The Office is an American mockumentary comedy television series that airs on NBC and is developed by Greg Daniels. An adaptation of the BBC series The Office , the series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. To simulate the look of an actual documentary, it is shot in a single-camera setup, without a studio audience or a laugh track. The presence of the camera is openly acknowledged by the characters.
The Office was adapted for American audiences by executive producer Greg Daniels, a veteran writer for Saturday Night Live , King of the Hill , Rugrats and The Simpsons . The creators of the original BBC series, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, have production credits, and also co-wrote the season three episode, "The Convict". It is co-produced by Daniels's 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 sitcom Committed (which was itself a mid-season replacement).
The original BBC version enjoyed significant success at home and abroad, and won two Golden Globes. NBC then commissioned a U.S. version.
The sixth season premiered on September 17, 2009 at 9:00 PM ET. The Office is currently one of NBC's highest rated shows.
Repeats of The Office are also broadcast in syndications, notably on TBS in the US, on the Comedy Network in Canada, and also on Comedy Central and ITV4 in the United Kingdom.
Background
Casting
NBC programmer Kevin Reilly originally 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. 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 , 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.
Rainn Wilson, who was cast as the power-hungry sycophant Dwight Schrute, had watched every episode of the series before he auditioned. Wilson had originally auditioned for Michael, a performance he described 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." Daniels then introduced himself and told Krasinski who he was. Fischer prepared for her audition by looking as boring as possible, creating the original Pam hairstyle. In an interview on NPR's Fresh Air , Fischer recalled the last stages of the audition process for Pam and Jim, with the producers partnering the different potential Pams and Jims (four of each) together to gauge their chemistry. When Fischer finished her scene with Krasinski, he told her that she was his favorite Pam, to which she reciprocated that he was her favorite Jim.
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. 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. Flannery first auditioned for the part of Jan Levinson-Gould, before landing the role of Meredith Palmer. Baumgartner originally auditioned for Stanley, but was eventually cast as Kevin. Ken Kwapis liked the way Phyllis Smith, a casting associate, read with other actors auditioning so much that he cast her as Phyllis. 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.
Four of the show's writers have also stepped in front of the camera. BJ 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. Greg Daniels originally was not sure where to use the Indian American Mindy 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. Michael Schur has also made occasional appearances as Dwight's cousin Mose, and consulting producer Wilmore has played diversity trainer Mr. Brown. Plans were made for Mackenzie Crook, Martin Freeman, and Lucy Davis from the British version of The Office to appear in the third season, but those plans were scrapped due to scheduling conflicts.
Improvisation
A complete script is written for each episode of The Office ; however, actors are given opportunities to improvise during the shooting process. "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."
The kiss Michael planted on Oscar in the third season episode "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."
Format
The Office is presented as a mockumentary. 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 acknowledged by the characters, especially Michael Scott, who enthusiastically participates in the filming. Others, for example 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. Sometimes two characters share an interview, speaking with each other and the camera at the same time. This occurs most notably with Jim and Pam, or, occasionally, Oscar and Kevin or Kelly and Ryan, and once, Michael and Toby. Dwight frequently interrupts Michael's interviews, as he is often standing off-screen next to Michael as the interview begins. 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 seemingly has affected plot lines. In "The Dundies", a drunken Pam nearly confesses something to Jim, but shies away when she realizes the camera is still there. 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 admitting to the crew 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 characters' 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 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 lavalier microphone, which could explain why the cameras are often able to hear closed-door conversations. The cameras have caught Jan kissing Michael on "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 into Michael, Jim, and Karen's job interviews for a corporate position. A scene is also featured where Michael and Holly are seen sneaking back into the office to have sex, and although they had previously tricked the cameras into being stuck outside, the two's conversation and interactions with each other are still heard thanks to a microphone that Michael is wearing, which he accidentally increases the volume on instead of turning off the microphone like he had intended.
Theme song and title sequence
The theme song
Thunder Bay online shopping, office products, Fort Frances, Kenora ...
Products. stationery supplies; office equipment; janitorial; office furniture; recycled products ... BASICS has made it convenient for you to get all your office shopping done ...
Office Products > Office Equipment > Calculators - Secure online ...
Secure shopping for Office Products >Office Equipment >Calculators
Office Equipment - Mobile McAfee Secure Shopping
Secure shopping for Office Products >Office Equipment ... Durable 54 Key Brushed Aluminum Cabinet. As low as $84.91. Boise ASPEN 50 Recycled Copy/Laser Paper, 92 Brightness, 20lb ...
Office & Commercial, CSI Products specialists in Office & Commercial ...
Office & Commercial, CSI Products are an online store specialising in Office ... part number and add it directly to your shopping bag ... business machines, mailroom and janitorial equipment.
Google Directory - Shopping > Office Products
Office Depot - http://www.officedepot.com/ Offering supplies, equipment, and products from furniture to computers. Staples, Inc. - http://www.staples.com
Office Equipment
Wide selections of brands and varieties of office equipment and office supplies products.
Google Directory - Shopping > Office Products > Equipment
American Binding Company, Inc. - http://www.abcoffice.com/ Offers equipment, office supplies and furniture. MBM Corporation - http://www.mbmcorp.com
Office Equipment
Home | About Us and Policies | Warranty Info | Links+ | Shopping Cart | E-mail Us. Home Products | Auto Products | Portable Products | DJ Equipment Office Equipment | TVs | ...
Office Stationery | Office Supplies | Printer Supplies | Paper all ...
Choose Office Shopping for quality Office Stationery and Office Supplies at low prices and ... Cleaning Products; Cleaning Equipment; Rubbish Bins; Sanitary Refills; Sanitary Dispensers
New Zealand Shopping - Office Equipment : New Zealand Shopping ...
Coffee Products: Deer Velvet Products: New Zealand Wines: Manuka Health Products ... New Zealand shopping & office equipment directory for speciality online shops to suit your buying ...