NBC's "The Office": Success and future Plans

One of the most popular primetime shows of the past two years is NBC’s The Office. With two Emmies for outstanding comedy series, a Golden Globe for best actor in 2006, and two Screen Actors Guild awards for outstanding performance, the show can easily be dubbed a masterpiece among sitcoms.

The idea for the show was taken from a British series also called The Office, which has the same setup but a different flavor of humor. This spin-off resulted in slightly mixed reviews on www.imdb.com, many in the camp that it is the “Best Show on Television,” and some warning it’s “a total failure.” The awkward moments crafted by Carell’s and Wilson’s characters are hilarious to some, and difficult to watch for others. However, the positive feelings for the American version seem to have been enough to win the show fifteen awards in the past three years.

The show’s success is especially evident after making a strong comeback from a 100 day writer’s strike that ended in February. In an NBC interview on what it was like to be back, co-creator and cast member Steve Carell claimed that it was like being back at home. After raving about those he acts with, he also confessed humbly, “when we’re doing it, it seems like it’s pretty funny. I mean, it makes us laugh while we’re doing it. And I think that's a good sign.”

The Office's Latest Season

The most recent season can be watched on several websites including www.nbc.com and www.hulu.com. The story develops as Ryan (who has worked his way from a temp to a manager over the office boss, Michael) returns to talk to everyone in the office about developing their technology. Jan, Michael’s girlfriend and boss, faces her own problems that lead to a lawsuit, her firing, and eventually an end to her and Michael. In the season finale, the office says good-bye to Toby (an HR worker who is moving), Michael finds out that Jan is pregnant, and Ryan gets arrested for sale fraud.

The Future of The Office

Many worry that Toby and Ryan will not be in future episodes because of how season 4 ends. But B.J. Novak—who plays Ryan—assures the fansite www.lifeintheoffice.com that he is staying. Toby, however, has served as one of the show's writers, and confesses in an NBC blog that he finds it difficult to write himself into the plot. So he is being promoted to executive producer and will no longer be a consistent character on the show.

Other ideas for the show include a possible spin-off, though the cast claims to have little information on this other than the fact that it would be directed by the same man who does the original show—Greg Daniels. Jenna Fischer (Pam) comments to Hollywood Insider (May 2008), “I’m sure if Greg Daniels is in charge of it, it will be great.”

Given the show's strong success, fans are confident that the next season of The Office will deliver as many laughs as the previous three, even without Toby.

The Office Cast

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