The Office (US TV series)

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The Office
Image:Office us cast.jpg Cast of The Office </small>
Genre	Mockumentary Sitcom
Camera setup	Single camera
Running time	20-22 minutes
Creator(s)	Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant
Executive producer(s)	Greg Daniels Ben Silverman Howard Klein Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant
Starring	Steve Carell Rainn Wilson John Krasinski Jenna Fischer B.J. Novak
Country of origin	USA
Original channel	NBC
Original run	March 24, 2005–present
No. of episodes	37
Official website
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

The Office (known in Britain as The Office: An American Workplace) is an Emmy Award-winning American television comedy about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictitious Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company. Although fictional and scripted, the show takes the form of a documentary, with the presence of the audience and camera often acknowledged.

Based on the British series of the same name, it was developed for American audiences by producer Greg Daniels, of Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill and The Simpsons fame. Original series creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have production credits on the show, but they are not otherwise involved on a regular basis, although the producers do send various scripts to the pair for suggestions and critiques. Gervais and Merchant have written an episode for the show's current season.<ref>Press Association, Ltd. "Gervais to write US office episode", Scotsman.com News February 6, 2006.</ref>

It is co-produced by Deedle-Dee Productions and Reveille Productions, in association with NBC Universal Television Studio. The show is currently broadcast by NBC in the United States, Global TV in Canada, Channel 6 in Ireland, ITV2 in the United Kingdom, Star World in the Asia Pacific region and Channel Ten in Australia, in Saudi Arabia and Arab World the show broadcast by Showtime Arabia Paramount Comedy Channel and Paramount Comedy Channel +2 .

[edit] Creation

After the original British series won two Golden Globes, a U.S. version of The Office was commissioned by NBC. Though it retains the same title and premise, the U.S. version of the show has a new cast and crew and changes the locale to Scranton. NBC has described it as a faster-paced version of the original; Gervais jokingly said before the premiere that it would probably have actors with better teeth. The first season of the show had a run of six episodes. To write the series, the producer hired four writers; Michael Schur, B.J. Novak, Paul Lieberstein and Mindy Kaling. In addition, he hired two consulting producers, Lester Lewis and Larry Wilmore.

The second season brought three new writers: Jennifer Celotta, and the screenwriting team of Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg. Paul Feig, of Freaks and Geeks, directed some of the episodes and Ken Kwapis, who established his ability with the genre in The Larry Sanders Show and Malcolm in the Middle, directed the pilot and has produced/directed several episodes.

[edit] Casting

All original series characters were renamed and re-cast for the American version.

When producer Ben Silverman approached NBC with the concept, network programmer Kevin Reilly suggested Paul Giamatti take the lead role of Michael Scott, but the actor declined. Other interested actors included Martin Short, Hank Azaria and Bob Odenkirk.<ref>Carter, Bill. September 17, 2006. The Whole World Is Watching, and Ben Silverman Is Watching Back, The New York Times.</ref> 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, Carell was already committed to an NBC midseason replacement comedy, Come to Papa<ref>Susman, Gary. "Daily Show's Carell may star in Office remake". Entertainment Weekly, January 29, 2004</ref>, 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 didn't continue watching for fear that he would start copying Gervais' characterizations.<ref>Carell, Steve (Actor). 2005. "Pilot" [Commentary track], The Office Season One (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.</ref> Rainn Wilson, who was cast as the power-hungry sycophant Dwight Schrute, had watched every episode of the series before he auditioned.<ref name="Wilson">Wilson, Rainn (Actor). 2005. "Pilot" [Commentary track], The Office Season One (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.</ref> Wilson had originally auditioned for Michael (which he referred to as a terrible Gervais impersonation). The casting directors liked his audition as Dwight much better 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. Krasinski recalls insulting Daniels while waiting to audition for the series, stating he "hoped they don't screw this up" like they had so many other British adaptations before (Coupling, Men Behaving Badly), not realizing Daniels was the developer of the current series until Daniels told him.<ref>Krasinski, John (Actor). 2005. "Pilot" [Commentary track], The Office Season One (US/NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal</ref> Fischer prepared for her audition by looking as boring as possible, creating the current Pam hairstyle at her first audition for the show.<ref>Fischer, Jenna (February 9, 2006). "The Office Presents: "Valentine's Day"" TVGuide.com</ref>

The shots of Scranton in the opening credits were filmed by star John Krasinski and two of his friends before production began on the series. They shot the footage from their Jeep with the camera outside the sunroof.<ref>Owen, Rob. "TV Preview: Working for laughs at 'The Office'", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette March 1, 2006.</ref> Jay Ferguson composed the theme song.

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. Writer / performer Novak stated, "[Daniels] hired people who he knew were improv people who could bring their own ideas to the role."<ref name="Chunp5">Chun, Wing. March 2, 2006. "The B.J. Novak Interview", Page 4-5. Televisionwithoutpity.com</ref> Some minor players came to be as a result of interesting casting choices. Angela Kinsey originally auditioned for the role of Pam Beesly. After her auditions, the producers thought she was "too feisty" for the character, but they later called her back for the part of Angela Martin, which she won.<ref>Murphy, Joel. "One on one with... Angela Kinsey" Hobotrashcan.com Retrieved March 2, 2006.</ref> Baumgartner originally auditioned for Stanley (where he met Leslie David Baker, who ended up with the role), but was eventually cast as Kevin.<ref>Baumgartner, Brian. (July 27, 2006.) Hot Fun in the Summer, TVGuide.com</ref> Phyllis Smith, who plays Phyllis Lapin on the show, was working as a casting associate on the show when the pilot's director, Ken Kwapis, had her read the scripts with the actors. He took such a liking to how she read that he had her join the cast.<ref name="Wolk">Wolk, Josh. "The Drudge Report: A Visit With 7 More 'Office' Mates." Entertainment Weekly February 24, 2006: 24-25.</ref>

Ed Helms, Chip Esten and Rashida Jones were added as cast members for season three.<ref name="reuters">Comics join "Office" payroll, a July 2006 Reuters article</ref>

Three of the show's writers were also cast as performers: B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling and Paul Lieberstein. Novak was seen by Daniels doing stand-up comedy and was cast as reluctant temp Ryan Howard and Lieberstein was cast as HR Director Toby by Novak's suggestion after his cold readings of scripts.<ref name="Chunp5" /> Greg Daniels originally wasn't sure where to use Kaling, who is an Indian-American, on screen in the series until the point came in the second episode's script where Michael needed to be slapped by a minority. "Since then, I've been on the show" (as the chatty Kelly Kapoor), Kaling stated in a February 2006 interview<ref name="Wolk" />. Steve Carell has also written one episode (the season 2 finale).

In mid-July 2006, executive producer Ben Silverman stated that Mackenzie Crook, Martin Freeman and Lucy Davis from the British version of The Office will put in appearances in another episode in the third season. <ref>Mitovich, Matt. July 10, 2006. The Office's U.K. Mates to Cross Over, TVGuide.com</ref> <ref>Johns, Anna. July 11, 2006. British cast to appear on American version of The Office, TVSquad.com</ref> However, producer Kent Zbornak revealed at a University of Southern California panel discussion on "The Office" at the end of that month that, unfortunately due to scheduling conflicts, the actors are no longer planned to appear in the third season. [1] B.J. Novak confirmed the scheduling conflicts in an August 27th interview, but stated they still intend to include the British cast in some way, although it won't be how they had originally intended. He also would not say if the British actors will be playing their original characters. <ref>Interview: B.J. Novak. August 27, 2006. TVGuide.com</ref>

Dunder-Mifflin may allude to the relationship between the Pennsylvania Paper & Supply Company's tower, shown during the opening theme, and its location in downtown Scranton near the northeast end of Mifflin Avenue. To coincide with the Season 3 premiere, an Office edition of Scranton's entertainment paper contained an interview with the real paper company's president, who said "They're (Dunder-Mifflin) more of a printing-paper company while we're a personal-service paper company - paper towels, packaging, toilet tissue. ... We have very little resemblance to the Dunder-Mifflin paper company. Put that in caps: VERY LITTLE."

[edit] Characters

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Image:Dwightoffice.jpg

Main article: Characters from The Office (US)

Michael Scott, head of Dunder-Mifflin Paper Company's Scranton branch, thinks he is the life of the office, but his employees think otherwise. He behaves foolishly and inappropriately, misinterprets the context of nearly every situation, is unwittingly mean and actually quite lonely.

Friendly, easy-going sales representative Jim Halpert spends a lot of office time playing practical jokes on his desk mate Dwight. He often instigates drama in the Office not out of malice, but sheer boredom. Unlike Ryan who is highly uncomfortable with the 'make work' mentality of the Office, Jim spends his time making the most of it. He has a crush on close office friend Pam Beesly, and applied for and accepted a transfer to Dunder-Mifflin's Stamford branch after expressing his feelings for her in the Season 2 finale.

Receptionist Pam Beesly had been engaged to Roy Anderson for three years before breaking it off with him between seasons 2 and 3. Pam and Jim frequently share jokes and have similar senses of humor, sometimes playing practical jokes on Dwight together. Pam frequently finds herself the target of Michael's insensitive banter, which contributes to her constant sense of dissatisfaction with her job. Pam is a talented artist, and wishes one day to become an illustrator.

Bizarre, neurotic, Dwight Schrute was assistant to the regional manager before a promotion allowed him to drop "to the" from his title, making him Assistant Regional Manager. Dwight takes any job he is given extremely seriously and treats his volunteer deputy sheriff position and his sempai designation at the local dojo as testament to his character qualities. There is an ongoing rivalry between Jim and Dwight, whose differing personalities often cause them to be at odds with each other. Dwight is secretly dating Angela, despite his bizarre behavior and her general intolerance. His pet name for her is "Monkey".

Ryan Howard began at Dunder-Mifflin as temp and worked his way up to sales. He is often the one that Michael sends on personal errands, probably because Michael sees Ryan's time as something merely to be filled up. Michael may also have some kind of odd man-crush on Ryan because according to Michael, Ryan is "hottest in the office". Ryan is involved with Kelly, though the audience, and even Ryan himself, is not really sure why. It often appears that Ryan is thinking more than he is saying, and often openly defies Michael.

The accounting department features the uptight Angela Martin; Kevin Malone, a slow-witted, overweight man who revels in juvenile humor; and Oscar, whose timidity, Hispanic heritage and homosexuality make him a favorite target for Michael's off-hand comments, though he is one of the few who vocally protests them. Rounding out the office are the stern salesman Stanley Hudson, who resents his job and does not like having to put up with Michael's nonsense; the kleptomaniac, aging free-spirit Creed (played by musician Creed Bratton, formerly of The Grass Roots); the innocent and timid Phyllis Lapin; the bubbly and talkative Kelly Kapoor; the melancholy HR director Toby, target of Michael's unusually cruel comments; and the depressed alcoholic single mother Meredith Palmer.

Other characters outside the office include Michael's frustrated corporate boss, Jan Levinson; the crude and party-going sales representative, Todd Packer; Michael's real estate agent and casino night date, Carole Stills (played by Steve Carell's wife, former "Saturday Night Live" and "Daily Show" actress Nancy Walls); and Roy's oafish co-workers in the warehouse, Darryl, Madge, and Lonny.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Season synopses

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] First season

Image:TheOffice(US)1-02.jpg

The first episode of the U.S. series contains many scenes borrowed almost word for word from the first episode of the British series, with names and cultural references changed and a few small extra scenes. Ryan the temp is hired by Dunder-Mifflin in this season, but everyone else in the office has been working there for quite some time.

Since the series was a mid-season replacement, only six episodes were filmed for the first season, so few new elements were established. Besides the continuing love story, the main plot action of this season turns on the news that Dunder-Mifflin's corporate headquarters plan to downsize and the Scranton branch of Dunder-Mifflin faces a possible closure. Although Michael avoids the subject, rumors about the possible downsizing quickly spread around the office.

In the final episode of the season, Jim begins dating Katy, a purse saleswoman who has visited the office, to Pam's subtle concern.

[edit] Second season

This was the first full season for the show. First season plots continued and new plots emerged.

Jim/Pam ("Jam"): At an office awards dinner (aka "The Dundees") held at a local Chili's restaurant, Pam gets drunk and in a moment of excitement (and in the absence of her fiance) kisses Jim on the lips. Although things end comically after that, Jim ends the night with a smile on his face. He tussles with her at an office outing to a karate dojo, but Pam suddenly breaks off when she sees Meredith watching them, making their office friendship briefly awkward. Jim makes his Secret Santa Christmas gift to Pam less personal before she receives it by removing the card (it is heavily implied, but never stated, that Jim declared his true feelings for Pam on the card). A big turning point in the season occurs on the office's "booze cruise," with Jim at last intending to reveal his feelings to Pam. Unfortunately, before he can do this, Roy publicly sets their wedding date for June 10th. Jim is crushed, and breaks up with Katy the same night. He also reveals his feelings for Pam to a similarly crushed (but for very different reasons) Michael, who tells him not to give up if he really cares for her. Unfortunately, Michael quickly spills Jim's secret to the other employees. Jim acknowledges the rumour to Pam, but pretends that he's long since gotten over his crush. Michael hints differently when Pam approaches him about it, leaving her unsure of the status of their relationship. Meanwhile, Jan discovers that Pam has a talent for art and lets her know about a graphic arts internship with the company in New York City, and while she is encouraged to pursue the venture by Jim, Roy quickly negates the idea. Jim plans a vacation to Australia, deliberately timed to overlap with Pam's wedding date, much to her disappointment. After Jim unintentionally upsets Pam and laments how he spends his days at the office, he applies for a vacant sales position at Dunder-Mifflin Stamford, unbeknownst to his Scranton co-workers. The season culminates with Jim telling Pam he is in love with her. The two kiss, ending the episode and the second season, with Pam's feelings still unclear.

Image:Jimpamoffice bc.jpg

Michael: Michael also develops love interests of his own in the second season. He purchases a condo and meets real estate agent Carole Stills. After Michael and Jan close a deal with a new client at a Chili's, Michael and the recently-divorced Jan share a kiss in the parking lot, igniting Michael's interest. Michael attends a company meeting in New York regarding downsizing and another branch manager surprisingly gives an even worse presentation than his. Jan again kisses Michael as he leaves and it's again caught on camera, much to her embarrassment. A video of his childhood television appearance causes Michael to regret being a childless bachelor. At his self-planned ice rink birthday party, Michael runs into Carole, his real estate agent, and entertains her children. In the season finale, Michael is caught in an awkward encounter with both Jan and Carole, but Jan leaves Casino Night in an unusual show of jealousy because of Carole. It is also hinted that Jan planned to stay the night at Michael's.

Besides those, two more office relationships begin this season. When Jim throws a party, a new relationship between Dwight and Angela is revealed, though none of their co-workers (except Pam) have observed it. Kelly develops a crush on Ryan and pursues him, while he quickly begins to regret "hooking up" with her the day before Valentine's Day. The Dwight-Angela relationship slowly evolves throughout the season. Kelly and Ryan begin an undefined relationship, with Ryan wanting something very casual and Kelly wanting something much more long term — leaving both parties unsatisfied.

Other minor plot points of the season include: Michael's best friend Todd Packer (previously only heard in phone calls) makes his first appearance in the office; the staff is introduced to Phyllis's boyfriend Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration at the Christmas party; it is revealed that Oscar is a closeted gay man (but no one in the office is aware); Dwight retires his volunteer Sheriff Deputy duties following shameful acts, but Michael makes him Honorary Security Supervisor for the branch to make up for it; Kevin's Police (originally Steve Miller) tribute band "Scrantonicity" is revealed, when Pam views a video they've sent her auditioning to play at her wedding. Kevin plays "Vox/Percussion" in the band, according to the tape, and he is hired by Roy later on in the episode.

[edit] Third season

Since the events of season two, Jim accepted Pam's intentions to marry Roy and transferred to the Stamford branch. Pam got cold feet shortly before the wedding, and ended her relationship with Roy, moving into her own apartment. Roy hit bottom with a drunk driving arrest, since resolving to win her back. Michael continued dating Carole, a decision that many in the office feel has turned Jan against the branch. Dwight and Angela have kept their relationship a secret, while Phyllis and Bob Vance have gotten engaged, and Ryan, still with Kelly, was promoted to Jim's position. Oscar is outed as a homosexual by Michael, and receives 3 months of paid vacation (and a company car) as a result.

Though promoted to Assistant Regional Manager and becoming far more productive than his time in Scranton, Jim has trouble fitting in at the Stamford branch, especially with his co-worker Andy. Another co-worker however, Karen, has grown a crush on him, and Jim has begun a friendship with her similar to the one with Pam. When he and Michael reunite at a convention, Jim confesses that he left Scranton because of Pam, a secret that Michael has yet to reveal.

Pam attempts to enter back into the dating world with a local cartoonist, but is left unsatisfied. When she stays late after work one night, she winds up speaking to Jim, who, unsuspecting someone to answer the phone at such a late hour, called to reach Kevin's voice mail. Despite this being the first time they have spoken since the transfer, their conversation lasts long after their respective offices have emptied. Later, at a Diwali festival hosted by Kelly, Pam breaks off a friendly conversation with a guy at the party in order to text message Jim. He is drunk and unable to respond at the time, leading her to be disappointed.

During the same Diwali festival, Michael is inspired on his ninth date with Carole to propose marriage. She rejects the proposal, however, and goes home. Heartbroken, he is joined by Pam, who is herself still waiting for Jim to respond. Michael misreads the moment as a cue to kiss her, but she quickly rebuffs him. They are forced through the awkward moment when Michael needs a ride home from her.

The future of the branch is still in jeopardy, and Jan has increasingly begun to crack down on Michael's behavior. Out of fear for the office's future, Angela insists to Dwight that he should convince Jan he can take over the branch, but he fails spectacularly, and then when Michael reveals he knows about Dwight's double-cross, Dwight cringingly returns to being Michael's right-hand man again. Jan reveals that a branch must shut down, and in order to keep Josh at Dunder-Mifflin, the Scranton branch is to be absorbed into the Stamford branch. Josh uses this expected reorganization to leverage a job opportunity outside of Dunder-Mifflin, however, and informs Jan he's leaving to join Staples, which causes Dunder-Mifflin to scramble to reverse the downsizing decision. As part of the Stamford staff will now have to move to Scranton, Jan tries to convince Jim to return to his original branch, but he is hesitant to accept at first. Karen expresses interest in moving to Scranton, but Jim suggests she move to New York City instead. Shortly afterward, however, he explains he has decided to take the offer, and encourages her to follow.

As the merger takes place, an unsubtle competition for the unofficial number two position at Scranton begins between Dwight and Andy, until Jan short-circuits it by announcing that Jim has officially been given the job (and a pay raise). The new employees detest Michael's management style, reacting with alarm at his "Lazy Scranton" orientation video and team-building exercises. By the end of the first day, one Stamford employee quits, though Michael fires him in response. Pam offers to catch up with Jim over coffee, but Jim declines, later agreeing to meet Karen in town. At the end of the day, he reveals to Pam he's "sort of" started seeing someone.

After the merger, as everyone begins to settle down, Michael learns that Martin Nash, a transfer from Stamford, is an ex-convict, and promptly tells everyone in the office. When Nash describes prison, people begin to say that prison is better than the office. Michael quickly becomes frustrated with his employees, even going so far as to lock them in the conference room to simulate prison, but eventually relents. His antics, however, force Nash to quit from the office.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of The Office (US) episodes

Season	Ep #	First Airdate	Last Airdate
Season 1	6	March 24, 2005	April 26, 2005
Season 2	22	September 20, 2005	May 11, 2006
Season 3	25	September 21, 2006	TBD

[edit] Improvisation

Differing from many other mockumentaries, much of The Office is scripted. In a March 2006 interview, B.J. Novak stated, "We do script it to sound very natural, because we are writing a fake documentary, but the actors are very talented ... Steve (Carell) and Rainn (Wilson) add a lot in improvisation, and usually the last few takes of a talking head will be, at that point, fully improvised." Novak continued, "maybe twenty percent of the stuff we shoot is at least partially improvised ... and then it's ten percent of the finished show."<ref>Chun, Wing. March 2, 2006. "The B.J. Novak Interview", Page 7. Televisionwithoutpity.com</ref>

Jenna Fischer has stated, "Our shows are one hundred percent scripted. They put everything down on paper. Our glances to camera, our hesitations... everything. It is the actor's job to make it seem fresh and natural. But we get to play around a little bit, too. Steve and Rainn are brilliant improvisers."<ref>Fischer, Jenna. February 16, 2006. "The Office: Your Questions Answered!", TVGuide.com.</ref>

A specific example of improvisation on the show occurred during taping of Season 3's first episode, "Gay Witch Hunt." Jenna Fischer states, "The kiss between Michael and Oscar was improvised. Steve just went into that bit on the fly. It was brilliant! 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." <ref>Fischer, Jenna. September 24, 2006. "BIG Winners, BIG Ratings and BIG New York Wrap-Up with Pictures!", Myspace.com.</ref>

[edit] Response

Before the show aired, Gervais acknowledged that there were feelings of hesitation from certain viewers. "I think people are always gonna be wary of a remake — it's a tradition," he stated in a March 2005 interview, "But this remake is aimed at the 249 million Americans who didn't see the original TV show. There's not gonna be many Texas farmhands going, 'Eccch, not another version. I can't believe it.'"<ref>Wolk, Josh. "The Office bosses on bringing the Brit hit to NBC", Entertainment Weekly March 14, 2005.</ref>

Writer/performer B.J. Novak recalled almost a year after the show premiered, "There was this very rough period at the beginning, where not only did mainstream viewers have no interest in us, but the type of people that should have and ultimately did come to our defense hated us even more, because we were remaking the British Office."<ref>Chun, Wing. March 2, 2006. "The B.J. Novak Interview", Page 3. Televisionwithoutpity.com</ref>

[edit] Critical reviews

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".<ref name="Timms">Timms, Dominic. US version of The Office scores ratings victory Guardian Unlimited March 29, 2005</ref> A Guardian Unlimited review panned its unoriginality, 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."<ref>Wollaston, Sam. "You just can't get the staff" Guardian Unlimited 15 June 2005.</ref>

Fortunately for Carell and the series, reviews became more positive as the second season progressed. Come December, 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."<ref>Poniewozik, James. "Best of 2005: Television" Time Magazine, December 16, 2005</ref> Entertainment Weekly resonated 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."<ref>Harris, Bob. "2005's 10 Best Shows" Entertainment Weekly, December 22, 2005</ref>

Months later, 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."<ref>Rabin, Nathan. "Inventory: Eight Sure-Fire Fiascoes That Unexpectedly Succeeded", The Onion A.V. Club, March 29, 2006</ref>

[edit] Ratings

Premiering on Thursday, March 24, 2005, after an episode of The Apprentice on NBC, it caught the curiosity of 11.2 million viewers in the U.S., winning its time slot.<ref name="Timms" /> However, NBC meant for the series to air on Tuesday nights and when it first aired on a Tuesday night, it unfortunately lost nearly half its audience with only 5.9 million viewers.<ref>Deans, Jason. US remake of The Office loses half its audience Guardian Unlimited March 31, 2005</ref> The program averaged 5.4 million viewers, ranking it #102 for the 2004-2005 U.S. television season.<ref>"Hollywood Reporter: Final audience and ratings figures for 2004-05", May 27, 2005.</ref>. The first season finale received the lowest rating in the show's history, earning just a 2.2 rating with a 10 share.<ref>Media Life Magazine. April 27, 2005. Lower the lights for NBC's 'The Office', medialifemagazine.com</ref>

As the second season started, the show slowly started gaining a cult following due to the success of Carell's August 2005 movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin and the fortune of airing after the surprise rookie hit comedy, My Name Is Earl. Growing viewership seemed promising enough to NBC that they moved the series in January 2006 to the "Must See TV" Thursday night where the ratings continued to grow. Some of this growth may be attributed to iTunes beginning to sell the show on its then-new sales of TV Shows. By the 2005-2006 season, it placed #67 (tied with 20/20). It averaged 8.0 million viewers with a 4.0/10 rating. It also was up 40% in viewers from the year before and up 60% in viewers ages 18-49.<ref>The Hollywood Reporter, 2005-06 primetime wrap, hollywoodreporter.com</ref>

The third-season premiere received a 5.7/9 and actually made a small increase in total viewers and viewers 18-49 over its lead-in program, My Name Is Earl.<ref>September 21, 2006. ABC Changes 'Anatomy' of Thursday, Zap2it.com</ref>

A new Must See TV lineup of The Office, My Name Is Earl, Scrubs, and 30 Rock has been announced with a November 16, 2006 premiere.

The series was canceled in Australia after only three episodes, but it returned to a late Sunday-night timeslot on Ten in early 2006. The third season has yet to premiere on Australian television. <ref>Australian Associated Press. "US office remake axed" June 28, 2005, Sydney Morning Herald</ref>

[edit] Cast blogs

Many members of the cast keep online blogs on TV Guide.com and MySpace, where they have posted updates (sometimes as often as every week) on behind the scenes happenings and post on-set photographs of the show. Part of the reason for their prolific blogging is that the actors must sit in front of their computers during long taping sessions. The computers are functional, internet-connected computers, so the actors are able to browse the internet, play games, and blog. [2]

Jenna Fischer is the most active blogger of the cast. During the season, she posted a weekly blog at MySpace as well as every Thursday during the second half of the show's 2005-06 season on TVGuide.com. She took over the TV Guide blogging duties from B.J. Novak, who wrote for the site until December 2005. [3]; Novak also has a MySpace page. During most of the summer of 2006, Brian Baumgartner took over TV Guide blogging duties for Fischer [4]. As the third season began, Kate Flannery took over for Baumgartner.[5]

Rainn Wilson also writes a blog in character called "Schrute Space" on NBC.com, which is updated periodically.<ref>Interview: Rainn Wilson (March 14, 2006). The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC.</ref>

Angela Kinsey, Paul Lieberstein, David Denman, Craig Robinson, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Karly Rothenberg, Creed Bratton and Robert R. Shafer also maintain MySpace pages, and some occasionally blog in character.

[edit] Awards and nominations

Image:Office-cast-emmy.jpg

The series was nominated for three Writers Guild of America Awards for Television in 2005, including "Best Comedy Series", "Best New Series", and "Best Episodic Comedy" ("Diversity Day"). It was also nominated for three Television Critics Association Awards in 2006 for "Program of the Year", "Comedy Series," "Individual Achievement in Comedy" for Carell. It won for the latter two.<ref>Television Critics Association Press Releases (July 23, 2006). PROUD AS A PEACOCK: NBC LEADS IN TCA AWARDS, tvcritics.org</ref>

Steve Carell won a Golden Globe in 2006 for his portrayal of Michael Scott (in the category "Best Performance by an Actor In A Television Series - Musical Or Comedy"). Creator Ricky Gervais had received the same award for his performance in the original version in 2004.

Also in 2006, the series won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series and was nominated in four other categories including "Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series" (Steve Carell), "Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series" (Dean Holland, "Booze Cruise" and David Rogers, "Christmas Party"), and "Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series" (Michael Schur for "Christmas Party") [6].

Also, Jenna Fischer won Oustanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series at the Women's Image Network (WIN) Awards in 2006. She beat out 2006's Emmy Award winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Lisa Kudrow, Leah Remini and Jane Kaczmarek.

[edit] Online and DVD releases

[edit] Online

Episodes from The Office were among the first television shows available for download from the iTunes Store beginning in December 2005. The episodes have proven to be among the most downloaded of the NBC shows thus offered, consistently making the top ten downloads each week and often making the number one slot.<ref>Whitney, Daisy. "NBC: iPod Boosts Prime Time" TVWeek.com January 16, 2006.</ref> In the summer of 2006, ten internet-exclusive webisodes featuring the minor characters on The Office aired on NBC.com.

[edit] DVD

Season Releases

DVD Name	Release Date	Ep #	Additional Information
Season 1	August 16 2005	6	This single disc DVD includes all 6 episodes from Season 1. Bonus features include an hour of deleted scenes from all of the episodes and five commentary tracks by cast and crew on select episodes.
Season 2	September 12 2006	22	This four disc box set includes all 22 episodes from Season 2. Bonus features include deleted scenes from every episode, 10 commentary tracks by cast and crew on select episodes, 10 original webisodes from NBC.com, a 17-minute blooper reel, 17 fake NBC PSAs, Olympics promos and "Steve on Steve" promos.

Target, Circuit City and Best Buy outlets are each currently offering their own exclusive special packages with the release of the Season 2 DVD [7]. They are as follows:
- Target offers an alternate second disc featuring Jenna Fischer's eight minute video blog of the "Booze Cruise" episode. ($34.99 USD)
- Circuit City offers 3 downloadable cell phone games. ($29.99 USD)
- Best Buy offers "The Office Severance Package" gift set including both Season 1 and 2 of The Office on DVD, a notepad, self-adhesive notes, a magnet, a pen, a monthly planner and a storage box. ($42.99 USD)

[edit] Cultural References

There exists sheer ubiquity of the name "Mifflin" in Pennsylvania, after Thomas Mifflin, the first governor of Pennsylvania. Examples include Mifflin County, Mifflintown, Mifflinville, West Mifflin and Mifflinburg. In the season 3 episode titled Initiation, Dwight tells that the company's cofounder was Robert Mifflin.

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A Union Flag on Michael's desk and Dunder-Mifflin's address at 1725 Slough Avenue reference the original English version. A Homer Simpson doll seen behind Dwight's desk reflects Office producer Greg Daniels' previous work on The Simpsons.
The opening montage of the 58th Primetime Emmy Awards featured a parody of the show in which Conan O'Brien crashes through the ceiling of the Dunder-Mifflin office onto Dwight's desk. In reference to Jim and Pam's relationship, Conan confesses to the camera that he could see "two or three more seasons of 'will they-won't they' sexual tension that ultimately goes nowhere".
Conan O'Brien and showrunner Greg Daniels were roommates at Harvard University, and worked together as writers on Saturday Night Live and, briefly, on The Simpsons. You can also see Conan walking through the background of the shot when Michael visits New York: the gag is that Michael is looking for celebrities, but completely misses Conan because he is distracted by a woman who he thinks is Tina Fey.

[edit] Geographical references

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Dwight has on his office cabinet a bumper sticker promoting Froggy-101, a country-western radio station in Scranton, and on his desk are bobble-head dolls from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons baseball team.

Other references to the geography and culture of greater Scranton include Lackawanna County, Lackawanna Coal Mining Tour, Poor Richard's Pub, Farley's, Connell Park, Carbondale, Dickson City, Lake Wallenpaupack, The Mall at Steamtown, radio station Rock 107, the Montage Mountain Performing Arts Center, Bishop O'Hara High School, and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey team.

Noteworthy departures from this accuracy are occasional mentions of and visits to Chili's and Hooters restaurant, neither of which have franchises in the immediate area. The nearest Chili's restaurant is in neighboring city Wilkes-Barre and the Hooters is located near Binghamton, New York.

Also, in Season Three, Michael and Dwight are seen taking a train to Philadelphia for the Northeastern Mid-Market Office Supply Convention. Though Scranton is known for its rail history and is home to the Steamtown National Historic Site, there is currently no passenger rail service in the Scranton area. Amtrak ran service to New York until the 1980's, but there has not been rail service to Philadelphia for many decades. The Wyoming Valley Mall, which is found in Wilkes Barre, not Scranton, under the name "Wilkes Barre Valley Mall", was featured in a song that Michael sang in Season Two.

[edit] Miscellanea

The first season was filmed in an actual office space. For the second season, a sound stage was built to replicate the first season's environment. The show is now filmed inside Chandler Studios in Van Nuys, in Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley.<ref>Caranicas, Peter. "Another Day at The Office," Videography, February 2006: 20-24.</ref>
The Office may exist in the same fictional universe as another NBC show: Las Vegas. It was mentioned on the Las Vegas episode 'The Story of Owe' (10 November 2006) that Dunder Mifflin had booked rooms at the Montecito for a convention, and that security would have to be beefed up.
Jenna Fischer and Rainn Wilson have appeared on HBO's Six Feet Under.
All the footage used in the opening credits are from the first two episodes, with the exception of the water cooler, which was an establishing shot in the original, and Dwight using the shredder, which was added as part of the Staples product placement contract.
Most popular culture references on the show point to an NBC or Universal property. For example, in the episode, "The Merger" the orientation video is a derivative of Lazy Sunday, a music video originally aired on NBC's Saturday Night Live.
The show has had product placement deals with Hewlett-Packard, Activision, and Staples. Kevin Malone is seen in one episode using a Staples-branded shredding machine to shred a Staples-branded CD-R. A commercial for the exact shredder was aired following the scene. The placement goes so far as to actually increase the visibility of the Staples brand on the product, by including a red Staples logo.
Most episodes start with the sound of a telephone ringing.