of the Standard & Poor's...
called the "Nifty Gifty" set also contains footage from the Museum of TV festival and script facsimile. |
| 4 |
September 2, 2008 |
June 14, 2010 |
September 2, 2009 (Part 1)
December 1, 2009 (Part 2) |
19 |
4 |
Deleted scenes, outtakes, Second LifeSecond Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
footage, The Office Convention invitation, The Office Convention: Writer’s Block Panel, "Goodbye, Toby"Goodbye, Toby" is the fourth season hour-long finale of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's seventy-first episode overall...
" music video, four commentary tracks by cast and crew on select episodes. |
| 5 |
September 8, 2009 |
February 7, 2011 |
October 6, 2010 (Part 1)
March 2, 2011 (Part 2) |
28 |
5 |
Deleted scenes, outtakes, ten commentaries by the cast and crew, "The Academy of Art and Sciences presents, 'The Office,' Summer Olympic promos, Super Bowl promos, Kevin's Loan webisodes, and The Outburst webisodes. |
| 6 |
September 7, 2010 |
TBA |
TBA |
26 |
5 |
Deleted scenes, outtakes, gag reel, cast and crew commentaries, two extended episodes, minisode The Podcast, "Welcome to Sabre" corporate welcome video, promos. |
| Overtime |
November 16, 2010 |
TBA |
TBA |
N/A |
1 |
The Accountants, Kevin's Loan, The Outburst, Blackmail, Subtle Sexuality and The Mentor webisodes, The Podcast minisode, The Office Convention: Cast Q&A, Paley: Inside The Writer's Room, Subtle Sexuality commentary with Mindy Kaling, B. J. Novak, and Ellie Kemper, Blackmail video commentary with Creed Bratton, Subtle Sexuality music video, Dwight Schrute music video, Lazy Scranton video, Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin ad and fake PSAs. |
Awards
| Year |
Result |
Award |
Category |
Recipient(s) |
| 2006 |
Winner |
Golden Globe Awards |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy |
Steve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
|
| Winner |
Television Critics Association The Television Critics Association is a group of approximately 200 United States and Canadian journalists and columnists who cover television programming...
Awards |
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy |
|
| Winner |
Individual Achievement in Comedy |
Steve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
|
| Winner |
Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Comedy Series |
|
| Winner |
Women's Image Network Awards |
Outstanding Comedy Series |
|
| Winner |
Outstanding Female Actress |
Jenna FischerRegina Marie "Jenna" Fischer is an American actress and director. She is most widely known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Pam Halpert on the NBC situation comedy and mockumentary The Office, and has also appeared in several films, including Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,...
|
| Nominee |
Rose d'Or Awards |
Best Sitcom |
|
| 2007 |
Winner |
Screen Actors Guild Awards A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...
|
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
|
| Winner |
American Cinema Editors – Eddie Award |
Best Edited Half Hour Series for Television |
Dean Holland Dean Holland is an Emmy Award-winning, American film editor, television director and producer best known for working on Entourage and the NBC comedy shows The Office and Parks and Recreation...
and David RogersDavid Rogers is an Emmy Award-winning, American film editor, television director and producer best known for working on NewsRadio, Entourage and The Office...
for "Casino Night" |
| Winner |
Writers Guild of America Awards |
Best Comedy Series |
|
| Winner |
Comedy Writing |
Steve Carell for "Casino Night" |
| Winner |
Guild Awards |
Episodic Television Comedy |
Greg Daniels Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
& Kent Zbornak |
| Winner |
NAACP Image Awards |
Outstanding Director in Comedy Series |
Ken Whittingham Ken Whittingham is an American television director.His most notable directorial work includes a number of episodes from each of the television series 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, Suburgatory, The Middle, Parenthood, The Bernie Mac Show, Scrubs, Everybody Hates Chris, The Office, My Name Is Earl,...
for "Michael's Birthday"Michael's Birthday" is the nineteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's twenty-fifth episode overall. Written by Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg, and directed by Ken Whittingham, the episode first aired in the United States on March...
" |
| Honored |
Peabody Awards |
|
| Winner |
Webby Awards A Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
|
Webby Award, Comedy: Individual Short or Episode |
The Accountants |
| Winner |
People's Voice, Best Comedy: Individual Short or Episode |
| Winner |
People's Voice, Best Television Website |
| Winner |
Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards are awards presented by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming...
s |
Outstanding Broadband Program – Comedy |
producers Vivi Zigler Vivi Zigler is an American television executive, and a President of NBC Universal.-Education and early career:Zigler attended California Polytechnic State University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. From there, Zigler began working at the local NBC affiliate...
, Jeff Ross, Jordon Schlansky, Mike Sweeney, and Robert Angelo and performers Paul LiebersteinPaul Bevan Lieberstein is an American screenwriter, actor and television producer. An Emmy Award winner, he is most widely known as a writer, producer, and as supporting cast member Toby Flenderson on the U.S...
, Michael SchurMichael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
, Brian BaumgartnerBrian Baumgartner is an Emmy Award-winning American film and television actor, best known for playing Kevin Malone on The Office.-Personal life:...
, Angela KinseyAngela Kinsey is an American actress. She currently appears as the uptight accountant Angela Martin on the hit NBC television series The Office.-Personal life:...
, and Oscar NunezOscar Nunez , sometimes credited as Oscar Núñez, is a Cuban American actor and comedian.He currently appears as Dunder Mifflin's paper supply accountant, Oscar Martinez, on NBC's The Office.-Career:...
for The Accountants |
| Winner |
Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series |
Dean Holland and David Rogers for "The Job"The Job" is the third season finale of the U.S. version of The Office, and the show's 52nd and 53rd episode overall. It aired in the United States on April 19, 2007 on NBC. It is the season's second hour-long episode...
" |
| Winner |
Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series |
Greg Daniels Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
for "Gay Witch Hunt"Gay Witch Hunt" is the third season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's twenty-ninth episode overall. Written by executive producer and show runner Greg Daniels and directed by Ken Kwapis, the episode first aired in the United States on September 21, 2006...
" |
| 2008 |
Winner |
Screen Actors Guild Awards A Screen Actors Guild Award is an accolade given by the Screen Actors Guild to recognize outstanding performances by its members. The statuette given, a nude male figure holding both a mask of comedy and a mask of tragedy, is called "The Actor"...
|
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series |
|
External links