Although it’s a shoo-in for renewal, there’s nothing yet official for a ninth season of “The Office” next year. The network and the talent are still working out deals, but it appears that both Ed Helms and John Krasinski will return for at least part of next season, which would likely be their last. Both have movie projects in the works in the fall, so they would likely miss part of the season, and both seem to be anxious to leave and move on with their feature film careers. Moreover, this season is likely the last for Mindy Kaling, whose pilot over on Fox is primed for pick-up. That’s not the only shake-up at “The Office.” Paul Lieberstein — who is not only the showrunner, but he also plays Toby — is also leaving his post as showrunner to focus on Dwight’s spin-off. Assuming that goes through, Rainn Wilson would also be leaving the show. Once Jim leaves, narratively, it would also make sense for Pam to go. It’s also already been confirmed that James Spader is leaving at the end of this season. After all those casting upheavals, that would leave “The Office” — NBC’s highest rated scripted show — with basically no big names left in the cast. It would be the Kevin and Daryl show.
Indeed, if NBC decided to move to a tenth season, they’d likely do so with a lot of new characters. B.J. Novak — who plays Ryan — is also a leading contender to take over as showrunner, but he’d have a mess on his hands. How do you maintain any kind of narrative cohesion while bringing in so many replacement characters? Can the show survive yet another change in manager? Does the audience even have patience for it? Will viewers really get behind a sitcom led by Ellie Kemper?
It’s time to retire “The Office.” It was time to retire “The Office’ three years ago. Ratings be damned, the show is going the way of the paper company. With the leading cast members leaving, it’s time to take a cue from the increasingly green, paperless workplace: Shut down Dunder Mifflin, NBC. You’ve besmirched its previously good name enough. It’s time to let go. But if you want to give Creed a spin-off, I’d be OK with that.
(Source: TV Guide)
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BJ Novak?
Yeah the show became un-watchable for me when they added that British woman (Nellie?). She is probably worse than AIDS.
She is AWFUL. The idea of an incompetent new manager who is overbearing and tries to take over is a good one, but Nellie is incredibly obnoxious. Catherine Tate’s accent even sounds fake (although she is from England).
Personally, I would LOVE to get behind Ellie Kemper.
Jacks you beat me to it. I came here just to make that comment.
Me too. Guess I get sloppy thirds on this one.
Samesies
Since you’ve got the back, I’ll take the front.
AIRTIGHT!!
I honestly don’t think I’ve watched a full episode since Michael’s finale. And even then, I had only seen a handful since Jim and Pam’s wedding.
Wake me up when Andy jumps a tank of sharks on a motorcycle.
I’ve heard rumours that Andy will jump a tank of motorcycles on a shark, but they’re saving that for sweeps week.
I always wanted Bill Lawrence to do this with the final “season” of Scrubs. Once it was clear that the show was not the show we knew (ie, loss of half the main characters, switch to teaching instead of hospital, etc) at the behest of the network, he missed a golden opportunity to introduce a new “jump-the-shark” cliche every week until it was mercifully canceled. It could have all culminated with Turk literally jumping a shark.
But, now we have Cougar Town. So, whatevs.
Season 6 for me is when the show started going down hill, especially when Kathy Bates joined the cast.
Aside from “The Voice”, The Office is one of the few NBC shows that pulls in any ratings, which means they will milk it for all its worth for as long as they can. It’ll be The Simpsons of NBC.
What Schmoove said. NBC can’t afford not to renew it, even if it doesn’t want to be renewed.
“Will viewers really get behind a sitcom led by Ellie Kemper?”
Yeah, dude. I’m totally down with cute pranks and red-head antics!
And as for the status of the show, it’s been 1000x BETTER without Michael Scott. So it’s a shame that it’s falling apart during its short renaissance. I assume you watch the show?
wat
It is definitely better without “Michael Scott”……
I’d like it if they either spun-off Angela as a clueless woman married to a gay guy……
….or if they made her the manager…….because she seems to have decent tits…..
We can call it BJs, starring BJ and the dry BJ girl.
it’s sad how much sitcoms just go on endlessly. the office has been poor starting with season 6. season 5 was pretty hit or miss as it was. the shortened season 4 was the last good season from start to finish. The show’s central story was Jim and Pam, and that story or the show itself wasnt strong enough to go beyond them getting together.
the absolute longest the show should have lasted was Jim and Pam getting married. If not before with Jim proposing to Pam at the gas station. Think about if that was the last scene of the show way back then. How much more highly regarded the show would have been.
Or I’d even go so far back at the end of season 3. That was the last time I was genuinely thrilled by that show with Jim coming into the talking head shot asking Pam out for the first time, choosing her over his career in Scranton (which once upon a time he wanted nothing to do with longterm, at the time picking her was a huge deal for him) If that was the last scene, just leave it on a bit of a cliffhanger, Jim and Pam finally agree to go on a date, audience you make up the rest.
Now it’s literally going to disintegrate into thin air.
Yeah, it’s true, but the network and studios and even a lot of the writers and actors care more about the dollars rolling in than the quality of the show. If people are still watching, why end it and replace it with a show that won’t do well in the ratings (this is NBC, afterall)?
I think Ed Helms signed on to do Kaling’s show, but I don’t know in what capacity.
The Creed Show! Hilarity ensues.
Can they just transform it to Florida Stanley show? We need more Florida Stanley.
Creed show would work too, Very Punny.
You’re all missing a far more pressing issue than the show losing it’s entire main cast. Who is standing over Phyllis’s shoulder in the banner picture with the red umbrella? I’ve seen every episode of this show and I have no clue who that is.
That’s the girl they had on for three episodes at the end of last year. She was an executive assistant named Jordan. Also, the woman who played her (Cody Horn) just happens to be the daughter of President of Warner Bros.
Dang, Ed Helms going straight to the movies? I kinda wish that after the office, he’d get his own show. Not an Office-related show, just a sitcom starring Ed Helms.
I will get behind Ellie Kemper.