THE OFFICE Spinoff? Yes and Maybe No.
July 22, 2008 by Kath Skerry
Is anyone else’s head spinning with all this roundabout talk of THE OFFICE spinoff that may or may not happen? Since it was first announced a few months back there’s been enough rumor and speculation to fill up the void left in my heart when Jim didn’t propose in the season finale (I’m still bitter so that’s better left alone).But at yesterday’s NBC TCA panel, NBC head honcho and former OFFICE Executive Producer – Ben Silverman, gave us a clear view of what the new OFFICE franchise would look like. Nothing but straight answers from this guy…or not.
Here’s what we know.
Amy Poehler is indeed on board, but not for a spinoff of THE OFFICE. Amy will be the lead in a new show from “the creators of THE OFFICE” (or a variation thereof since Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchent were the really the creators of THE OFFICE…but I guess that’s not the point). It’s said to have a similar tone but it won’t be a direct spinoff. The show was specifically created by (my personal heroes) Executive Producers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur with Amy Poehler in mind.
About landing Poehler for the role, Greg Daniels said “This show suddenly got a hundred percent easier. Amy shines in everything she does. She can make even bad material funny, and I know we can write bad material.”
“I worked with Amy at ‘Saturday Night Live,'” said co-creator Michael Schur, “and she’s one of the funniest, most talented people I’ve ever met. She is a terrible human being, but I am more than willing to overlook her many, many character flaws for the chance to work with her again.”
Poehler’s new show doesn’t have a set premiere date yet as the actress is pregnant. Ben Silverman predicted that it might be on air around the end of Q1 next year.
So Poehler’s in but what about the spinoff? Well, it looks like it’s alive and kicking…kind of. An OFFICE spinoff is still in the works. And if it’s pulled together in enough time (which is unlikely) is may still appear after the Super Bowl as originally planned.
According to Silverman, Daniels and Schur do in fact have an idea for the spinoff but they want to get a few more things figured out and the cast more in place before they discuss the details.
Speaking of cast, it was announced not too long that Aziz Ansari was the first office cast member in the new OFFICE franchise. That hasn’t changed. Ansari will still play a role, but on what show is TBD at this point. And confirming the rumor that former OFFICE star Rashida Jones was being considered for a part, Silverman said that Rashida Jones is under contract with NBC and would be involved, but whether or not she appears as Karen Filipelli on THE OFFICE spinoff or as a new character on the new Poehler vehicle has yet to be determined. (Personally, I love me some Rashida Jones and I’d love to see her get a fresh start as a brand new character on the new show. I think too many fans will always just think of her as Jim Halpert’s ex girlfriend. Give the girl something new to play with. That’s what she said.)
So let’s talk. As self proclaimed Dunder Mifflin scholars, what do YOU think of all this news? Are you excited for the new Amy Poehler show? And what do you think about THE OFFICE spinoff that is currently being planned.
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Filed under The Office, The Office Spinoff
“According to Silverman, Daniels and Schur do in fact have an idea for the spinoff but they want to get a few more things figured out and the cast more in place before they discuss the details.”
I know they had both an office spinoff idea and a non-spinoff idea in place. I thought that when they said the thing about ‘having a few more things figured out and the cast more in place before they release details’, I thought they were talking about the non-spinoff, at least that’s what WWK mentioned.
From WWK:
“And that’s all they said (and perhaps know) for the time being. I asked Silverman after the panel when Greg and fellow executive producer Mike Schur might be able to talk about The Office Non-Spinoff and he told me: “As soon as they are ready! You know, Greg lives and breathes—he’s on the blogs, he’s reading all about everything about the show and what goes on inside the show—so he’s really in tune to the fans of the shows. He really wants to try to seed [the information] out and build excitement over time. So I’m letting them manage and control [the reveals]. They do want a couple more in the cast in place, so they can lay it out, but they do have a specific idea [about the show], and I will let them tell you…and it does not take place in Scranton.”
I don’t know that there really are going to be two new shows. That would be exhausting. Poor Greg. Give the man some time to sleep.
Color me confused. I wish they had waited to announce *any* of this until after things were set in stone. As it is, it sounds like a hot, tranny mess (I’m hearing Amy Poehler’s perfect Christian Siriano as I write that!). I love Amy and she’ll be fabulous on her new show, whatever the heck it is.
This is too much right now – why can’t they just focus on one show, at least for this upcoming season. I’m incredibly excited at the potential of the show with Amy Poehler – she’s fabulous and I’d love to see what she could do on a weekly show. And I love Kath’s idea of adding Rashida Jones as a new character on the non-spinoff. I also love her but agree that I wouldn’t want to see Karen back necessarily. I think Greg, Mike, and co. are brilliant though, so I’m comfortable leaving it all in their hands as long as they don’t get too strong-armed by the network and have to do something they really do not want to.
yeah, my head is definitely spinning.
&& that’s not what she said.
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Ugh, show business is so convoluted. I’d really prefer to just know what was going on, and I’m sure everyone involved would, too. No matter what happens, I’m excited for an Office spin-off.
Yes, the only way I want to see Karen Filipelli is if it’s as a guest star on The Office. I like seeing her being a crazy ex to Jim. It would also be fun to see her first face-to-face with Pam and how they acted with each other. Maybe at a work function outside the office? Then Pam could be The Girlfriend instead of The Receptionist at the function and stand up for herself to Karen’s probable jealous power trip that she would try to put on Pam as a manager.
Hopefully they will develop Jim and Pam’s career paths and not keep them in their rut(s) of a job(s). Although, that reflects most of us! Get so afraid to try to do what you really want that you stay in the same terrible job forever. sigh…not that I know what that is like….sigh….please, Greg Daniels, show me how to get out of here!
if greg and michael are involved i am not nervous at all
at 1st i hated the idea but now i feel a little better knowing that amy is involved
putting rashida in the mix is the only thing that shakes me a little
i think that people will automaticly write her off when the associate her with halpert
i think the way she left still feels a little unsettling
I’m pretty much on board for any project involving The Office creators and/or Amy Poehler. I hope they continue to be cautious, making sure the show concept or concepts are up to par before putting them into production. That’s the key.
I think 3 shows is too much for any creative team to oversee and still turn out quality. I wish they would make up their minds about what they’re doing before releasing a bunch of half-baked information.
That being said, I believe in Greg Daniels and his team and will most likely tune in for anything they turn out. I just hope they don’t leave their fans dissapointed.
It is just one show NOT 2, theyre not for sure how much it will be based on the office but its still being referred to as the office spin off, and yes Amy is cast for that show not this other show. People are just getting confussed because its title is office spin off but it may not end up being exactly that.