Jump to content

The Office (American TV series)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Zikol (talk | contribs) at 03:12, 26 July 2007. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Template:Two other uses

The Office
File:Office us cast.jpg
The show's main cast.
GenreSitcom
Mockumentary
Created byRicky Gervais
Stephen Merchant
Greg Daniels
StarringSteve Carell
Rainn Wilson
John Krasinski
Jenna Fischer
B.J. Novak
Opening theme"The Office Theme Song" by Jay Ferguson
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons3 (Fourth to premeire in September)
No. of episodes51 (list of episodes)
Production
Running timetypically 0:20:30 (details)
Original release
NetworkNBC (USA)
ReleaseMarch 24, 2005 –
present

The Office is an Emmy Award and Peabody Award-winning[1] American television comedy that debuted on NBC as a midseason replacement on March 24, 2005. The show is 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 camera often acknowledged.

Based on the British series of the same name, it was adapted for U.S. audiences by producer Greg Daniels, a veteran writer of Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill and The Simpsons. Original series creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have production credits on the show, and wrote an episode for the show's third season.[2]

It is co-produced by Greg Daniels' Deedle-Dee Productions and Reveille Productions, in association with NBC Universal Television Studio. The show is currently broadcast by NBC in the United States and other television stations around the world. In January 2007, NBC renewed The Office for a full fourth season to air September 2007–May 2008.[3] It will also be available for syndication in Fall 2009.[4] TBS will air episodes once a week starting in Fall 2007 before airing the series five days a week in Fall 2009. The Fox Television Stations group have also obtained syndication rights starting in Fall 2009.[5]

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, Pennsylvania. NBC has described it as a faster-paced version of the original[citation needed]; Gervais jokingly said before the premiere that it would probably have actors with better teeth.[6] The first season of the show had a run of just six episodes, and was filmed in an actual office space.[7] 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. 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.

The second season brought three new members to the writing crew: Jennifer Celotta, and the screen writing team of Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg. Paul Feig, of Freaks and Geeks, directed some of the episodes. Filming moved to a sound stage that was built to replicate the first season's environment,[7] including plaques and certificates hanging on walls using the names of crew members.[8]

Casting

All original series characters were renamed and re-cast for the American version. When producer Ben Silverman of Reveille 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.[9] 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,[10] but the series was quickly canceled, leaving him fully committed to The Office. Carell later stated he had only seen about half of the original pilot episode of the British series before he auditioned. He did not continue watching for fear that he would start copying Gervais' characterizations.[11] Rainn Wilson, who was cast as the power-hungry sycophant Dwight Schrute, had watched every episode of the series before he auditioned.[12] Wilson had originally auditioned for Michael (which he referred to as a terrible 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 don't screw this up," as had been done to other British adaptations (Coupling, Men Behaving Badly). It was then that Daniels introduced himself as the developer of the series.[13] Fischer prepared for her audition by looking as boring as possible, creating the current Pam hairstyle at her first audition for the show.[14]

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.[15] 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."[16] 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.[17] Baumgartner originally auditioned for Stanley (where he met Leslie David Baker, who ended up with the role), but was eventually cast as Kevin.[18] Phyllis Smith, who plays Phyllis 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.[19]

Three of the show's writers were also cast as regular performers: B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, and Paul Lieberstein. Daniels saw Novak doing stand-up comedy and he was cast as reluctant temp Ryan Howard and Lieberstein was cast as HR Director Toby Flenderson by Novak's suggestion after his cold readings of scripts.[16] Greg Daniels originally was not 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 (that slap), I've been on the show" (as the chatty Kelly Kapoor), Kaling stated in a February 2006 interview.[19] Steve Carell has also written one episode (the season 2 finale).

Ed Helms, Chip Esten, and Rashida Jones were added as cast members for season three.[20] In February 2007, NBC announced that Helms was being promoted to a series regular.[21]

A few of the actors who are both part of the main cast or made guest appearances, have connections to The Daily Show as Carell and Helms were former correspondents on the show, along with recurring actors Larry Wilmore (who is the Senior Black Correspondent on the show) and Nancy Walls (a former correspondent, married to Carell in real life) have appeared. In addition, Rob Riggle also appeared in "Booze Cruise" as a ship captain who antagonizes Michael. Riggle is one of the correspondents on The Daily Show.

A large number of cast members coincidentally hailed from Massachusetts, including Carell, Novak, Krasinski, Kaling, Denman, and recurring actress Nancy Walls. Other members of the writing and production staff have made cameo appearances: Michael Schur plays Dwight's cousin Mose, Larry Wilmore played Mr. Brown in "Diversity Day" and in "Gay Witch Hunt." Greg Daniels made an appearance as Michael's new neighbor in "Office Olympics," and writing team Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky play Bob Vance's delivery men in "Valentines Day" and are in a deleted scene from the "Drug Testing" episode.

There were plans for Mackenzie Crook, Martin Freeman and Lucy Davis from the British version of The Office to appear in the third season,[22][23] but those plans were scrapped due to scheduling conflicts.[24][25]

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."

Characters

Main article: Characters from The Office (US)

The Office employs an ensemble cast. Below are the regular characters of the series, and their job positions as of when they are introduced.

All of the main characters, and some minor ones, are based on characters from the original British version of The Office. For further details, see The Office: USA Character Comparisons.

Main characters

Accounting

Sales

Other office employees

Corporate and Warehouse

Job status changes

The following are position changes the above characters have undergone during the run of the show.

Character Previously Position Change Episode
Dwight Schrute Assistant to the Regional Manager "Promoted" to Assistant Regional Manager "The Fight"
Ryan Howard Temporary worker Promoted to Junior Sales Representative "Gay Witch Hunt"
Jim Halpert Sales Representative Promoted to Assistant Regional Manager (Stamford) "Gay Witch Hunt"
Jim Halpert Assistant Regional Manager (Stamford) Named Assistant Regional Manager (Scranton) "The Merger"
Dwight Schrute Assistant Regional Manager (Scranton) Demoted to Sales Representative "The Merger"
Roy Anderson Warehouse dock worker Fired "The Negotiation"
Jan Levinson Corporate Manager Fired "The Job"
Ryan Howard Junior Sales Representative Promoted to Corporate Manager[26][27] "The Job"

Season synopses

Main article: List of The Office (US) episodes

The Office typically airs in a half-hour time slot, for which producers deliver an episode with a 0:20:30 running time.[28] 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).

Season 1

The first season featured six episodes that began airing on March 24, 2005 and finished on April 26,2005 . The premiere episode was written near word for word from the first episode of the British series, with names and cultural references changed and a few small extra scenes.

The series begins by introducing the office and its main characters via Michael's tour for both the camera crew and Ryan, who is hired as a temp and working his first day. News soon spreads that Dunder-Mifflin's corporate headquarters plan to downsize, and the Scranton branch faces a possible closure. Anxiety over downsizing grows, but Michael chooses to deny or downplay such a possibility in the interest of employee morale.

In the final episode of the season, Jim begins dating Katy, a purse saleswoman who visited and set up shop briefly in the office, to Pam's subtle concern.

Season 2

This was the first full season for the show that included 22 episodes originally airing from September 20, 2005 to 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.

While Jim continues to see Katy on and off, his friendship with Pam remains largely unchanged; they continue in their pranks, and days of spontaneous activities such as Office Olympics. Jim draws Pam for the office Secret Santa Christmas gift exchange and fills a teapot with mementos of inside jokes and a card implied to contain his true feelings. When Michael mixes up the gift recipients, however, Jim sneaks the card back, even though Pam winds up with the gift in the end. During a late-night office trip on a "Booze Cruise," Roy announces a wedding date of June 10, and Jim reacts by breaking up with Katy. He then reveals his feelings for Pam to Michael, who in turn spills the secret to the other employees upon return to the office. Jim acknowledges the rumor to Pam, playing it as a past crush, though she then hears differently from a guilty Michael. Meanwhile, Jan discovers that Pam has a talent for art and encourages her to attend a graphic arts internship with the company in New York City. Jim supports the idea, but Roy rejects it as pointless.

File:Jimpamoffice bc.jpg
Jim and Pam share a poignant scene together on the "Booze Cruise".

Celebrating Michael's success at landing a major new client, he and a newly-divorced Jan share a kiss and spend the night together. Despite Jan's attempt to end the relationship almost immediately, Michael's interest is ignited, and he reveals the incident during a company meeting in New York. At Jan's behest, he is able to play it off as a joke; she kisses him again as he leaves. Later, Michael runs into his real estate agent, Carol Stills, and entertains her children. A series of events finds Michael with two dates for Casino Night: Carol and Jan. Carol enjoys their date; Jan leaves, disappointed.

Three more office relationships begin, and a fourth is revealed. Dwight and Angela's relationship is secret to all but Pam and the camera crew. Kelly develops a crush on Ryan, leading them to hook up the day before Valentine's Day, to Ryan's intense regret. Kelly soon pursues a serious relationship despite her claims of something more casual. Phyllis introduces her boyfriend Bob Vance of Vance Refrigeration to the staff at the Christmas party. When Dwight investigates Oscar's suspicious sick day, it is revealed Oscar is a closeted gay man, though Dwight remains oblivious.

Jim plans a vacation to Australia, deliberately timed to overlap with Pam's wedding date, much to her disappointment. He also begins to lament his numerous pranks at the office as wastes of time, and unknown to his Scranton co-workers, applies for a vacant sales position at Dunder-Mifflin Stamford. Before he leaves, he reveals his love to Pam on Casino Night, and though she at first turns him down, he kisses her minutes later.

Season 3

The third season has a total of 23 episodes, consisting of 21 half-hour or 40 minute "super-sized" episodes, and 2 one-hour episodes. They originally aired from September 21, 2006 to May 17, 2007.

After the events of Casino Night, Jim accepted Pam's intentions to marry Roy and transferred to the Stamford branch. There, he begins dating co-worker Karen and also finds himself at odds with temperamental co-worker Andy. During the summer, Pam called off the wedding, ending her relationship with Roy.

Downsizing arrives when the Scranton branch is tagged for closure, but the plans are thrown into disarray when the manager of the Stamford branch leaves for a rival company. Instead, a merger of the dissolved Stamford branch with the Scranton branch brings Jim back to Scranton. One by one, most of the Stamford transplants quit over Michael's management style, leaving only Jim, Karen, and Andy.

After Carol breaks up with Michael, he begins dating Jan but finds himself increasingly uncomfortable with her aggressive and unemotional approach to their sex life, and he breaks up with her.

Jim returns to inconsistent friendship with Pam, not as close as they used to be. Karen becomes more anxious when she learns of Jim's previous crush on Pam and his admission that he still harbors feelings for the receptionist. At Phyllis' Wedding, Pam returns to Roy, but that relationship proves short-lived when Roy reacts violently upon learning of the Casino Night kiss. Roy attempts to assault Jim at the office, resulting in his dismissal. Throughout, Pam and Karen maintain a tense friendship.

A position opens at Dunder-Mifflin headquarters, and Michael, Jim and Karen all apply. Jan wins back Michael's affections with the assistance of her new breast implants, but this is only a precursor to her self-destruction at Dunder-Mifflin headquarters when she learns that the open position is her own. After being told that he did not win the position, Michael returns to Scranton with Jan in tow. During Jim's interview, he finds an encouraging note and memento from Pam slipped in with his other papers. When asked whether he is prepared to stay in New York for the long haul, Jim doesn't answer but thinks back to the events of the previous week, wherein Pam, emboldened by a successful walk across hot coals, confronts Jim publicly about their dissolved friendship, confessing that she canceled her wedding because of him. Jim drives back to Scranton and asks Pam on a date. She accepts.

As a final twist, the job goes to Ryan.[26][27]

Season 4

NBC has ordered a full fourth season of The Office consisting of 30 half-hour segments, 10 of which will be combined to form 5 hour-long episodes.[29] Season 4 opens on September 27 2007; the first four episodes will each be an hour long.[30] This will leave the show with 22 episodes (20 half-hours and 1 hour) for the remainder of the season.

Other media

Main article: List of The Office media

In addition to the television episodes and webisodes, The Office characters have appeared in a variety of promotional materials for NBC, and a licensed video game set for release in Fall 2007.

Improvisation

Unlike 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. ... Maybe 20 percent of the stuff we shoot is at least partially improvised ... and then it's 10 percent of the finished show.[31]

Jenna Fischer has stated,

Our shows are 100 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.[32]

A specific example of improvisation on the show occurred during taping of Season 3's first episode, "Gay Witch Hunt". As Jenna Fischer puts it,

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."[33]

Deleted scenes

Unlike most other producers, Daniels considers deleted scenes to be part of the show's story line.

For the writers, in our minds, those scenes have happened. We wrote them, we shot them, and at the last minute, I cut them in the editing room, but we're relying on them anyway for the mythology of the show.[34]

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.[34] When the episode was re-run, it was re-cut to restore the missing scene.

Product placement

The Office has had product placement deals with Staples,[35] and the Olympic baler,[36] as well as mentioning in dialog or displaying clear logos for products such as Sandals Resorts, Hewlett-Packard 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.[35] A commercial for that shredder 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.

Many products featured are not part of product placement agreements, but rather inserted by writers as products the characters would use, in order to create realism under the guise of a documentary.[37] Featured music tends to comprise of dated hits in order to reflect the character, such as Michael's use of "My Humps" as a ringtone to emulate a younger generation.[38] Apple, Inc. received over 4 minutes of publicity for the iPod when it was used as a much-desired gift in "Christmas Party", though they did not pay for the use.[37] Chili's restaurants were used for filming in "The Dundies" and "The Client", as the writers believed it was a realistic choice for a company party and business lunch, respectively.[7][39] 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.[7]

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.'"[40]

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."[41]

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."[42] 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."[43]

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."[44] 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."[45]

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."[46]

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.[42] However, NBC meant for the series to air on Tuesday nights and when it first aired on a Tuesday night, it lost nearly half its audience with only 5.9 million viewers.[47] The program averaged 5.4 million viewers, ranking it #102 for the 2004–2005 U.S. television season.[48] The first season finale received the lowest rating in the show's history, earning just a 2.2 rating with a 10 share.[49]

As the second season started, the show slowly started gaining a cult following after 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 the iTunes Store beginning to sell the show on its then-new sales of TV Shows, where The Office is regularly among the top shows.[citation needed] 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.[50]

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.[51] 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.[52]

A new Must See TV lineup of My Name Is Earl, The Office, Scrubs, and 30 Rock premiered on November 30, 2006.

International broadcast

In addition to NBC in the United States, The Office is broadcast on Global TV in Canada, Channel 6 in Ireland, ITV2 in the United Kingdom (where the show is known as The Office: An American Workplace), STAR World in the Asia Pacific region, Channel Ten in Australia, M-Net in South Africa and on Canal+ in France. In Saudi Arabia and Arab World the show is broadcast by Showtime Arabia Paramount Comedy Channel and Paramount Comedy Channel +2. In Latin America, the show is broadcast on FX Latin America. In Singapore, The Office airs on Arts Central & STAR World. In April 2007, the show began airing in the Netherlands under the title The Office US on Comedy Central Netherlands.

The series was canceled in Australia after only three episodes due to poor viewer ratings, but it returned to a late Sunday-night time slot on Ten in early 2006. The third season has yet to premiere on Australian television.[53]

Cast blogs

Many cast members maintain blogs on TVGuide.com and MySpace, posting updates on behind-the-scenes happenings or on-set photographs. Since actors must sit at their desks even when not actively participating in a scene, they have ample opportunities to use the functional, internet-connected computers to browse the internet, play games, and blog.[54]

Cast members which have blogs include Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey, B.J. Novak, Paul Lieberstein, David Denman, Craig Robinson, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, Karly Rothenberg, Creed Bratton, Robert R. Shafer, and Melora Hardin. Some cast members blog in character, but most blog as themselves.

Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey are the most active bloggers of the cast, posting regularly during the season. A variety of cast members have taken turns writing for TV Guide: B.J. Novak wrote for the site until December 2005.[55] Jenna Fischer assumed the duties during the second half of the show's 2005–06 season, posting every Thursday.[56] Brian Baumgartner wrote during most of the summer of 2006,[57] and Kate Flannery wrote during the 2006–2007 season.[58]

Rainn Wilson writes in character on "Schrute Space" on NBC.com, which is updated periodically.[59] It is unknown whether the actor Creed Bratton authors "Creed Thoughts", the blog attributed to his character.

Awards and nominations

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
2006 Winner Television Critics Association Awards Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
2006 Winner Individual Achievement in Comedy Steve Carell
2006 Nominated Program Of The Year
2006 Nominated Writers Guild of America Awards Best Comedy Series
2006 Nominated Best New Series
2006 Nominated Episodic Comedy for "Diversity Day" B.J. Novak
2006 Winner Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series
2006 Nominated Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series Steve Carell
2006 Nominated Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series for "Christmas Party" Michael Schur
2006 Nominated Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series for "Booze Cruise" Dean Holland
2006 Nominated Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series for "Christmas Party" David Rogers
2006 Winner Women's Image Network Awards Outstanding Comedy Series
2006 Winner Outstanding Female Actress Jenna Fischer
2006 Winner Rose d'Or Awards Best Sitcom
2006 Nominated Best Male Sitcom Performance Steve Carell
2007 Nominated Screen Actors Guild Awards TV Comedy, Lead Actor Steve Carell
2007 Winner Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
2007 Winner ACE Awards Best Edited Half Hour Series for Television for "Casino Night" Dean Holland & David Rogers
2007 Nominated GLAAD Awards Best Outstanding Comedy Series
2007 Nominated PRISM Awards TV Comedy Series Episode for "Drug Testing"
2007 Nominated Performance in a Comedy Series Steve Carell
2007 Winner Writers Guild of America Awards Best Comedy Series
2007 Winner Episodic Comedy Writing for "Casino Night" Steve Carell
2007 Nominated Episodic Comedy for "The Coup" Paul Lieberstein
2007 Winner Producers Guild Awards Episodic Television Comedy Greg Daniels & Kent Zbornak
2007 Nominated Golden Globe Awards Best Performance By An Actor in a Television Series, Comedy or Musical Steve Carell
2007 Nominated Best Television Series—Comedy or Musical
2007 Winner NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Director in Comedy Series Ken Whittingham
2007 Honored Peabody Awards Outstanding Comedy Series
2007 Winner Webby Awards Best Comedy Short: Webisodes
2007 Winner Webby Awards Best Television Website
2007 Winner Daytime Emmy Awards Outstanding Broadband Program - Comedy for The Office: Accountants Producers: Vivi Zigler, Jeff Ross, Jordon Schlansky, Mike Sweeney, Robert Angelo; performers: Paul Lieberstein, Michael Schur, Brian Baumgartner, Angela Kinsey, Oscar Nunez[60]
2007 Nominated Emmy Awards Outstanding Comedy Series
2007 Nominated Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series for "Gay Witch Hunt" Ken Kwapis
2007 Nominated Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series Steve Carell as Michael Scott
2007 Nominated Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series for "The Job" Dean Holland and David Rogers
2007 Nominated Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Comedy Or Drama Series (half-hour) And Animation for "The Coup" John Cook, Peter J. Nusbaum, and Benjamin Patrick
2007 Nominated Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute
2007 Nominated Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly
2007 Nominated Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series for "Gay Witch Hunt" Greg Daniels
2007 Nominated Outstanding Writing For A Comedy Series for "The Negotiation" Michael Schur
Preceded by Emmy Award Winner - Outstanding Comedy Series
2006 		Succeeded by
incumbent

Online and DVD releases

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.[61] In the summer of 2006, ten internet-exclusive webisodes featuring the minor characters on The Office aired on NBC.com. There have also been two "Producer's Cut" episodes released on The Office website. Those two episodes were "Branch Closing" and "The Return" which offered ten additional minutes of content not present in the broadcast version.

DVD

Season Releases

DVD Name Release Date Ep # Additional Information
Season One File:Officetv1.jpg -->August 16 2005 6 This single disc DVD includes all six 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 Two File:Officetv2.jpg -->September 12 2006 22 This four disc box set includes all twenty-two 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.
Season Three File:Officetv3.jpg -->September 4 2007[62] 23 This four disc box set includes all twenty-three episodes from Season 3. Bonus features include deleted scenes, 8 commentary tracks by cast and crew on select episodes,[63] Kevin Cooks Stuff in The Office, 2006 NBC Primetime Preview excerpts hosted by the cast, Toby wraparound promos, Dwight Schrute music video, Joss Whedon interview, Blooper Reel, Lazy Scranton video, and a 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards excerpt.
  • Target, Circuit City and Best Buy outlets each offered their own exclusive special packages with the release of the Season 2 DVD.[64]
    • Target offered an alternate version of the second disc featuring Jenna Fischer's eight minute video blog of the "Booze Cruise" episode.
    • Circuit City offered 3 downloadable cell phone games.
    • Best Buy offered "The Office Severance Package" gift set that included both Season 1 and 2 of The Office on DVD, a Dunder-Mifflin notepad, Dunder-Mifflin self-adhesive notes, a magnet designed to look like Dwight Schrute's business card, a Dunder-Mifflin pen, a monthly planner that featured Michael Scott's plans and a storage box.

Convention

The first The Office convention will be held in Scranton, Pennsylvania on October 26-28, 2007.

Cultural references

File:Officeunionjack.jpg
The Union Jack on Michael's desk is a nod to the original British series

Geographical references

Dwight has on his office cabinet a bumper sticker promoting Froggy 101, a country music radio station in Scranton, and on his desk are bobble-head dolls from the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons baseball team (which has since been renamed to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, after becoming affiliated with the New York Yankees).

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 Boston Market in Stroudsburg, the Montage Mountain Performing Arts Center, Bishop O'Hara High School, Dunmore High School, and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey team. Noteworthy departures from this accuracy are occasional mentions of and visits to Chili's, Hooters, and Benihana restaurants, none of which have franchises in the immediate area. The nearest Chili's restaurant is in neighboring city Wilkes-Barre and a Hooters was located near Binghamton, New York until 2006. There is no Benihana within two hours of Scranton although a Japanese restaurant, Osaka, can be found downtown.

In "The Convention", Michael and Dwight take a train to Philadelphia. Though Scranton is known for its rail history and is home to the Steamtown National Historic Site, there has not been passenger rail service in the Scranton area for years. The Wyoming Valley Mall, which is found in Wilkes-Barre, not Scranton, was featured in a song that Michael sang in Season Two under the name "Wilkes-Barre Valley Mall."

In the third season, a University of Scranton kerchief is draped over the cubicle wall behind Pam's desk.

In the Season one episode, "Basketball," Jim is caught wearing a University of Scranton t-shirt.

In the season two episode, "Booze Cruise", they take their cruise on Lake Wallenpaupack. Though some distance from Scranton, it is a real location in the Pocono Mountains.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.peabody.uga.edu/news/pressrelease.asp?ID=142
  2. ^ Press Association, Ltd. "Gervais to write US office episode", Scotsman.com News February 6, 2006.
  3. ^ NBC Press Release. January 17, 2007. NBC renews hit series The Office, My Name is Earl, Heroes, and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for full season of episodes in 2007-'08. NBC Universal.
  4. ^ Benson, Jim. June 4, 2007. The Office Set for 2009 Syndication. Broadcasting & Cable.
  5. ^ The Office Will Be Repurposed on TBS This Fall, Daily Airings Coming in Fall 2009 on TBS and Locals; Fox Renews American Dad Through 2009
  6. ^ Gary Younge (2004). "America remakes The Office, but no one's laughing". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-01-15.
  7. ^ a b c d "The Dundies" [Commentary track], The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD], 2006, Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  8. ^ Fischer, Jenna. Hailing The Office's Unsung Heroes! TVGuide.com February 23, 2006.
  9. ^ Carter, Bill. September 17 2006. The Whole World Is Watching, and Ben Silverman Is Watching Back, The New York Times.
  10. ^ Susman, Gary. "Daily Show's Carell may star in Office remake". Entertainment Weekly, January 29, 2004
  11. ^ Carell, Steve (Actor). 2005. "Pilot" [Commentary track], The Office Season One (U.S./NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  12. ^ Wilson, Rainn (Actor). 2005. "Pilot" [Commentary track], The Office Season One (U.S./NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  13. ^ Krasinski, John (Actor). 2005. "Pilot" [Commentary track], The Office Season One (U.S./NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal
  14. ^ Fischer, Jenna (February 9 2006). "The Office Presents: "Valentine's Day"" TVGuide.com
  15. ^ Owen, Rob. "TV Preview: Working for laughs at The Office", Pittsburgh Post-Gazette March 1, 2005.
  16. ^ a b Chun, Wing. March 2 2006. "The B.J. Novak Interview", Page 4–5. Televisionwithoutpity.com
  17. ^ Murphy, Joel. "One on one with... Angela Kinsey" Hobotrashcan.com Retrieved March 2, 2006.
  18. ^ Baumgartner, Brian. (July 27 2006.) Hot Fun in the Summer, TVGuide.com
  19. ^ a b Wolk, Josh. "The Drudge Report: A Visit With 7 More 'Office' Mates." Entertainment Weekly February 24, 2006: 24–25.
  20. ^ Comics join "Office" payroll, a July 2006 Reuters article
  21. ^ Nordyke, Kimberly. Helms gets promotion at 'Office', The Hollywood Reporter Retrieved February 1, 2007.
  22. ^ Mitovich, Matt. July 10 2006. The Office's U.K. Mates to Cross Over, TVGuide.com
  23. ^ Johns, Anna. July 11 2006. British cast to appear on American version of The Office, TVSquad.com
  24. ^ The Water Cooler: "We're Talking Code: Spoilers." Retrieved March 16, 2007.
  25. ^ Daniels, Greg. The Office: Live Blog, November 2006
  26. ^ a b Confirmed by producer Greg Daniels in The Office Live Blog: To Anissa.
  27. ^ a b Confirmed by writer/actor BJ Novak in his blog http: /blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=3241662&blogID=266132650
  28. ^ Novak, B.J. (Actor/Writer). 2005. "The Alliance" [Commentary track], The Office Season One (U.S./NBC Version) [DVD], Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  29. ^ MORE EPISODES OF 'EARL,' 'HEROES,' 'OFFICE' ON TAP, Detroit Free Press, Published: May 15, 2007
  30. ^ 'Office' Hours Coming Early, Zap2it.com, Published: July 17, 2007.
  31. ^ Chun, Wing. March 2 2006. "The B.J. Novak Interview", Page 7. Televisionwithoutpity.com
  32. ^ Fischer, Jenna. February 16 2006. "The Office: Your Questions Answered!", TVGuide.com.
  33. ^ Fischer, Jenna. September 24 2006. "BIG Winners, BIG Ratings and BIG New York Wrap-Up with Pictures!, Myspace.com.
  34. ^ a b Sepinwall, Alan (2007-02-25). "On the Web, a new life for deleted scenes". The Newark Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2007-02-27. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ a b Rosanthal, Phil (2006-12-06). "`Office' makes pitch to viewers: Watch and buy". Chicago Tribune. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  36. ^ "NBC's "The Office" Warehouse Features Vertical Baler From Olympic Wire and Equipment in "Safety Training" Episode on April 12". Market Wire. 2007-04-10. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  37. ^ a b Kehaulani Goo, Sara (2006-04-15). "Apple Gets a Big Slice Of Product-Placement Pie". The Washington Post. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  38. ^ Blankenship, Mark (2007-01-25). "'Office' Songs in the Unhip Keys of Life and Karaoke". The New York Times. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |retrieved= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ "The Client" [Commentary track], The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version) [DVD], 2006, Los Angeles, CA: Universal.
  40. ^ Wolk, Josh. "The Office bosses on bringing the Brit hit to NBC", Entertainment Weekly March 14, 2005.
  41. ^ Chun, Wing. March 2 2006. "The B.J. Novak Interview", Page 3. Televisionwithoutpity.com
  42. ^ a b Timms, Dominic. U.S. version of The Office scores ratings victory Guardian Unlimited March 29, 2005
  43. ^ Wollaston, Sam. "You just can't get the staff" Guardian Unlimited 15 June 2005.
  44. ^ Poniewozik, James. "Best of 2005: Television" Time Magazine, December 16 2005
  45. ^ Harris, Bob. "2005's 10 Best Shows" Entertainment Weekly, December 22 2005
  46. ^ Rabin, Nathan. "Inventory: Eight Sure-Fire Fiascoes That Unexpectedly Succeeded", The Onion A.V. Club, March 29 2006
  47. ^ Deans, Jason. U.S. remake of The Office loses half its audience Guardian Unlimited March 31, 2005
  48. ^ "Hollywood Reporter: Final audience and ratings figures for 2004-05". May 27 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |source= ignored (help)
  49. ^ Media Life Magazine. April 27 2005. Lower the lights for NBC's 'The Office', medialifemagazine.com
  50. ^ The Hollywood Reporter, 2005–06 primetime wrap, hollywoodreporter.com
  51. ^ September 21 2006. ABC Changes 'Anatomy' of Thursday, Zap2it.com
  52. ^ The Hollywood Reporter, 2006–07 primetime wrap, hollywoodreporter.com
  53. ^ Australian Associated Press."US office remake axed" June 28, 2005, Sydney Morning Herald
  54. ^ Interviews & Features
  55. ^ Interviews & Features
  56. ^ Jenna's Blog
  57. ^ Brian's Office Blog
  58. ^ Kate's Blog - The Season 3 Premiere
  59. ^ Interview: Rainn Wilson (March 14 2006). The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC.
  60. ^ 34th Annual Creative Arts & Entertainment Emmy Awards, from the Emmy Awards website
  61. ^ Whitney, Daisy. "NBC: iPod Boosts Prime Time" TVWeek.com January 16, 2006.
  62. ^ "The Office: Season Three". Universal DVD & VHS Catalog (Press release). Universal Studios. Retrieved 2007-06-22. {{cite press release}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  63. ^ "Traveling Salesmen" and "The Return", originally aired as separate half-hour episodes, share one commentary track.
  64. ^ The Office Season 2 DVD Specials
Wikiquote has quotations related to The Office (US).

Selected fansites

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Office_(American_TV_series)&oldid=147146383"