Late last month, word leaked out that James Spader — easily the best guest star during “The Office’s” late-season parade of applicants to fill Steve Carell’s shoes — was in negotiations to join the NBC show full-time next season. And now EW has confirmed through sources that a deal has been reached:
NBC is set to announce the hire, adding a new well-known actor to the ensemble series that saw the departure of its biggest star, Steve Carell, this season, and will also say goodbye to recurring performer Kathy Bates as well. Bates played the company’s CEO last season, though Spader’s character is expected to have a greater presence on the show.
As great as Steve Carell was throughout much of “The Office’s” run, Spader’s arrival changes the show from “Eh, I’ll watch it if I’m not busy” to “must watch” for me. Hell, I watched “Boston Legal” just for Spader, and that show BLEW. I’d happily watch James Spader read the Yellow Pages — by the time he got to “Anderson” he’d have a naked woman he didn’t know turning the pages for him.
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I am disappointed the photo was not of Spader’s star turn as the boss in Secretary.
Missed opportunity.
Meh, then it would have also likely had Maggie Gyllenhaal, and that’s not helping anybody out.
I am disappointed the photo was not of Spader’s star turn as the boss in Secretary.
Yes, how dare I not use an image of the actor from nine years ago?
Originally I was hoping for Will Arnett, but his appearance on the finale kind of blew.
Spader’s character definitely adds a new dimension to the show, that dude was straight up weird. Glad they didn’t add that British chick or another Michael Scott clone.
Glad to see The Office back to making good decisions.
James Spader? Really? C’mon, NBC. If I wanted to creep myself out, I could just watch my grandmother undress.
@Matt
Didn’t you do exactly that with the Charisma Carpenter post last week?
Boom! Roasted.
The writing has become embarrassing. “We MUST have a line for every character in this scene. So let’s have Meredith reference needing a drink, Phyllis can talk about Bob Vance, Angela can get offended by something, Kevin can say ‘Nice’…”
On the bright side, skilled actors like Carell and Spader can elevate a shitty script to a level that is watchable.
I have all 5 seasons of Boston Legal solely because of James Spader and I’m not embarrassed to admit it.
@sevechild – The Charisma Carpenter post yesterday was hot. James Spader, though very nice, is not hot.
There is no product. There is only sex.
If he’s replacing that Jim guy, I’ll watch again.
Didn’t you do exactly that with the Charisma Carpenter post last week?
Boom! Roasted.
If by “last week” you mean yesterday, then yes. I also made the ridiculousness of using an old photo the punchline to the post, so I’m being pretty consistent in my message.
Apparently my sarcasm font is on the fritz…
/holy shit yesterday was a long day, I truly thought that post was last week.
what????????????????? FUCK THIS!!!! HORRIBLE MISTAKE. I dont know what is gayer. James Spader or the dude who wrote this article. Jon Ritter would have been perfect for this part. Where the hell has he been the last few years?
Sorry, sevechild.
And tommy, that’s some weak-ass trolling.
Is that a pic of Spader in Secretary?? Couldn’t find a more recent pic Matt?
Here’s hoping Spader’s first act as new manager is to bang Pam and slit Jim’s throat.
I agree. I couldn’t have cared less about The Office until……NOW.
I was hoping for Will Arnett, but Spader was my second choice.
Maybe I’m in the minority here but I felt like Steve Carell pretty much made the show work. It was pretty much a mess after he left (except for the episode with Dwight as interim manager). So I probably wasn’t gonna watch it next year no matter who they chose, but I definitely wasn’t in favor of Spader, whose scenes were not only creepy, but also just unfunny. I was really pulling for Andy or Darryl to get promoted from within…but whatever.
@ Some Douchebag:
As an actual minority, I don’t appreciate you bringing us down with your trivial difficulties about a television program.
Plus, your opinion sucks. The episodes after Michael Scott left were supposed to be a mess, because the office was in disarray. I’m sure they’ll be reeled back into their character types before Thanksgiving next season.
Can someone please agree that John Ritter would have been an appropriate replacement? Him or Charlie Sheen.
The Office is the best sitcom on television. Few are even close. Spader is a good move. I watched his episode again, after the announcement, and his scenes were better than I remembered. He clearly fits into the ensemble cast nicely. His lines seemed to be written for Steve Carrel, but Spader still made the his own. I want to see more. Good hire!