The Office (U.S. TV series)

The Office
Genre	Mockumentary Comedy-drama
Created by	Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant
Developed by	Greg Daniels
Starring	Steve Carell Rainn Wilson John Krasinski Jenna Fischer B. J. Novak Ed Helms Melora Hardin David Denman Leslie David Baker Brian Baumgartner Creed Bratton Kate Flannery Mindy Kaling Ellie Kemper Angela Kinsey Paul Lieberstein Oscar Nunez Craig Robinson Phyllis Smith Zach Woods
Theme music composer	Jay Ferguson
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	126 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Greg Daniels Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant Howard Klein Ben Silverman Paul Lieberstein Jennifer Celotta
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	21 minutes (normal episodes) 28 minutes ("super-sized" episodes) 42 minutes (hour-long episodes) (details)
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Picture format	480i (SDTV) 1080i (HDTV)
Audio format	Dolby Digital
Original run	March 24, 2005 (2005-03-24) – present
Chronology
Related shows	The Office (UK)
External links
Official website

The Office is an American comedy television series broadcast by NBC. An adaptation of the BBC series The Office, the series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. To simulate the look of an actual documentary, it is filmed in a single-camera setup, without a studio audience or a laugh track.

The Office was adapted for American audiences by executive producer Greg Daniels, a veteran writer for Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill and The Simpsons. The creators of the original BBC series, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are executive producers and also co-wrote the pilot episode with Daniels and wrote the season three episode, "The Convict".^[1] It is co-produced by Daniels's Deedle-Dee Productions, and Reveille Productions, in association with Universal Media Studios. The show debuted on NBC as a midseason replacement on March 24, 2005.^[2]

Off-network syndication of The Office began in late 2009, notably on TBS and Fox-owned stations in the United States.^[3]

The Office was renewed for a seventh season,^[4] and Steve Carell confirmed he will be leaving the show when his contract expires at the end of its production.^[5]

Background

Casting

NBC programmer Kevin Reilly originally suggested Paul Giamatti to producer Ben Silverman for the role of Michael Scott, but the actor declined. Martin Short, Hank Azaria and Bob Odenkirk were also reported to be interested.^[6] In January 2004, Variety reported Steve Carell of the popular Comedy Central program The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was in talks to play the role. At the time, he was already committed to another NBC mid-season replacement comedy, Come to Papa,^[7] but the series was quickly cancelled, 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.^[8]

Rainn Wilson, who was cast as the power-hungry sycophant Dwight Schrute, had watched every episode of the series before he auditioned.^[9] Wilson had originally auditioned for Michael, a performance he described as a "terrible [Ricky] Gervais impersonation"; however, the casting directors liked his audition as Dwight much more and hired him for the role.

John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer were virtual unknowns before being cast in their respective roles as Jim and Pam, the central love interests. John had attended school with B. J. Novak and was good friends with him, which led to his audition and getting the role of Jim Halpert. 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.^[10] Fischer prepared for her audition by looking as boring as possible, creating the original Pam hairstyle.^[11] In an interview on NPR's Fresh Air, 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.^[12]

The supporting cast includes actors known for their improv work: Angela Kinsey, Kate Flannery, Oscar Nunez, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner, Melora Hardin, and David Denman.^[13] 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 Martin, which she won.^[14] Flannery first auditioned for the part of Jan Levinson-Gould, before landing the role of Meredith Palmer.^[15] Baumgartner originally auditioned for Stanley, but was eventually cast as Kevin.^[16] Ken Kwapis liked the way Phyllis Smith, a casting associate, read with other actors auditioning so much that he cast her as Phyllis.^[17] At the beginning of the third season, Ed Helms and Rashida Jones 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.^[18]

Four of the show's writers have also stepped in front of the camera. B. J. Novak was cast as reluctant temp Ryan Howard after Daniels saw his stand-up act. Paul Lieberstein was cast as human resources director Toby Flenderson on Novak's suggestion after his cold readings of scripts.^[13] Greg Daniels originally was not sure where to use the Indian American Mindy Kaling on-screen in the series until the opportunity came in the second episode's script where Michael needed to be slapped by a minority. "Since (that slap), I've been on the show" (as Kelly Kapoor), says Kaling.^[17] Michael Schur has also made occasional appearances as Dwight's cousin Mose, and consulting producer Larry Wilmore has played diversity trainer Mr. Brown. Plans were made for Mackenzie Crook, Martin Freeman, and Lucy Davis from the British version of The Office to appear in the third season,^[19][20] but those plans were scrapped due to scheduling conflicts.^[21]

Improvisation

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."^[22]

The kiss Michael planted on Oscar in the third season episode "Gay Witch Hunt" was improvised. "Steve just went into that bit on the fly," Fischer wrote. "Those looks of shock/giddiness/confusion on our faces are real. We were all on the edge of our seats wondering what would happen next. I can't believe we held it together for as long as we did. I'm not sure we've ever laughed so hard on set."^[23]

Format

Dunder Mifflin company logo

The Office is a mockumentary. 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 Levinson, are frequently annoyed or uncomfortable at its presence. The main action of the show is supplemented with talking-head interviews or "confessionals", 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 or 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's 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", a drunken Pam nearly confesses something to Jim, but shies away when she realizes the camera is still there. In "E-mail Surveillance", Pam asks the crew to help her look for evidence of Dwight and Angela's secret relationship, which they later provide.

In early episodes, the camera crews seemed confined primarily to the office setting, but as the show has expanded to include more about the characters' personal lives, the cameras have taken on an often-omnipresent, even intrusive persona. Characters are often followed out of the office and sometimes even to their homes. The cameras were present at Jim's barbecue and Michael's dinner party, and even when Jim and Pam left for an overnight getaway to Dwight's beet farm—all arguably personal, not work-related, events. Behind-doors conversations are often filmed through a window or crack in the door. It is shown in "The Injury" that Michael is wearing a wireless lavalier microphone, which could explain why the cameras are often able to hear closed-door conversations. The cameras have caught Jan kissing Michael on "Valentine's Day", much to Jan's chagrin, and, as mentioned above, revealed both Dwight and Angela's, and Jim and Pam's personal relationships. Non-primary characters or extras who encounter the camera crew are usually unsurprised or unaffected by it, and the cameras were even allowed into Michael, Jim, and Karen's job interviews for a corporate position. A scene is also featured where Michael and Holly are seen sneaking back into the office to have sex, and although they had previously tricked the cameras into being stuck outside, their conversation and interactions with each other are still heard due to a microphone that Michael is wearing (he accidentally increases the volume on it instead of turning it off).

Theme song and title sequence

The theme song for The Office was written by Jay Ferguson and performed by The Scrantones.^[24] It is played over the title sequence, which features some Scranton scenes and everyday office tasks being performed by the cast, with the cast and production credits. 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 credits, which previously rolled in silence. Originally the theme song began each episode; however, starting early in the second season with the episode "Office Olympics", most episodes have begun with a cold open followed by the theme. The exteriors of buildings in the title sequence are actual buildings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and were shot by cast member John Krasinski.^[25]

Originally, only the five principal cast members were credited in the title sequence–Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer and B. J. Novak. The title sequence for the Season 5 episode "Stress Relief", which aired after Super Bowl XLIII, 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" features an altered title sequence that focuses on the titular company. Starting with the Season 6 episode "Sabre", Ed Helms is added to the opening sequence and is credited after B. J. Novak.

Multiple covers and remixes have been performed and created by various artists.

Setting

The British version had been set in Slough, a commuter town on the outskirts of London. Looking for a suitable U.S. equivalent, Executive Producer Greg Daniels considered Nashua, New Hampshire and Utica, New York before settling on Scranton, Pennsylvania. "It just seemed like a real place," he said later. "By definition the town we picked wouldn't have a lot of glitzy stuff going on."^[25] It was just far enough away from New York to be credible as a location for a regional branch office. Daniels also recalled that the Paper Magic line of greeting cards was made in the city.^[26] Nashua, Rochester, Stamford, and Utica were later adopted as the locations of other Dunder-Mifflin branches. Also, the address for the Scranton Branch was revealed to be 1725 Slough Avenue, in homage to the British version of the show.

Scranton welcome sign from opening credits, now displayed in the food court of the Mall at Steamtown.

All filming is done in the Greater Los Angeles area, specifically in the Van Nuys district of Los Angeles, but the show makes many references to actual places and businesses in and near Scranton, such as the Mall at Steamtown, and Lake Wallenpaupack. Dwight's "Froggy 101" bumper sticker is from local country station WGGY. Also, the actual Anthracite Museum in Scranton is referenced in Michael Scott's video presentation to David Wallace in another episode. In another episode, Jan is seen with a water bottle with the label "Joe’s Kwik Mart", which is a local chain of gas stations. "We went toward embracing the whole Scranton-ness of the setting," said Daniels.^[25] Despite this, some Los Angeles references are still visible; for example, in the episode "Fun Run", a sign can be seen with a phone number bearing area code 818—the primary area code in the San Fernando Valley, which lies almost entirely within the city of Los Angeles. The building they shoot in is at 13928 Saticoy Street, Los Angeles, California. The set’s Los Angeles location is most apparent during outdoors scenes in which LA-area mountains (much larger than the more modest hills near Scranton) are frequently seen in the background of the office park, and during scenes set it in the winter in which LA's lush foliage is still visible.

Music

The mockumentary format of the show contains no laugh track, and most of the music is diegetic, 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 Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" ("The Dundies"), "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton ("E-mail Surveillance") and "With or Without You" by U2 ("Valentine's Day").

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" and later "My Humps" as his cell phone ringtone. Dwight will often play loud music when driving or to get himself psyched up before making a sale, such as listening to "Wild Side" and "Kickstart My Heart" by Mötley Crüe.^[27]

Characters

The Office cast in the third season

The Office employs an ensemble cast. A significant number of the main and minor characters are based on characters from the British version of The Office.

Michael Scott, regional manager of the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, feels he is the life of the office; his employees feel otherwise. His former co-manager, sales representative Jim Halpert, is newly married to the former receptionist turned sales representative, Pam Halpert (née Beesly). Their relationship comes after three seasons of friendship laced with romantic tension. Dwight Schrute, the assistant to the regional manager, is an award-winning salesman and former Lackawanna County volunteer reserve deputy sheriff known for his authoritarian personality and science fiction fandom. There is an ongoing rivalry between Jim and Dwight, whose differing personalities often cause them to be at odds with each other. In one episode, Jim dressed up like Dwight and mocked him in which Dwight called this "identity theft." Jim, however, showed considerable kindness to Dwight after he lost his girlfriend, Angela Martin. Ryan Howard, 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. Ryan was later rehired as a salesman by Dunder Mifflin in season five as part of the buyout of the Michael Scott Paper Company. However, he was demoted back to temp as there was only room for one new salesperson and Michael chose Pam for the position.

The accounting department features the uptight Angela Martin, who wishes to keep things orderly and make sure situations remain as serious as possible; Kevin Malone, a sardonic, overweight man who revels in juvenile humor and is addicted to gambling and M&Ms; and the patient Oscar Martinez, whose homosexuality and Mexican American heritage make him a favorite target for Michael's off-hand comments. Rounding out the office are the stern salesman Stanley Hudson, who barely stands for Michael's constant references to his Black-American 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); Cornell alumnus, anger-management grad and Angela's former fiancé Andy Bernard, formerly of the Stamford, Connecticut branch office; eccentric quality assurance representative Creed Bratton; the kind and caring saleswoman Phyllis Lapin-Vance; the bubbly and talkative customer service representative Kelly Kapoor; the depressed, alcoholic single mother supply relations representative Meredith Palmer; and frequent target of Michael's abuse, human resources representative Toby Flenderson. A story arc at the start of the fifth season has Holly Flax 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 break up. Much to Michael's dismay, Toby is rehired shortly after Holly's transfer. Dunder Mifflin Scranton warehouse supervisor Darryl Philbin is a key secondary character who has gained increased prominence throughout the run of the show. At the end of the fifth season, new receptionist Kelly Erin Hannon, usually called just Erin to differentiate herself from Kelly Kapoor, is introduced as Pam's replacement. A budding storyline features the awkward crush between Andy and Erin. Andy finally asks Erin out in "The Delivery".

In June 2010, Zach Woods, who plays Gabe Lewis, was promoted to a series regular.^[28]

Former main characters no longer part of the show include Pam's ex-fiance, Roy Anderson, 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 Levinson, who broke up with Michael in season four and subsequently became pregnant via sperm donation. Both characters returned for brief appearances in season five, but neither was seen in the sixth.

Deleted scenes

On The Office, deleted scenes are considered part of the show's canon and story line, and 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" was made available over NBC.com and iTunes that explained the absence of a character over the next several episodes. Daniels hoped that word of mouth among fans would spread the information, but eventually considered the experiment a failure.^[29]

Product placement

The Pennsylvania Paper & Supply Company tower, shown during the opening credits.

The original soda machine in the break room used to say "COLD DRINKS" but has been replaced by local Scranton Beverage company "Crystal Club". Various cans of Crystal Club's product have been displayed such as their Birchola, DRAFT, Swiss Miss Cream and Cola. The Office has had product placement deals with Staples^[30] and the Olympic baler,^[31] as well as mentioning in dialogue or displaying clear logos for products such as Sandals Resorts, HP, Apple, and Gateway computers, and Activision's Call of Duty video game. In "The Merger", Kevin Malone uses a Staples-branded shredding machine to shred a Staples-branded CD-R and many other non-paper items, including a salad.^[30] As with HP, Cisco Systems, 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.^[32] In "The Secret" Michael takes Jim to Hooters^[33] to discuss Jim's feelings for Pam. In "The Merger", 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". The tech help-desk Geek Squad's logo has also appeared (logo on the wall of Toby's cubicle and a toy of the Geek Squad Volkswagen car atop a filing cabinet, in "Michael's Birthday" and "Drug Testing", respectively), though it is unclear whether they paid for this placement. Most food and drinks are supplied from Wegmans, a grocery store chain in the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions which began in Rochester, NY. During "Goodbye, Toby", they are seen drinking the store's brand of soda and on top of the refrigerator in the breakroom is a box of the store's brand of popcorn, among other placement. Honda, Chrysler, and Toyota vehicles are also constantly featured on the show with Ryan driving a Honda Civic, Kevin driving a Honda CR-V, Pam driving a Toyota Yaris, Michael driving a Chrysler Sebring, Stanley driving a Chrysler 300C and Andy driving a Toyota Prius.

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's^[34] restaurants were used for filming in "The Dundies" and "The Client", as the writers believed they were realistic choices for a company party and business lunch.^[35][36] 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.^[35] Apple Inc. received over four minutes of publicity for the iPod when it was used as a much-desired gift in "Christmas Party", though the company did not pay for the placement.^[37] The Apple laptop MacBook Pro is also used in "Weight Loss" where Jim uses one to video chat with Pam while in the office. Apple computers are also featured during Pam's first class at Pratt. Pam also discusses with Jim that she can't learn and doesn't understand Flash, a popular animation program by Adobe Systems. Other Adobe programs such as Photoshop and Premiere have also been mentioned or shown. In "Sabre", six Apple products are shown: iPod Classic, iPhone, iBook, MacBook Pro, eMac, iMac. Web sites such as Craigslist, TripAdvisor, and Wikipedia are often mentioned. The appearance of Second Life in the episode "Local Ad" was rated eighth in the top ten most effective product placements of 2007. The Office was the only non-reality show to make the list, and Second Life was the only product on the list that did not pay for its placement.^[38]

Season synopses

A typical episode for a half-hour time slot runs 20¹⁄₂ minutes.^[39] The final episode of the second season introduced the first of what would be several "super-sized" episodes (approximately 28-minute running time for a 40-minute time slot, and shortened in repeats and syndication). The third season 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 had 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).^[40] 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 has a one-night stand with his boss Jan, in the wake of the latter's divorce.^[41] Dwight and Angela become romantically involved,^[42] 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,^[43] Jim grows depressed and considers transferring to the Stamford, Connecticut 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.^[44]

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 Stamford branch after Pam confirmed her commitment to Roy, before corporate is forced to merge the Stamford branch and staff into the Scranton branch.^[45] Included in the transfer to Scranton are Karen Fillipelli, with whom Jim has developed a relationship, and the anger-prone Andy Bernard; 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,^[46] eventually becoming the most successful branch,^[47][48] 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 outed as a homosexual 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 management training, due to an outburst where he punched a hole in the wall,^[49] 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.^[50] In the season's finale, 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,^[51] 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.^[46]

Season four

NBC ordered a full fourth season of 30 half-hour episodes, but ended with only 14 due to a halt in production caused by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike.^[52][53] 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 Utica branch.^[54] Pam and Jim date happily.^[55] An unemployed Jan moves in with Michael, until the dissolution of their relationship midway through the season. When Dwight attempts to euthanize Angela's ailing cat without her permission,^[56] she leaves him for Andy, leading Dwight into depression.

Ryan, in his new corporate life in New York City, develops a drug problem and attempts to modernize Dunder Mifflin with a new website for online sales; he also learns that his boss, David Wallace, favors Jim, and thus Ryan attempts to sabotage Jim's career. He 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 Rica, and is replaced by Holly Flax, who quickly shows fondness towards Michael. Pam decides to follow her artistic interests and attend a three-month graphic design course at the Pratt Institute 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.^[57]

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 XLIII.^[58]

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 branch, where she gains a long-term boyfriend, to Michael's sadness. Toby returns from Costa Rica and resumes his duties as Scranton's HR 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.^[47]

Newly hired Vice President Charles Miner 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, 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 buyout of the Michael Scott Paper Company, the three are rehired (with Pam promoted to saleswoman and Ryan returning as a temp), while Miner is banished from overseeing the branch. During the chaos, new receptionist Erin is hired to fill the vacancy originally left by Pam. In the season's finale, it is hinted that Pam is pregnant, which is later confirmed in season 6.

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.

Rumors of bankruptcy begin to surround Dunder Mifflin. By Christmas, Wallace announces to the branch that a buyout by Sabre Corp, a printer company, has occurred. While Wallace and other executives are let go, the Scranton office survives due to their relative success within the company. However, they find their own challenges in merging with Sabre when they enforce new office rules; and the spirited style of its CEO, Jo Bennett (Kathy Bates). Jo Bennett comes to Scranton to check up on the branch. When she discovers that there are two Co-Regional Managers, she makes one of them give up the position and the other to be Regional Manager; Michael takes up the position of Regional Manager and Jim takes his place as salesman once again. Jim and Pam have their baby, a girl - Cecilia Marie Halpert. Andy finally manages to ask out Erin on a date, which she accepts. However, due to Michael spilling the beans about Andy's previous relationship with Angela, Erin decides she needs a break from Andy for awhile. Michael develops an interest in a client, Donna (Amy Pietz), who is the manager of a local bar in the episode, "Happy Hour". At the end of the episode, "Body Language", Michael and Donna kiss. Later on, Michael suspects that Donna is cheating on him after Pam shows him pictures of her with another man. Michael confronts Donna and asks if it is true, and she tells him that she has a husband. Michael considers staying with Donna but ultimately comes to the conclusion to break up with her.

Near the end of the season it is discovered that Sabre printers catch on fire. In the season finale, Andy is blamed solely on leaking the information even though Pam, Darryl, Kelly and David Wallace did the same. It is hinted that Erin wants to get back together with Andy, while Dwight plans to buy the office building. After speaking at the press conference and taking the blame to help her out, Jo tells Michael she'll look into bringing Holly Flax back to Scranton.

Season seven

The seventh season will consist of 25 half-hours of material.^[59] The season will premiere on September 23, 2010.^[60] This season will be the final season for Steve Carell as the lead character Michael Scott, as Carell wants to move on after his contract expires after this season. Beginning with this season, Zach Woods, who portrays Gabe Lewis, was promoted to a series regular. Guest appearances in the upcoming season include the return of Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson, Amy Ryan as Holly Flax, and Kathy Bates as Jo Bennett; while Timothy Olyphant will portray a new character.

Webisodes

"The Accountants"

Between the second and third seasons, the summer webisode 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 Loan"

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.^[61] 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 Outburst"

During the fifth season, the winter webisode series "The Outburst" was released in weekly episodes, the first premiering on November 20, 2008.^[62] Oscar is overheard angrily yelling at someone on the phone; Kevin, Angela, Andy, Phyllis, Kelly, Creed, Meredith, and Toby all investigate the mysterious call.

"Blackmail"

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 Sexuality"

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.^[63] The webisodes earned The Office a 2010 Streamy Award for "Best Companion Web Series."^[64]

"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.

Reception

Before the show aired, Gervais acknowledged that there were feelings of hesitation from certain viewers.^[65]

Critical reviews and commentary

Before its first airing, the New York Daily News called it "so diluted there's little left but muddy water", and USA Today called it a "passable imitation of a miles-better BBC original."^[66] A Guardian Unlimited 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."^[67]

Reviews became more positive in the second season. Time magazine 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."^[68] Entertainment Weekly 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."^[69]

The Onion's A.V. Club 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."^[70] Time magazine's James Poniewozik named it one of the top 10 returning series of 2007, ranking it at #6.^[71] He also included it on his "The 100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME" list.^[72]

The show has some superficial similarities to the comic-strip Dilbert, 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 Adams 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."^[73]

A labor-affiliated group praised the episode "Boys and Girls" for what it considered an unusually frank depiction of union busting on American television.^[74]

The third season of The Office got a 85/100 score on Metacritic,^[75] while the sixth season of The Office got a 78/100 score.^[76]

Ratings

Premiering on Thursday, March 24, 2005, after an episode of The Apprentice on NBC, The Office brought in 11.2 million viewers in the U.S., winning its time slot.^[66] When NBC moved the series to its intended Tuesday night slot, it lost nearly half its audience with only 5.9 million viewers.^[77] The program averaged 5.4 million viewers, ranking it #102 for the 2004–2005 U.S. television season.^[78] "Hot Girl", the first season's finale, rated a 2.2 with a 10 audience measurement share, the lowest rating in the show's history. Episodes were also rerun on CNBC.^[79]

As the second season started, the success of Carell's hit summer movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin and online sales of episodes at iTunes helped the show.^[80] The increase in viewership led NBC to move the series to the "Must See TV" 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.^[81]

The third-season premiere received a 9.9 and made a large increase in total viewers and viewers 18–49 over My Name Is Earl.^[82] By the end of the 2006–2007 season, it placed #68 (tied with The Biggest Loser 3). It averaged 8.3 million viewers with a 11/11 rating, a large improvement from the previous season.^[83] The fourth-season premiere on September 27, 2007 received higher ratings with 9.67 million viewers and a series-high of a 5.1 in the key 18–49 demographic.^[84] The season five premiere received was on par with the previous season's premiere, placing 3rd for viewership during its timeslot and 2nd in 18-49 demo.^[85] Season 5 ranked #14 for Adults 18-49, averaging 5.3 million viewers in that age group. Nielsen Media Research released figures for delayed viewing, and The Office increased 48 percent from its fourth season debut, adding 2.5 million viewers in playback.^[86]

Seasonal ratings

Cultural effects

Dunder Mifflin banner in front of Scranton City Hall

The city of Scranton, long known mainly for its industrial past as a coal mining and rail center,^[26] has eagerly embraced, and ultimately has been redefined by the show. "We're really hip now," says the mayor's assistant.^[25] The Dunder Mifflin logo is on a lamppost banner in front of Scranton City Hall, as well as the pedestrian bridge to the Mall at Steamtown. The Pennsylvania Paper & Supply Company, whose tower is shown in the opening credits, plans to add it to the tower as well.^[93] Newspapers in other Northeastern cities have published travel guides to Scranton locations for tourists interested in visiting places mentioned in the show.^[26][93][94]

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 City, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern identified the city as the home of Dunder Mifflin.^[95]

Atrium of the Mall at Steamtown during convention

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 Scranton, the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel and Steamtown Mall. 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.^[96]

On an episode of The Daily Show, Republican presidential candidate John McCain, reportedly a devoted fan of the show, jokingly told Jon Stewart he might take Dwight Schrute as his running mate.^[97] Rainn Wilson later accepted on Dwight's behalf while on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

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 ITV2. This was done to differentiate this version of the show from the original British series. The show is now being broadcast on ITV4 and Comedy Central.

In Canada, the show has been airing on Global since its original debut. In Brazil FX began airing the show on 9 April 2006 at 08:30 pm ^[98] . In Germany Super RTL began airing the show on 5 January 2008 at 11:10 pm. In Austria ORF 1 began airing the show on 6 March 2008 at 11:10 pm. In Spain TNT, Paramount Comedy (Spain) and La Sexta [2] are airing the show. In the Netherlands the show began airing on Comedy Central under the title The Office US in April 2007.^[99] Foxtel in Australia began airing The Office every Thursday night at 8:45. In Portugal the show is broadcast on TVI, in the early morning; the broadcaster was petitioned to reschedule it to a more viewer-friendly timeslot.^[100] In France the show is broadcast late nights on Canal+.^[101] In Russia Channel One began airing the show on 14 July 2008 at 00:20 am. In Hungary the series is broadcast by Viasat 3. The show is in the air on TV6 since spring 2008 in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. In Denmark the show ran on DR2 for some months in 2008 before being cancelled. The show's first season ran on the Norwegian channel TV2 in 2007/2008. In the Philippines, it airs on Jack TV. As of December 1, Season 5 of The Office will air on Network Ten in Australia on Tuesdays and Thursday at 8:00pm. In Greece, the show will be broadcast on Universal Channel. In Turkey, The Office has been broadcasting on the TNT since 2008. South Korea will be broadcasting the first and second seasons on a minor channel, FOXlife TV, starting from 2010 May 29 Monday to Friday at 11:00 pm. In Belgium 2BE aired the first season in 2010.

Other media

Online releases

Episodes from The Office were among the first shows available for download from the iTunes Store 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" and "The Return" were also made available on NBC.com. The Office also became available for download from Amazon.com's 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.^[102] As of September 9, 2008 The Office was put back on the iTunes store, and can be bought in HD and Regular format. Netflix also offers the show for online viewing by subscribers, in addition to traditional DVD rental. The Office is also available on Microsofts Zune Marketplace.

Of the 12.4 million total viewings of "Fun Run", the fourth season's premiere, 2.7 million, or 22%, were on a computer via online streaming. "The Office", said The New York Times, "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 laptops and iPods.^[103] Between the online viewings and those who use digital video recorders, 25-50% of the show's viewers watch it after its scheduled airtime.^[104]

The show's Internet success became an issue in the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Daniels and many of the cast members who double as writers posted a video to YouTube shortly after the strike began, pointing out how little, if any, they received in residuals 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 Award winning summer webisodes "The Accountants", which NBC considered promotional material despite the embedded commercials.^[105]

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 Office—was released in 2007.^[106][107] In 2008 two games were introduced via Pressman Toy Corp: The Office Trivia Board Game and The Office DVD Board Game.^[108] 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^[109] to more office-specific items such as parodies of the Successories motivational poster series featuring the cast,^[110] is available. Dunder Mifflin has two websites,^[111] and the cast members maintain blogs both as themselves and in character.

Cast blogs

Several members of the cast maintain blogs. Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey are the most active, posting regularly during the season.^{[112][113][114]} Rainn Wilson wrote in character on "Schrute Space" on NBC.com, which is updated periodically. However, he stopped writing the blog himself.^[115] It is unknown whether Creed Bratton authors "Creed Thoughts", the blog attributed to his character.^[116] Some cast members also have Twitter accounts, such as Rainn Wilson, Ed Helms, Brian Baumgartner and Mindy Kaling.

DVD releases

Awards

References

External links

• Official website
• The Office at the Internet Movie Database
• The Office at TV.com
• Dunder Mifflin Paper Company website