The Office (US TV series)

By Alan Sepinwall(asepinwall@starledger.com) A review of last night's "The Office" coming up just as soon as I use baby talk... "I have made some empty promises in my life, but hands-down, that was the most generous." -MichaelBecause of the nature of Michael Scott's personality, "The Office" sometimes walks this fine line between comedy...

By Joel Keller S06E12) This episode had one of those "oh, this is not going to end well" vibes to it. And how could it not? Somehow Michael Scott got himself into a situation that transcended mere embarrassment. He made a promise that he couldn't keep, and it affected a lot of lives.

By Joel Keller The interesting thing about this episode, though? The shareholders meeting plot was just OK. What I really wanted to see was more of Jim devising ways to assert his authority around the office. That was much funnier, and it was a small reminder of what attracted people to the show to begin wit...

By Joel Keller Michael Scott is always funnier when he produces cringe-worthy moments via his cluelessness. Cruelty just doesn't suit him well, and the only time it really works for him is when he's dressing down Dwight. What I was expecting to see during his and Helaine's double date with Pam and Jim was s...

By nette Poor Pam. As if she didn’t have enough going on in her life, now Michael wants to be her father. Ah, that conference room scene. When Pam stood up and started chanting, “No more meetings,” I just about died. Because there was Stanley in the background, looking happier than that man has looked sin...

By Jonathan Toomey S06E07) "You know, I really would have appreciated a heads up that you were into dating mothers. I would have introduced you to mine." - Dwight Ahh, that's more like it. After last week's garbage episode, "Mafia," The Office seems to be back on track by exploring two of the best plots the show ha...

By Myles What makes this episode work, in the end, is that it’s more about Michael Scott’s quest for happiness than it is about Pam’s reaction to the news of Michael and her mother dating, but what keeps it from really working is that we’re really only given Pam’s side of the story. Ultimately, I felt f...

By Myles For now, thoughts on (deep breath) The Office, Community, Parks and Recreation, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, The Big Bang Theory, Saturday Night Live, Modern Family, Cougar Town, The Middle and Greek (phew!). The Office – “Niagara” Parks and Recreation Community Modern Family

By nette A Tale Of Two Bosses By Just Jammy So this week on The Office, a few things changed. Dwight was angry, Oscar was snarky, Stanley was sarcastic, Angela was judgmental, Michael acted like a child, Jim got frustrated, and Pam just wanted cash. Oh wait, that’s a pretty standard day at [...]

By Gavin Breeden A friend recently told me that he’s through with The Office because it has long left any sense of realism behind. His primary example was the antics of one, Michael Scott. Well, needless to say, he hated this episode and may never watch another. This week’s episode, “The Meeting,” which opens...

By nette Leave it to Michael, in his quest to spread a bunch of untrue rumors, to pull out of his butt, the one thing that happens to be true. And this is what I knew would happen. Frankly, I’m surprised Michael hasn’t mentioned it, or at least alluded to it in some bizarre fashion, before this. But on this e...

By Myles When The Office premiered last year, it was with an hour-long episode which broke a number of rules in terms of pacing and everything else. That was an episode that was about establishing a relationship between Michael and Holly, and about emphasizing the impact of Michael and Pam’s time a...

By Heather Salerno Community’s a quirky little comedy that fits right in amongst NBC’s other Thursday night quirkfests: The Office and 30 Rock. (Sorry, I can’t muster up much enthusiasm for Parks and Recreation – at least not based on last season’s lackluster laughs.) Photo courtesy of NBC)

By Brian Howard MICHAEL GETS CAUGHT UP IN OFFICE GOSSIP – Michael feels left out as the rest of the office gossips about the summer interns. While Michael searches for the next juicy rumor to share, Andy struggles with heterosexuality. Yeah, I’m all in. For now. So check out the following preview clips. The fir...

By Brian Howard The Office writers gave us a lot of ammunition to really unload a heap of criticism on them with that finale. By the way, I loved Angela correcting Kevin on the score after he muffed a return. “Is that too much accounting for you?” Oscar breaking up a lingering man-hug between Jim and Dwight was...

By Myles As soon as Michael comes back to the Office flanked by his Michael Scott Paper Company cohorts and jumping from a giant paper circle with a question mark on it, it is clear that this “New” Michael Scott is in many ways the old Michael Scott, desperate for attention and in this instance desper...

When someone at NBC leaked the very negative focus group results of Amy Poehler's "Office spin-off" I was worried. Could the show really be that bad? I mean, it's Amy Poehler. She made a seal trainer funny! Anyway, when I saw the premiere of "Packs and Recreation" last week I was relieved to fi...

By Brian Howard That said, flowing together was what I was aiming for when I employed my DVR to watch The Office installments back-to-back, hour-long-style. Where “Dream Team” jumped off the screen with a new kind of Office vibe and lots of yuks throughout, “Michael Scott Paper Company” dragged a little...

By Brian Howard 8pm  The Office Michael Scott Paper Company — Dwight and Andy strike up an unlikely friendship and plan a hunting trip. Regional Supervisor Charles asks Jim for a “rundown”, and Jim spends his day trying to figure out what that is. Michael hosts a Paper & Pancakes luncheon. 9pm The Office

By LiRa Kelly: Why is there a Chiclet on my cake? Dwight: Our theme, if you will. Dwight: That’s our theme! Kelly: Cool!!! Jim: Yeah? Kelly: I love it. Dwight: Yes! Ok, so what’s it gonna be Kapoor? Jim and Dwight: No. Kevin: Oh. Then pick TV! Kelly: I have been watching TV all week, I choose nap.

By Brian Howard In The Office universe, Karen Fillipelli is a loose end, and every now and then the writers tug at her. I just hope the Michael-Holly reunion is as fun to watch as the Pam-Karen confrontation. And I hope Holly comes back, for good or even just for a while.

By Myles The show isn’t breaking new ground here: Michael gave a very similar type of lecture in to Ryan’s business class in “Business School,” complete with candy throwing. And the lecture was just as awkward, if not more so, in this instance: his various stereotypes he used to help remember peopl...

By Myles Second, I don’t like hour long episode of The Office: they are often overblown, and rarely is there enough comedy to justify the longer running time. Combine with the always frustrating reality that they will eventually be split into two parts in syndication, so they’re forced to split in...

By Alan Sepinwall(asepinwall@starledger.com) Spoilers for tonight's super-special Super Bowl episode of "The Office" coming up just as soon as I save a cat..."Stanley! Barack is president! YOU ARE BLACK, STANLEY!" -Michael ScottI spent a long time deliberating on what quote I wanted to lead this review with. There were just too many to c...

By wsuleifj I enjoyed the way they resolved (at least for now) the Dwight/Andy/Angela triangle. As it happened, I wasn’t really sure why I hadn’t predicted them both to be done with her, it seems really obvious in retrospect…but I’m glad they concluded things that way. I doubt Dwight/Angela is somethi...

By podcast@mail2tv.com (RikerDonegal) 06.00 Dexter 07.00 Friday Night Lights 08.00 Burn Notice 09.00 The Venture Bros. 09.30 Rising Damp 10.00 The Office 10.30 Corner Gas Rising Damp. Season 2, Episode 7. "Things That Go Bump in the Night" Much more over-the-top than your typical Rising Damp episode. But still very funny. The Office. Season 5, Episode 10. "Moroccan Christmas" Dwight buys up all the dolls of a particular brand to make a financial killing when all the parents come looking to buy them. Meanwhile, the gang (well, mostly just Michael) decide to have an intervention to stop Meredith from drinking so much. Even the fact that everyone finds out about Angela cheating on Andy is handled in blah fashion.   [read the full post]

By podcast@mail2tv.com (RikerDonegal) Dexter. Season 2, Episode 11. "Left Turn Ahead" A melancholy and unsatisfying episode of Showtime's drama about a likable serial killer. A hit-man calls Michael and offers him a hit! So, rather than having a client from the start, Michael is 'working for' the bad guy. So he has to find a way to save the target, without tipping off the hit-man (Tim Matheson, who also directed the episode). The Office. Season 5, Episode 9. "The Surplus" Hilarious. There's a surplus in the budget and Michael doesn't know what to do with it. From that simple idea comes another wonderful half-hour of comedy. Best bits? Pam and Jim on opposite sides. Pam fights dirty. How cute!   [read the full post]

By podcast@mail2tv.com (RikerDonegal) 05.30 Dexter 06.30 Friday Night Lights 07.30 Burn Notice 08.30 Rising Damp 09.00 The Office 09.30 Corner Gas The Office. Season 5, Episode 8. "Frame Toby" I liked this episode, but a part of me is sorry to see Toby back. I mean, it's as if he was never gone and the whole (wonderful) Holly thing never happened. I loved Holly almost as much as Michael did. So, now, I think I hate Toby too. But not quite as much as Michael does. That's not humanly possible. The Jim/Pam storyline was predictable but, nonetheless, enjoyable and sweet. Michael buying grass to frame Toby (with Dwight helping him) generated all the laughs you'd expect from an episode of The Office.   [read the full post]

By podcast@mail2tv.com (RikerDonegal) There was many, many great laughs in this one. Most of the best bits came from the Kelly/Ryan hook-up. I particularly loved the shot of Darryl walking away after being dumped by Kelly (in a text message written by Ryan). What's not to love about every single development here? Ryan's closing line is a classic: I can't - for whatever reason - do better than Kelly. But the episode didn't end on a downer. There was a lovely 'twist' at the end. Dwight being there, to totally ruin the moment, made it all the more perfect. Man, when you watch The Office you are in the hands of a group of writers who really know what they are doing.   [read the full post]

By Matt Haber Last week, Vanity Fair's Matt Pressman interviewed Lee Eisenberg, a writer for NBC's The Office for the magazine's Culture and Celebrity blog. Lee Eisenberg: Gene and I sold a pilot called Lonnie and Gordo, and [The Office executive producer] Greg Daniels got his hands on that.

By podcast@mail2tv.com (RikerDonegal) 05.30 Dexter 06.30 Burn Notice 09.00 The Office 09.30 Corner Gas Burn Notice. Season 2, Episode 6. "Bad Blood" An unrecognisable, but brilliant, Michael Shanks dominates this episode as the new recurring bad guy who shows up to blackmail Michael into doing some bad things for the bad people who are responsible for Michael's burn notice. All of this badness is actually very good. Especially Shanks. The Office. Season 5, Episode 6. "Customer Survey" Rare to find an episode about an ordinary day at work, but this is just that. An ordinary day at work. Jim and Dwight receive bad performance reports and strive to find out why. It's a delightful episode. The climax, where Michael and Kelly bond over the fact that some people won't come to their parties is genius.   [read the full post]

By Vance(noreply@blogger.com) The Office - Employee Transfer - Ep. 505 Every storyline was funny. It was awkward. There was heartbreak. Weirdness. And a lot more hilarity. Exactly what a great The Office episode should be! Dwight was funny by being an annoyance to Andy but wasn't himself actually annoying for once.

By RikerDonegal(podcast@mail2tv.com) 05.30 Valentine 06.30 The Middleman 07.30 Pushing Daisies 08.30 Supernatural 03.00 The Office 03.30 Corner Gas Valentine. Episode 2. "Daddy's Home" Better than the pilot. The case-of-the-week is still corny, but most of the episode is devoted to the regulars and their backstory. And a good one it is. The blood-drenched cliff-hanger (flash-forward) really shocked me, and I'll be back for more episodes. The Office. Season 5, Episode 3. "Baby Shower" Some of television's greatest-ever moments occurred towards the end of this week's episode of The Office. I honestly think that many decades from now people will still remember how they felt when Michael hugged Holly, and when Jim and Pam left messages for each other.   [read the full post]

Fancast talks to Mindy Kaling & Paul Lieberstein, of The Office. By: Jen Smith Fancast.com Any time you can get the entire writing staff of a hit nonsensical comedy like The Office together in a room to answer questions, chances are you’ll get injured. This was what happened to me, a fan/e...

By Britt Gillette(noreply@blogger.com) Episode 9 (Office Olympics) Air Date: 10-04-2005 Episode 10 (The Fire) Air Date: 10-11-2005 Episode 22 (Valentine’s Day) Air Date: 02-09-2006 Episode 23 (Dwight’s Speech) Air Date: 03-02-2006 Episode 25 (Michael’s Birthday) Air Date: 03-30-2006

By Tim Anderson We all know there’s speculation out there that maybe the popular TV show The Office, which satires American office life, is modeled after one of the office giants. We are huge fans, so in anticipation of the fifth season premier we thought we’d share with you just how close fact can mirror fi...

Deleted ScenesBlooper ReelThe Office Convention Writers' BlockSummer Vacation Promo"Did I Stutter?" Commentary - Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, Leslie David Baker, Kate Flannery, Justin Spitzer, Brent Forrester, Gene Stupnitsky, and Randall Einhorn.

By Myles A lot of this is dependent on the version of Michael Scott that we see, and here he is at his most naive, desperate and yet also honest - this is a Michael Scott who of course doesn't know how to handle an employee being insubordinate, but when tasked with addressing the problem searches for ad...

By Jay Black Now, while I might cheat on my taxes or steal from the elderly, I would never sell out my integrity when it comes to television blogging. If an episode is bad, I promise you I'll write a negative review. Unfortunately for my integrity, however, it doesn't seem like the producers of The Office p...

By KP Our favorite TV shows of the Fall Season 2007: 1. The Office Sure, 2007 found Pam and Jim in a solid relationship but Season 4 of "The Office" was a little off its game. The fans thought it wasn't up to the level that Season 3 had. All that being said, the strike shortened season of The Office was still much better than most other programs on television. 2. Pushing Daisies 3. Chuck 4. House 5. How I Met Your Mother Honorable Mentions: Heroes, Reaper 2. Big Shots 3. Cavemen 4. K-Ville 5. Bionic Woman Dis-Honorable Mention: Big Bang Theory, Moonlight, Most Reality Shows) So, what do you all think? What were your favorite/least favorite shows of 2007's Fall TV Season? Share your TwoCents with us about it in our comments section.   [read the full post]

Shows affected (from AICN): The Office "The Office" showrunner Greg Daniels has joined the picket line at his production company's Van Nuys location in an attempt to shut down production of his show. We're trying to shut down 'The Office,'" Mr. Daniels said. "We have the star of our show and t...

THE first few episodes of the new season, though, have focused less on the reality of the show's premise and more on turning the characters into caricatures. Take, for instance, Jan's (Melora Hardin) teaching Michael (Steve Carell) the concept of "ageism" in the season's second episode....

We got there around 7:30 PM and bought our tickets. Then we sat down outside while there was a pre-show about Julius Caesar. A little while later I look towards the will-call and see a really good looking man that I thought looked really familiar. Then I look next to him, and who could it be but Jen...

By Diane Kristine Greg Daniels, co-creator of King of The Hill, former writer for Seinfeld, The Simpsons, and Saturday Night Live, was the man tasked with adapting the hit UK series The Office for NBC. It became a daunting prospect once American audiences fell in love with the original via BBC America, and a...

By Michael Sciannamea It goes without saying that this episode laid the foundation for many more storylines over the course of the season. As many of you fellow fans of the British version of The Office know, things definitely came to a head for a number of people rather quickly, but we'll be treated to seeing thes...

By Chris Beaumont It is hard to pick out any single episode as a favorite, I like them all! Each episode can be watched on its own, but when you take them together as a whole, you see some great relationships come out. Jim's relationship with Michael, or his longing for Pam (Jenna Fischer), or the secret love bet...

By Mat Brewster The rest of the episode centers around a paper convention pitting the Scranton office against the Stamford one, at least in Michael’s eyes. He is immediately jealous of the relationship that Jim has developed with Josh, the manager of the Stamford office, or as Michael says, “the poor man...

NBC The Office The funniest show on TV owns an 8:30 timeslot that will, hopefully, work out for the best. While the 8PM Thursday slot has always been a coveted one on NBC, the 8:30 slot has been anything but. When “Friends�? was on at 8 and “Seinfeld�? at 9, there was a never-ending revolving doo...

By El Bicho The Office got off to a rocky start during its abbreviated first season but grew into its own during Season Two. If you still haven’t boarded the hype wagon, the newly arrived Season Two DVD box set is now available to get you up to speed.

By Joel Keller JK: The first episode was basically the first episode from the British version, right? MK: Right, "Diversity Day" was the first episode that I thought couldn't have been more than just an original American Office episode. JK: Well I think Kevin, for example, has a British counterpart...