The Office (U.S. TV series)
| The Office | |
|---|---|
 Opening title |
|
| Genre | Comedy Mockumentary Satire |
| Created by | Ricky Gervais & Stephen Merchant (original British series) |
| Developed by | Greg Daniels |
| Starring | Steve Carell Rainn Wilson John Krasinski Jenna Fischer B.J. Novak |
| Opening theme | written by Jay Ferguson |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 66 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | normally 30 minutes (with commercials) (details) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC (USA) |
| Picture format | 480i (SDTV), 1080i (HDTV) |
| Audio format | Dolby Digital |
| Original run | March 24, 2005 – present |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | The Office UK The Untitled Office Spin-Off |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
The Office is an Emmy Award-winning American television sitcom airing on NBC and developed by Greg Daniels. It is an American adaptation of the BBC series of the same name. Unlike most sitcoms, The Office is shot in a single-camera setup, without a studio audience or a laugh track, and is made in the form of a documentary, or "mockumentary". It depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. Although fictional and scripted, the show takes the form of a documentary, with the presence of the camera openly acknowledged.
Based on the British series of the same name, it was adapted for American audiences by executive producer Greg Daniels, a veteran writer for Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill and The Simpsons. Original series creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who wrote "The Convict" episode,[1] have production credits. It is co-produced by Greg Daniels' Deedle-Dee Productions and Reveille Productions, in association with NBC Universal Television Studios.
The show debuted on NBC as a midseason replacement on March 24, 2005, replacing the short–lived sitcom Committed.[2] In 2007 Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) started broadcasting episodes once a week, and will begin broadcasting the series five days a week in 2009.
Contents |
Production
The British television series The Office, made for the BBC by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, enjoyed significant success at home and abroad, and won two Golden Globes. NBC therefore commissioned a U.S. version.
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. "[B]y definition the town we picked wouldn't have a lot of glitzy stuff going on."[3] 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.[4] When asked before the premiere what differences there might be from the British version, Gervais joked that the American actors would have better teeth.[5]
All filming is done in the Greater Los Angeles area, but the show makes many references to actual places and businesses in and near Scranton, such as the Mall at Steamtown, Lake Wallenpaupack, Abe's Deli, and the Lackawanna County Coal Mine Tour. Dwight's "Froggy 101" bumper sticker is from local country station WGGY. "We went toward embracing the whole Scranton-ness of the setting," said Daniels.[3]
Miscellaneous
The show's first season had a run of just six episodes, and was filmed in an actual office.[6] For the second season, since NBC ordered a full run of episodes, filming moved to a sound stage at Valley Center Studios in Van Nuys, built to replicate the first season's environment,[6] including plaques and certificates hanging on walls using the names of crew members.[7]
In keeping with its mockumentary format, the show has no laugh track. All music must be diegetic, with songs either sung or played by the characters or heard on radios, computers or other devices. Featured music tends to be well known, and often older, popular songs in order to reflect the character, such as Michael's attempt to seem hip by using "My Humps" as a ringtone.[8]Although the show is intended to be observed as a documentary, during some scenes it is obvious it took two separate takes because the camera that was just shooting will disappear (an example would be in the episode "Safety Training", Michael is on a rooftop standing next to a cameraman talking to the office members below, and when the office members respond to him, Michael is suddenly standing alone on the rooftop).
Writers
Producer Greg Daniels initially hired four writers for the series: Michael Schur[9], B.J. Novak, Paul Lieberstein[10] and Mindy Kaling.[11] He hired two consulting producers, Lester Lewis[12] and Larry Wilmore.[13]
In the second season, Jennifer Celotta[14] and the team of Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg joined the writing staff.[15] Steve Carell wrote that season's finale, "Casino Night".[16] In the third season, original series creators Gervais and Merchant wrote "The Convict"[1] and veteran television comedy writer Brent Forrester began writing for the show.[17] Carell returned again with "Survivor Man"[18] in the fourth season, and Lester Lewis contributed an episode then as well.[19]
Directors
Ken Kwapis, a veteran of The Larry Sanders Show and Malcolm in the Middle, directed the pilot[20] and eight other episodes.[15][21][16][22] Daniels, Ken Whittingham,[10] and Bryan Gordon also began directing the show in the first season.
Paul Feig, creator of Freaks and Geeks, directed four second season episodes, and one fourth season episode. He is currently scheduled to direct another episode. In the third and fourth seasons, directors known for their work on other series and in other media, such as J.J. Abrams, Harold Ramis, Jason Reitman, Amy Heckerling and Joss Whedon helmed episodes. The fourth season's "Money" marked Lieberstein's directorial debut.
Casting
All original series characters were adapted for the U.S. version. NBC programmer Kevin Reilly 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.[23] 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 midseason replacement comedy, Come to Papa,[24] 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.[25] Rainn Wilson, who was cast as the power-hungry sycophant Dwight Schrute, had watched every episode of the series before he auditioned.[26] 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. Krasinski recalled accidentally insulting Daniels while waiting to audition for the series, telling him, "I hope they [the show's developers] don't screw this up." Daniels then introduced himself and told Krasinki who he was.[27] Fischer prepared for her audition by looking as boring as possible, creating the original Pam hairstyle at her first audition for the show.[28]
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.[29] 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.[30] Flannery first auditioned for the part of Jan Levinson-Gould, before landing the role of Meredith Palmer.[31] Baumgartner originally auditioned for Stanley, but was eventually cast as Kevin.[32] Ken Kwapis liked the way Phyllis Smith, a casting associate, read with other actors auditioning so much that he cast her as Phyllis.[33] 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.[34]
Four of the show's writers have also stepped out in front of the camera. 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.[29] Greg Daniels originally was not sure where to use the Indian American 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.[33] Schur has also made occasional appearances as Dwight's cousin Mose, and consulting producer Wilmore has played diversity trainer Mr. Brown.
There were plans for Mackenzie Crook, Martin Freeman and Lucy Davis from the British version of The Office to appear in the third season,[35][36] but those plans were scrapped due to scheduling conflicts.[37]
Improvisation
A complete script is written for each episode of The Office. However, actors are given opportunities to improvise during shooting. "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."[38]
The kiss Michael planted on Oscar in "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."[39]
Format
"The Office" is presented as a "mockumentary," and 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 openly acknowledged by the characters, with some characters (especially Michael Scott) enthusiastically participating in the filming while others (namely, 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. 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 has affected plot lines. In The Dundies, a drunken Pam nearly confesses something to Jim, but shies away when she notices the camera. 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 Fun Run, the cameras catch Jim and Pam kissing, which leads to them revealing (to the viewing audience at least) that they are in fact dating.
In early episodes, the camera crews seemed confined primarily to the office setting, but as the show has expanded to include more about the character's 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 a weekend getaway (although the trip was 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 microphone, which could explain why the cameras are often able to hear closed-door conversations. The cameras have caught Jan kissing Michael in 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 in to Michael, Jim and Karen's job interviews for a corporate position.
Deleted scenes
On The Office, deleted scenes are considered part of the show's story line, and have sometimes been restored in repeats to make episodes longer. 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.[40] The missing scene was restored in later airings.
Product placement
The Office has had product placement deals with Staples[41] and the Olympic baler,[42] as well as mentioning in dialog or displaying clear logos for products such as Sandals Resorts, HP 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.[41] 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.[43] In the Season two episode "The Secret" Michael takes Jim to Hooters to discuss Jim's feelings for Pam. In another episode: "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.
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. 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.[44] Chili's 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.[6][45] 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.[6]
Theme song and title sequence
The theme song for The Office was written by Jay Ferguson and performed by The Scrantones.[46] 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 Season four, 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 (specifically "Office Olympics"), episodes have begun with a cold open followed by the theme.
Characters
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Main article: Characters from The Office (US)
- Further information: The Office#Cast and character counterparts
The Office employs an ensemble cast. All of the main characters, and some minor ones, are based on characters from the British version of The Office.
Michael Scott, the head of the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, feels he is the life of the office; his employees feel otherwise. His assistant manager, sales representative Jim Halpert is dating the office receptionist, Pam Beesly, and plans to ask her to marry him. Their relationship comes after three seasons of friendship laced with sexual 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. Michael's boss, Dunder Mifflin's Vice President for Regional Sales, is Ryan Howard, who started out as a temporary worker in the Scranton office.
The accounting department features the uptight Angela Martin, who wishes to keep things orderly and make sure situations remain as serious as possible, including her previous secret affair with Dwight; Kevin Malone, a slow-witted, overweight man who revels in juvenile humor and is addicted to gambling and M&Ms; and the patient Oscar Martinez, whose homosexuality, timidity 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 African-American heritage; anger-management grad and Angela's current boyfriend Andy Bernard, formerly of the Stamford, Connecticut branch office; former Woodstocker and all-around rule-breaker quality-assurance Creed Bratton; the innocent and timid Phyllis Lapin; the bubbly and talkative Kelly Kapoor; the depressed, alcoholic single mother Meredith Palmer, and frequent target of Michael's abuse human resources representative Toby Flenderson. Outside the office, there is Michael's former girlfriend Jan Levinson, who previously held the position of Vice President for Regional Sales. Also, Bob Vance, Phyllis' husband and owner of Vance Refrigeration, which shares an office building with Dunder Mifflin. He is consistently referred to as "Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration". Karen Fillipelli, former saleswoman from Stamford, was Jim's insecure and paranoid girlfriend for most of Season 3, forming a quiet but tense rivalry with Pam as they fought for his attention. Karen is now Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin's Utica branch.
Season synopses
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Main article: List of The Office (U.S. TV series) episodes
A typical episode for a half-hour time slot runs 20½ minutes.[47] The final episode of the second season introduced the first of what would be several "super-sized" episodes (approximately 29-minute running time for a 40-minute time slot). The third season introduced the first of occasional hour-long episodes (approximately 41-minute running time; suitable for being shown as two separate normal episodes).
Season one
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Main article: The Office (U.S. season 1)
The first season featured six episodes that began airing on March 24, 2005 and finished on April 26, 2005.
The series begins by introducing the office and its main characters via a tour given by Michael Scott for both the camera crew and Ryan Howard, a temp on his first day.[20] News soon spreads that Dunder Mifflin's corporate headquarters plan to downsize, and the Scranton branch faces a possible closure. Employee benefits are slashed, including health care.[10] Anxiety over downsizing grows, but Michael chooses to deny or downplay such a possibility in the interest of employee morale. Jim has a crush on Pam, his partner in crime when planning pranks against office mate Dwight, even though she has been engaged to Roy from the warehouse for a number of years. In the final episode of the season, to Pam's subtle concern, Jim begins dating Katy, a purse saleswoman who visits and sets up shop briefly in the office.[11]
Season two
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Main article: The Office (U.S. season 2)
The second season was the first full season for the show and included 22 episodes. The season premiere originally aired on September 20, 2005, and the season finale on May 11, 2006. First season plots continued and new plots emerged, as well as development in most secondary characters who were left to the background in season one. The fate of the Scranton branch remained unresolved, but it did not seem to be doing well in comparison with the other branches, particularly the Stamford branch.
Over the season, romantic relationships develop between some of the characters. Jim's relationship with Katy continues, to Pam's chagrin. Michael and Jan have a one-night stand in the wake of Jan's divorce[48]. This is revealed to the company by one of the other regional managers who is angry with Michael.[49] He drifts into a relationship with Carol, the realtor who sells him his new condominium.[50] Dwight and Angela become involved after a nighttime tryst in Jim's backyard following a party.[14] They keep the relationship a secret from everyone else. Kelly develops a crush on Ryan. The audience also learns that Oscar is gay and Dwight doesn't realize this even when he sees Oscar and his partner together.
Dwight resigns his position as a volunteer reserve deputy sheriff.[51] In Booze Cruise, Jim finally decides to reveal his feelings to Pam, but is seconds too late when Roy publicly announces he's ready to set their wedding date. Jim tells her he could not attend since he would (deliberately) be on vacation in Australia at that time.[21] He opens talks with Jan about transferring to Stamford, but has some unfinished business to attend to before deciding, finally telling Pam in the finale, that he loves her and then kissing her.[16]
The Accountants
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Main article: The Accountants
Between seasons two and three in 2006, NBC released "The Accountants", ten short webisodes starring the trio of accountants, Angela, Oscar, and Kevin. The webisodes involve the group investigating a $3,000 discrepancy in the accounting books, where they interview many of the other employees in the office, finally leading them to believe that Michael took the money. But in the final webisode, the group ultimately discovers that the source of the missing money was an accounting mistake. The webisodes are included as extras in the season two DVD collection.
Season three
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Main article: The Office (U.S. season 3)
The third season had 23 episodes, consisting of 17 half-hour episodes, four 40-minute "super-sized" episodes, and two one-hour episodes. They originally aired from September 21, 2006 to May 17, 2007.
Jim has transferred to the Stamford branch, where he takes over as assistant regional manager. He finds new love with coworker Karen Filippelli, and a workplace rival in Andy Bernard, who wanted his job. He is content, but misses his former coworkers. Back in Scranton, Pam has canceled the wedding and called off her engagement to Roy. Ryan has now been hired as a full-time sales representative. Carol breaks up with Michael, leading him eventually to return to Jan. Oscar is outed inadvertently by Michael, leading Jan to offer him a three-month paid vacation and a company car so he won't sue. He takes it and is gone for half the season. Dwight and Angela continue their relationship and keep it a secret from most of their coworkers.
Corporate finally decides to close down the Scranton branch. But those plans are changed when the head of the Stamford branch, Josh Porter, who was to take a job similar to Jan's while Jim would head the enlarged Stamford office, tells Jan he will be leaving for a senior management position at Staples, a major competitor to Dunder Mifflin.[52] Instead, the Stamford branch is shut down and its employees merged into Scranton, where Pam and Jim are reunited. Michael's management style eventually leads all the employees merged from Stamford to quit except for Karen, Andy, and Jim. Pam tries to be honest with Roy about her past with Jim and tells him they kissed, which leads to Roy trashing the bar they are in. She tells him it's over. Roy shows up at the office and attacks Jim out of jealousy. After being subdued by Dwight, he is fired.
Jan and Michael's relationship becomes public after he inadvertently emails a picture he took of her on the beach in Jamaica to Darryl. Phyllis becomes engaged to, and eventually marries, Bob Vance, owner of neighboring Vance Refrigeration. She takes a six-week honeymoon afterwards.[53] Andy is provoked to anger after a prank played on him by Jim and Pam and punches a wall. He is subsequently sent off to anger management training, precipitating a long absence of his character from the show.[54] Michael, after learning he is being considered for a corporate job, tries to pick his replacement through a series of Survivor-like challenges at a trip to the beach. Pam, not included in the games and feeling small, depressed, and left out, finally builds her courage and makes a speech to everyone, telling Jim she called off the wedding because of him.
In the season's finale, Jim, Karen, and Michael are interviewing for the position at corporate that turns out to be Jan's. When she confronts her superiors about this, they explain that her increasingly erratic behavior is interfering with her job and fire her on the spot. Jim ultimately decides he does not want the corporate job. He drives back to Scranton without Karen and asks Pam out on a date, and she joyfully accepts. In the final scene, we learn Ryan has gotten Jan's job.[22]
Season four
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Main article: The Office (U.S. season 4)
NBC ordered a full fourth season[55] consisting of 30 half-hour segments, 10 of which were combined to form five one-hour episodes (aired at the beginning of the season), creating 25 episodes overall. After eight episodes were filmed, production was suspended due to the 2007–2008 writers' strike, in which not only the writers but also Carell refused to cross the picket line.[56]
New post-strike episodes began airing April 10. The season ended with six new episodes, resulting in a shortened season of 14 total episodes,[57] consisting of 19 half hour segments.
At the beginning of the season, Karen has left due to losing Jim to Pam. She becomes regional manager at the Utica branch.[58] Pam and Jim try, but ultimately fail, to keep their relationship secret.[59] Jan moves in with Michael, who takes a second job in telemarketing due to his deepening financial problems.[60] Angela and Dwight break up after he takes it upon himself to euthanize her very sick cat.[61] She begins dating Andy as Dwight licks his wounds.
Meredith is absent from several episodes, convalescing and rehabilitating after Michael hits her with his car in the parking lot.[61] Ryan, in his new role, attempts to modernize Dunder Mifflin's way of doing business, with a new ad campaign and website. His efforts lead some of the older employees, and eventually Jim, to believe he is attempting to force them out of the company. Jan files a lawsuit against Dunder Mifflin for wrongful termination, which she loses because of Michael's testimony.[19]
Michael and Jan host a disastrous dinner party, which ultimately ends in Michael leaving Jan. Jim also states that sometime in the future, he plans on proposing to Pam. Michael and Dwight travel to New York to party with Ryan, who has developed a drug problem. Ryan later starts to sabotage Jim's career but is then revealed to have committed fraud and will presumably be fired. Toby, after revealing his affection for Pam, announces he is leaving for Costa Rica. A replacement HR Rep, Holly Flax, is hired, who quickly shows fondness towards Michael after some awkward advances on his part. Their pending romance is cut short when Jan returns, pregnant from a sperm donor; Michael agrees to help her through the pregnancy. In the season finale, in a moment echoing their first date, Jim is about to propose to Pam, but Andy interrupts with his public proposal to Angela, who reluctantly agrees. Finally, Phyllis and the cameramen discover Angela and Dwight having sex on Angela's desk after hours.
Future
NBC ordered a fifth season consisting of 28 half-hour segments on April 10, 2008.[62] NBC also announced that Greg Daniels and the producers will be creating a spin-off series to air after NBC Super Bowl coverage in early 2009. NBC said the spin-off will take audiences on "another comic journey, complete with new faces and new locations, but with the same unique sense of humor and brand of quality from Daniels and his creative team. It's the next chapter of what viewers have come to know and love about 'The Office'". [63] Rashida Jones, who plays Karen Filippelli is speculated to be in the spin-off. [64]
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 said. "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.'"[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]
Some corporate executives and management consultants see the show as instructive to managers beyond merely providing a counterexample of quality management, "great material for management training on what not to do", according to one Florida real-estate developer. It reminds managers that they will never be perfect, certainly not to their subordinates, and that even their best plans will be subject to office gossip and other resistance. Yet they also note that Michael's subordinates remain loyal to him because he takes charge, however imperfectly.[73]
The show has some superficial similarities to the 1990s 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]
There have been political responses to the show. Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter believes the show's popularity arises partly from what he views as a political allegory of the George W. Bush administration. Michael and Dwight, he says, share much in common with George W. Bush and Dick Cheney respectively, both in appearance and temperament.[74] 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.[75] Rainn Wilson later accepted on Dwight's behalf while on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. A labor-affiliated group praised the episode "Boys and Girls" for what it considered an unusually frank depiction of union busting on American television.[76]
Ratings
Premiering on Thursday, March 24, 2005, after an episode of The Apprentice on NBC, The Office caught the curiosity of 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 4.0/10 rating, and was up 40% in viewers from the year before and up 60% in viewers ages 18–49.[81]
The third-season premiere received a 5.7/9 and made a small 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 4.1/11 rating, a slight 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]
Seasonal ratings
| Season | Timeslot (EDT) | Season premiere | Season finale | TV season | Rank | Viewers (in millions) |
18–49 Rating/Share (rank) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuesday 9:30 p.m. | March 24, 2005 | April 26, 2005 | 2004–2005 | #102[85] | 5.4 | 2.5/6 (#82) |
| 2 | Tuesday 9:30 p.m. (September 20 – December 6, 2005) Thursday 9:00 p.m. (January 5 – May 11, 2006) |
September 20, 2005 | May 11, 2006 | 2005–2006 | #67[86] | 8.0 | 4.0/10 (#34) |
| 3 | Thursday 8:30 p.m. | September 21, 2006 | May 17, 2007 | 2006–2007 | #68[87] | 8.3 | 4.1/11 (#28) |
| 4 | Thursday 9:00 p.m. | September 27, 2007 | May 15, 2008 | 2007–2008 | #77[88] | 8.1 | TBA* |
* Subject to change.
Impact
The city of Scranton, long known mainly for its industrial past as a coal mining and rail center,[4] has eagerly embraced, and been redefined by, the show. "We're really hip now", says the mayor's assistant.[3] 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.[89] Newspapers in other Northeastern cities have published travel guides to Scranton locations for tourists interested in visiting places mentioned in the show.[4][89][90]
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 Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern identified the city as the home of Dunder Mifflin.[91]
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 Greg Daniels, 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 Schafer, Andy Buckley. Not present were writer-actor Paul Lieberstein (who was originally going to make an appearance) and four of the five main actors: Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, and Jenna Fischer.[92]
International broadcast
The Office is broadcast in Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom (as The Office: An American Workplace), Germany, Austria, the Asia Pacific region, Brazil and Latin America, New Zealand, Israel, Australia, Norway, South Africa and in Saudi Arabia and the Arab World.[citation needed] In April 2007, the show began airing in the Netherlands under the title The Office US. It is also broadcast in India on Star World.[citation needed] Season 2, which has already aired on ITV2 in the United Kingdom, has started repeats on Paramount Comedy 1.[93]
The series was canceled in Australia after only two episodes due to poorer ratings than expected,[94] but it returned to a late Sunday-night time slot on Ten in early 2006. It is broadcast in Portugal, on TVI, in the early morning; the broadcaster was petitioned to reschedule it to a more viewer-friendly timeslot.[95] It is also shown late-nights on the French channel Canal +.
Other media
Online releases
Episodes from The Office were among the first television shows available for download from the iTunes Store beginning in December 2005. In 2006, ten internet-exclusive webisodes featuring the minor 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.[96]
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.[97] Between the online viewings and those who use digital video recorders, 25-50% of the show's viewers watch it after its scheduled airtime.[98]
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.[99]
DVD releases
| Season | Region 1 Release Date | Region 2 Release Date | Episodes | Discs | Bonus Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | August 16, 2005 | April 10, 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 | 22 | 4 | Deleted scenes from every episode, 10 commentary tracks by cast and crew on select episodes, The Accountants webisodes, Faces of Scranton video, blooper reel, 17 fake public service announcements, Olympics promos and "Steve on Steve" promos. |
| 3 | September 4, 2007 | July 21, 2008 | 23 | 4 | Deleted scenes, 8 commentary tracks by cast and crew on select episodes,[100] Kevin Cooks Stuff in The Office, 2006 NBC Primetime Preview, Toby wraparound promos, Dwight Schrute music video, Joss Whedon interview, Blooper Reel, Lazy Scranton video, and a 58th Annual Emmy Awards excerpt. A special edition for Target called the "Nifty Gifty" set also contains footage from the Museum of TV festival and script facsimile. |
| 4 | September 2, 2008 | 14 | 4 | Deleted scenes, outtakes, Second Life footage, "Did I Stutter?" read-through, The Office Convention invitation, The Office Convention: Writer’s Block Panel, "Goodbye, Toby" music video, four commentary tracks by cast and crew on select episodes[101] |
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.[102][103] Other merchandise, from T-shirts and a bobblehead doll of Dwight Schrute[104] to more office-specific items such as parodies of the Successories motivational poster series featuring the cast,[105] is available. Dunder Mifflin has two websites,[106] 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.[107] Rainn Wilson writes in character on "Schrute Space" on NBC.com, which is updated periodically.[108] It is unknown whether Creed Bratton authors "Creed Thoughts", the blog attributed to his character.[109]
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 Carell[110] | |
| 2006 | Winner | Television Critics Association Awards | Outstanding Achievement in Comedy[111] | ||
| 2006 | Winner | Individual Achievement in Comedy | Steve Carell[111] | ||
| 2006 | Winner | Emmy Awards | Outstanding Comedy Series[112] | ||
| 2006 | Winner | Women's Image Network Awards | Outstanding Comedy Series[113] | ||
| 2006 | Winner | Outstanding Female Actress | Jenna Fischer[113] | ||
| 2006 | Nominee | Rose d'Or Awards | Best Sitcom[114] | ||
| 2007 | Winner | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series[115] | ||
| 2007 | Winner | American Cinema Editors – Eddie Award | Best Edited Half Hour Series for Television | Dean Holland and David Rogers for "Casino Night"[116] | |
| 2007 | Winner | Writers Guild of America Awards | Best Comedy Series[117] | ||
| 2007 | Winner | Episodic Comedy Writing | Steve Carell for "Casino Night"[117] | ||
| 2007 | Winner | Producers Guild Awards | Episodic Television Comedy | Greg Daniels & Kent Zbornak[118] | |
| 2007 | Winner | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Director in Comedy Series | Ken Whittingham for "Michael's Birthday"[119] | |
| 2007 | Honored | Peabody Awards[120] | |||
| 2007 | Winner | Webby Awards | Webby Award, Comedy: Individual Short or Episode | The Office: Accountants |