12 Steps to Making the Next Season of ‘The Office’ More Watchable

More NARD DOG! Oh, sorry, thought I was Peter King for a moment there. And what’s with this Amtrak coffee, amirite?!
Great work, Dustin.

Mostly agree, but I feel like bringing back Roy (a well-meaning but ultimately dim-witted self-centered doof using his perceived newly-found maturity to win back his former love) would just come across as a rehash of the Andy/Ann dynamic in Parks and Rec’s earlier seasons.

Completely agree on 1, and 4 – 6. The dynamic of corporate vs. the branch, with Jan, David Wallace, et al. represented the show at its best.

So basically…go back to the way things were before?

You, me and everyone with a brain knows Nellie is staying and The Office is just going to be a show that keeps going until it just ends.

Lots of good ideas; especially that last one. But I would miss Ellie Kemper.

Yes to everything except for bringing back the mess that was Jan. Not only was she annoying, she was written pretty much as a lunitic and a “bad” person. Why would I want her back as a centerpoint? oh, and get rid of Jim so that the show can lean on Pam? Jim is one of the only funny parts of the show left and while I enjoy Pam for the most part, shes not THAT funny.

Mindy Kahling is getting her own show and the guy who plays Ryan is helping her. Judy Punch is also getting a chance at her own show. There is going to be a Dwight spinoff. Ed Helms is guesting on some of these, so we might finally see the end of The Office, thank Jeebus.

Timothy Olyphant has his own show that is doing really well why would he come back to the office.

Its a pretty solid list, save for one thing, in my eyes. The ‘Jim-takes-a-new-job-’ thing totally works, because now they’re a family of four, he tried his hand at Dunder-Mifflin management unsuccessfully and so taking a job elsewhere is completely believable (he’s never really made us thing paper is his life, he could move laterally in sales to just about anything), its useful for when the actor has film obligations, and does create some well needed conflict for them. What isn’t believable at all is the return of Roy in Pam’s life. They can certainly bring him back, and perhaps he thinks he still has a shot, but he HAS to get shot down, and clueless, he can continue his useless efforts to win her back to comedic results. But to think she’d slip up in her marriage is absurd. And not just because she’s married, that’s too naive. One of the first thing this show made a point of illustrating is that despite being a receptionist, not only did she have more potential in her own life, they made it clear she is not dumb. That, and with everything she’s been through as an individual, I would argue that while she seems pretty stagnant this season, she’s one of the characters that’s evolved and grown most on that show. After the episode where she walked on the hot coals, then spoke her mind to the entire office during the survivor-esque competition for Michale’s job – that was a clear sign that the old Pam was gone. New Pam (who she needed to become in order for Jim break up with Karen) even lonely in a possible long distance marriage if Jim did go away, hell, even lonely and drunk wouldn’t even wind up with Roy after a night at the bar. Too strong of a bullshit detector. I’d sooner expect her to kiss Ryan before Roy in this hypothetical moment of weakness. At least his poem made her cry. Roy has nothing to offer her.

Make the entire season about Creedthoughts.whatever.com

I would actually watch that.

Well, here’s the thing. These are great ideas, and I’m personally dying for someone with a realistic, sentimental vision to give their input to make a final season (hopefully, season 9) better then the current drudge and perhaps (PERHAPS!) nearly as enjoyable as some of the earlier efforts. It was no coincidence that this show won an EMMY early on. The writing was crisp, the talents were appreciative of the show for launching their careers and they were willing to exhaust themselves in making each season a great new chapter (remember the seamless use of Beach Games moments in the Job?), the seasons were cohesive (no frayed ends, unused plot initiatives, and lost characters who literally disappear into the vacuum of space without explanation), and- honestly- a lot of consideration was done to make it a nice blend of office humor with “sensible characters” dealing with “caricatures?” That balance is gone, but it can be recaptures with effort and focus and (most importantly) the willingness of the main creative staff to see their recent faults. Most of the characters have lost their soul. This series, for its great start and its loyal fans who deserve better, deserves a great ending.

Send these ideas to someone…heck, send them to Tanster (officetally.com). Anyone who has contact with the creative staff in even the most microscopic form.