FOX 411: 'The Office' Spin-Off in the Works?

Tuesday , June 12, 2007
By Roger Friedman


'The Office' Spin-Off in the Works?

Is Dwight Schrute about to have his own TV series? That’s the buzz at NBC, where new head of programming Ben Silverman could be thinking about a spin-off from the hit sitcom "The Office."

Silverman is the man who brought "The Office" to NBC from its original Ricky Gervais premise in the U.K., so the notion of a spin-off isn’t that far-fetched.

When I ran into Rainn Wilson, the actor who plays Dwight on the show, at Sunday night’s post-Tony party, he actually brought up the idea, then seemed a little surprised he’d said it out loud.

But Dwight is to "The Office" what Frasier once was to "Cheers," so the idea isn’t that preposterous.

And Silverman is charged with quickly turning things around at ratings-deprived NBC. Putting Dwight into a new office setting isn’t such a bad idea. After all, the Gervais concept seems almost limitless in its appeal and further expansion.

source Office Tally & original source

I'll post the same thought here as I did at officetally: I think this is a horrible idea. I would not be a happy person if they went through with this idea- I seriously would consider no longer watching the show The Office doesn't have a huge following to begin with- so why attempt a spinoff?? Blah.

Silverman- step away from our show!!!!

I love the Dwight/Jim interaction, and that would be lost if there was a spinoff. I understand that there are a lot of characters on the Office, but a spinoff, especially of Dwight, is not the way to go.

I think the potential spinoff using Dwight could work, but the original Office would suffer too much. When Dwight worked at Staples, he was funny without the usual Office characters.

Wow. I really don't quite know what to say. This could either be good or the downfall of the Office. I mean 'Frasier' (the show) broadcasted when 'Cheers' was over, right? But I just have a feeling it could be unbearably disastrous. Just a hunch, hope it doesn't happen. The Office is great the way it is, I really would not alter or change such a good thing.

Edit: Also, if it were to be a Dwight spin off, don't you think we would get annoyed only watching Dwight? I mean, personally I think I'd get fed up, no matter how much a love Dwight. For example, I love Michael but in small doses.

It's like having deserts, it is better to only have a bit and savor it (like the French) than to stuff yourself and get sick. And although I would love to have a Jam spinoff I know it could have the same effects, and Jam would never be the same again. That's why The Office is so great now, we get a little taste of all these different hilarious characters, and although we might want more sometimes, deep down we know we might get sick of it if we do.

Bad idea! Don't touch the Office.

PS--I am the one who voted "Indifferent" because I voted before I read the spinoff would be centered around Dwight. I would like to change my vote now to no, it is not a good idea!!

This is a really, really bad idea. I love Dwight, but his insanity works with the chemistry of the other characters like Jim and Michael. Seriously, as much as we love him, who wants to watch Dwight without the other characters, on his own, all the time? Besides, taking Dwight off the show would eliminate a pretty important ingredient to the entire show's formula. I'm 100% opposed to this idea.

The good news is, this came from Fox News. So no reliable sources have confirmed this yet.

I think this is a really bad idea... I would be ok with it if this were the last season of The Office and Dwight were to leave at the very end of it, but not sooner than that. He plays such a central character that I think everything would be thrown off if he was gone.

LOL...

I dunno how I feel. When NBC announced a spin-off for Battlestar, they show wound up getting cancelled. XD

I know that's not the case with The Office, but still...

I think they'd be better off making it an hour long show than doing a spin-off.

Meg

This reminds me of 'Gareth Keenan Investigates!'. That would be terrible, and so would a Dwight spin-off.

I would be interested in seeing a different American Office. New cast and writers. Just not starring David Spade.

Why fix something that isn't broken?

The Office is such a fantsatic show because of the entire cast interaction.

My thoughts exactly! Don't those tools at NBC remember that for every "Frasier" there's a "Joey"? The Office wasn't quite right when Jim was in Stamford or even while Dwight worked at Staples. It works when everyone is there, playing off each other. This is a ridiculous idea and I hope Greg Daniels agrees.



Stapler, loved your whole post, but that last bit was genius.

Someone in the OfficeTally comments said it sounds like Rainn Wilson made a joke and the reporter took it seriously, which I could totally see happening.

reporter: What can you tell me about The Office and/or about Dwight?
Rainn (in a fakey grandiose voice): Oh, I believe Dwight Schrute feels he's just a little too big for Dunder Mifflin Scranton anymore. Don't be surprised if there's a hostile takeover of NBC, we're gonna be like CSI.
reporter (to self): Office Spinoffs! What a scoop!

Anyway, I don't think any of it is true, but if it is, it's a bad idea. I love The Office because it doesn't get too caught up in typical television gimmicks and pitfalls. What's a spin-off? A typical television gimmick and pitfall. Besides, Dwight would never leave Michael's side, seriously.

Um, I know most of you who know me, know that I am not a fan of religious or politics talks/discussions/etc. Everyone has a right to their opinion but I did get a pm from a newly created message board member giving me grief about the source (Fox news) for this information...

I am not one to whine or tattletale(i save the tattletale's for my kids) but sometimes I feel the need to speak my mind.... But to get to the point, the message was giving me grief about my political views and of said source.

HELLO, the source was Office Tally who in turn gave the source as Fox News.

If the story happens to be false, then it will be false. I do not put my views out on the table for all to see and share.

In other words I just provide the information or to put it in idiot terms:

do not shoot the messenger or whine to the messenger of said information.


p.s. As a moderator & administrator we have the ability to see IP addresses(and yes some people use proxy addresses but I'm not going there either) and addresses can be cross referenced to your board name/email address, just so you know.

==================

And I do not want a spin off either. You cant mess with perfection...end of story

Thanks, ladama! This sounds better. I love a good misunderstanding!

Can we just wing ya? So we won't have members fainting in the street?

I really do not think this could be, and even if it is it would be a bad idea.

Maybe once The Office is off the air they can do a spin-off.. but really all the characters play off eachother and that is what makes it so good!

So no, bad idea, lets move on the the next one please

sure just be careful I just bought this outfit yesterday

Worst idea ever. Dwight has such good chemistry with everyone and taking him out would take away most of what is good with the show. Without Dwight, The Office probably couldn't even get a good cold opening. And what would happen with Angela?

I really hope that doesn't happen.

Absolutely not!

I really hope that this isn't true. It would be completely unrealistic for dwight to leave dunder mifflin, much less his monkey.

I found this today, thought it was interesting. Not sure how much creedence to give to it, but I think that TPTB know The Office would not be the same if Dwight was gone.

no no no no no no no no no no no. Please no. This is the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard.

I would support a spinoff series on one condition...

It has to be Creed.

This sounds like a Michael Scott mixed metaphor. I thought Dwight was like Kramer, so why compare an Office spinoff to Frasier?!

OMG, no, no, a thousand times no. Maybe after the end of the run of the original but not now. Visions of the CO from Mash and Klinger in a very ill-conceived follow-on to MASH come to mind and it didn't go well.

Frasier was an exception and it too went on air after the run of Cheers.

Someone above said it so well, you do not mess with perfection.

more reading...

Thanks! Loved the Stanley Nickel, btw:

I think/hope this isn't true. I love The Office and I love Dwight, but I wouldn't want to mess with what has been established and potentially screw up both. MAYBE after The Office ends a Dwight spin-off would be funny. But not now, and probably not ever.



Now THAT is a great idea!

Dear Ben Silverman,

Dwight Schrute is to The Office what Frasier was to Cheers? OK I'll give you that. However, The Office minus Dwight Schrute is no longer The Office.

I have to say I think if the spinoff has nothing to do with the characters from the office. If they do a mockumentary it may work but if they do a spinoff using any of the same characters it dies along with most other sitcoms. Now could they use people that were in the show in the past like Josh from Stamford and have one about him being at Staples or something maybe.

One word:

"Joey"

So who do you think will make it to the spin off? Is it Mike and Jan focused, is it Jim and Pam focused? Or is it something else entirely?

The last rumors are that a spinoff would be based on Dwight.

Actually, the new rumors are that it will be based on completely new characters.

Access Hollywood article
MovieWeb Article
Buddy TV article

To quote the latter article:

"In other Office news, you might have heard that NBC was thinking hard about producing an Office spin-off sometime in the near future. According to E!'s Kristin Dos Santos, this news is premature. NBC is just thinking about a spin-off at the moment, and haven't begun any formal talks or casting. Nothing is imminent."

Let's hope they come to their senses before they start formal talks. Although either way his won't be happening anytime soon because of the strike...

I have a few suggestions for names of the spin-off:

The Office: Miami
The Office: Criminal Intent
The Office: Special Victim's Unit

Any ones of those would be awesome!

How about Dancing with the Office?

Question: What do you get when the ladies of the Office have affairs, complain about each other, and overreact to every little thing?

Answer:Desperate Office

I think this can be a good thing, with the right talent involved.

Think about it - we could have two episodes a week to mull over and over-analyze. C'mon guys, we would be in hog heaven.

But this could also lead to new fans who don't like the original to join the boards, which could result in a bloods/crips east coast/west coast kind of feud. Which, don't get me wrong, could be fun... 'til big O is taken in a drive-by.

I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm not against a spin-off, if done well.

Did anyone else hear that the spinoff was actually going to be a beet-based cooking show with Emeril? I know he was recently let go from the Food Network.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=43620

The Office & Spin-Off Get Post Super Bowl Spot
Source: NBC April 2, 2008

NBC announced today that the most coveted time period of the coming season, the post Super Bowl slot, will be used to launch a spinoff of the network's hit comedy series, "The Office." Immediately following NBC Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLIII, the network will first present an original episode of "The Office," followed by the debut of the new Greg Daniels comedy. The Super Bowl has been perennially the biggest television event of the broadcast season and was watched this year by a total audience of more than 148 million viewers. Giving this new series that coveted premiere slot will afford the show tremendous sampling from all demographic groups.

Greg Daniels, Executive Producer of "The Office," said, "Who would have ever thought that Americans would be subjected to a mock-documentary after the Super Bowl? What has happened to this country?"

From Greg Daniels, the Executive Producer of the Emmy Award-winning American version of NBC's "The Office," comes the highly anticipated comedy of the season in "The Office" spinoff. Audiences will follow another comic journey, complete with new faces and new locations, but with the same unique sense of humor and brand of quality from Daniels and his creative team. It's the next chapter of what viewers have come to know and love about "The Office."

I'm so relieved that we won't be losing Dwight to a spin-off (presumably), but I'm also not convinced that this is going to be the same quality as TO. And I'm still nervous that this is going to, in some way, change TO or worsen it. I'm approaching this with extremely cautious and qualified optimism. I really hope it's worth watching.

I was initially very worried when I heard about this last night, but now that I know it's not going to involve any of the regular-unleaded Office characters, or storylines, I'm excited for it. I think it's a fun idea, and if it turns out to be as great as The Office, that's just a good deal all around!

Still not sure how I feel about the spin-off idea. I mean, on an international level, I'm all for more countries have their own licensed version of THE OFFICE (UK, USA, France, Germany*, Canada and soon Chile), but two American OFFICES? Hmmm ...

I guess it could work ... maybe Dunder-Mifflin is expanding a new branch Office, maybe somewhere outside the PA/NY region?

Eh, it worked for VOLTRON. Scranton branch are like the classic Lions-Voltron and the new spin-off can be like the lesser-known Cars-Voltron.

Didn't think it was possible to tie something as '00s-intelligently-funny as THE OFFICE to something as '80s-unintentionally-funny as VOLTRON, didya?

still not sure if I like this. I am wondering now, if there will be pressure to move a regular member over or use them for guest spots. I will just wait and see, then make up my mind. but right now I'm not sure at all

I really hope this doesn't affect the regular Office. I would be gutted if we lost Jim, Pam, Michael, Dwight or Angela to a spin-off. I think it would be easy to see Ryan moving over, now he's at corporate and obviously has ambition, compared to the rest of the cast.

I just want more seasons of what we have now!

I'm excited about it. I started watching the show because I'm a big fan of Bobby Ray Shafer. The Office is great but any episodes with Bob Vance are always a huge bonus for my brother and I. Hopefully the spin-off entales work life at Vance Refrigeration. Bobby Ray's role on The Office is memorable but minimal. A spin-off might give Bob Vance some much deserved spotlight and introduce some entertaining VR employees. Phyllis could occasionally pop in on her lunch break and Michael could rub big Bob the wrong way every now and again. I think a Vance Refrigeration setting would be great fun and best of all, it wouldn't pick The Office cast clean.

I totally agree! Vance needs to be made into a main character! He's by far my favorite. Bobby Ray has done so much great stuff too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4eq2rK_oAQ