The Office (NBC)

Attila the Professor

Moderator
Staff member
Dr. Gonzo said:
Let's see if The Office still has some legs.

NBC has been advertising that not only does the James Spader character become the manager but he takes over the company and becomes the new CEO?!?!

We'll have to wait and see.

Right. As I understand it, he's only temporarily the manager, then manages to overtake Kathy Bates's character, all before the season even starts. We'll get resolution on the permanent manager tomorrow night though, from what I understand. Just who it will be is something they've kept pretty well under wraps.
 

Dr. Gonzo

New member
Attila the Professor said:
We'll get resolution on the permanent manager tomorrow night though, from what I understand. Just who it will be is something they've kept pretty well under wraps.
Excellent. Ed Helms is a pretty big name now, due in no small part to The Hangover, maybe they're giving him a little incentive to stay around???
"The Nard Dog" = regional manager???
 
Dr. Gonzo said:
Excellent. Ed Helms is a pretty big name now, due in no small part to The Hangover, maybe they're giving him a little incentive to stay around???
"The Nard Dog" = regional manager???

That's what I've been thinking, too. He's got the most name recognition now, above John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and Rainn Wilson.

I'm just happy to get some more Robert California. That character is amazing in a way only James Spader could provide.
 

Dr. Gonzo

New member
100 points for Dr. Gonzo

It is official
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and Angela is pregnant??? with the closet homosexual senator's child??? That is gonna be sad and hilarious.
 
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Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Kathy replaced Jordan (who simply disappeared) as the home wrecker.

Dwight fathering Angela's child was too easy a call, so how about:

Stanley is Val's father?

Edit: looking forward to Office IX: China.
 
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Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
Final 22 episodes start September 20 with Season 9.
Daniels said that a lot of stories would be wrapped up and the identity of the documentary camera crew that been filming the employees of Scranton, Penn. would be revealed.
 

phantom train

New member
Looking forward to seeing "The Office" Season 8 on DVD, which will be out in less than a month. I wait to see this show on DVD, since I enjoy seeing the episodes in chronological order, the deleted scenes, extra features, etc.

Not surprised that the show's forthcoming 9th season is the final one. Though I'm guessing that even without Michael Scott the show is still funny (based on the the superb & hilarious final episodes of S7 without Scott & the strength of the other characters, i.e. Dwight, Andy, etc.), if the show had lasted much longer I think it would probably have worn out it's welcome. Nine seasons is a very respectable length for any network TV show, and looking back I'm sure many would agree this is/was one of the funniest comedies of the 200X's....
 

Dr. Gonzo

New member
It makes sense. A lot of contracts are up. And if they would have kept going there would be no Dwight or Toby as Rainn Wilson moves on with Paul Lieberstein to the spinoff "The Farm". Also Mindy Kaling has her own show now, so it was a logical decision. I'm glad Greg Daniels is back in the drivers seat.

Let's hope for a great last season and conclusion.
 

phantom train

New member
Though I thought The Office Season 8 w/Robert California (J. Spader) was quite funny, I am extremely dissapointed in Season 9.

It's becoming more of a soap opera with the Jim/Pam problems, and the increasing focus on Dwight's farm is ridiculous (though I know it's just a set up for his show?!). IMHO, the episode when Pam had to go help Dwight "clean up" his Aunt was boring & pointless.

That being said, there have been some funny moments, i.e. the first episode of the Season when Dwight competed with the young "Little Dwight" & unsuccessfuly walked on the wire; the most recent episode when Todd Packer pretended to be apologizing to the office & instead gave them "funny" cupcakes; the most recent cold-open when Dwight threw dirt in everyone's face, etc.

It's just that, IMHO, the show has lost a lot of steam; so, I'm glad it's ending before it gets any worse.

Side-note: I have watched quite a bit of "The Mindy Project" (the M. Kaling show), and find it extremely funny; though it's not as good as "The Office" in it's heyday, IMHO it's definitely funnier & more clever than the past several seasons of "The Office". Worth checking out if you haven't done so already, and I like how several current & former "Office" actors/actresses make cameos.
 

Gear

New member
phantom train said:
It's just that, IMHO, the show has lost a lot of steam; so, I'm glad it's ending before it gets any worse.

I think that happened quite a while ago.

It's interesting to note how the show slowly regressed from the dry, yet somehow refreshingly realistic mocumentary that caricatured common office types into a typical sitcom with increasingly more meme-like characters, and a much more set like environment, complete with the bright lighting and wardrobes (and even blatant stage positioning). All of these factors are pretty important in carrying a mood and feel, and I think they compromised all this to appeal to a broader audience.

The original Office series tended to pull it all off much better, and it didn't stick around forever, giving the show and it's comedy more integrity (and laughs!).

Speaking of, ten years later, BBC meets back up with Brent to see what he's been up to since his days of being a friend first, boss second, and probably entertainer third!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/fjmfGE1R5lQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 

phantom train

New member
I was pleasantly surprised by last week's episode of "The Office" - very funny, especially Andy Bernard's attemps to leave the job cold-turkey.

Too bad there's only two episodes left in the series. Though I completely agree the show should end now (and should arguably have ended last season), this has definitely been one of the funniest shows on TV....
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
The end was announced in August, The Farm (which did not include Angela Kinsey) was not picked up in October, and Ed Helms was making Hangover III from September to November. Usually a long-running show can go out on its own terms but it seems the circumstances were dictated largely by the above.

Skimming the season summary: "The subplot, however, involving a boom mic operator for the in-series documentary, was met with mostly negative reviews... later revealed in an interview that the subplot was a red herring to keep viewers emotionally invested in Pam and Jim's story."

"The triangle [between Andy, Erin, and Pete] has stirred up a number of debates in the writers room, which tells me even they don't know at this point which guy Erin will choose." It seems Ed Helms was a contingency plan for Steve Carell's eventual departure, but they really never knew what to do with him. Maybe Ellie Kemper's character's orphan background and attachment issues explains why a nice girl sleeps with half the office? They should have spent the final season shedding late-addition characters starting with those two instead of making them so unwatchable. I don't know how much they cost after Bridesmaids & Hangover, but it probably could have paid for a couple more episodes with likeable characters in watchable subplots.
 

Moedred

Administrator
Staff member
The film Vengeance, starring and written and directed by B. J. Novak, starts out somewhat in the style of The Office. Plus, Boyd Holbrook. Streaming on Prime.
 
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