[AnthonyC]

Not thrilled with this idea at all, especially since the quality of the original has gone down a bit, but I guess I'll give it a chance...

Live from NBCs Infront (Take 5): A New Thursday Night Sitcom - TV Decoder - Media & Television - New York Times Blog

[Brent M]

I agree that it's not really a great idea considering "The Office" has gone downhill since season 3. It might end up being good, but I've never really thought this is a show that needs a spin-off.

[TravisR]

I just hope that they're not going to write a character off the 'original' series to go work at another Dunder Mifflin branch that has another group of wacky people that we can all relate to. Unfortunately, that seems to be the most likely of scenarios. That being said, I'm willing to give it a shot.

[TonyD]

NBC hopes it has found its next Thursday night sitcom: a spinoff of “The Office.”

The spinoff, which does not yet have a title, will make its debut in one of the most coveted time slots on television: the half-hour immediately following the Super Bowl in the winter of 2009.

NBC isn’t revealing much about the show itself. “The entire creative team of ‘The Office’ is behind this show,” Mr. Silverman said, including Greg Daniels, the show’s executive producer.

After the Super Bowl, the spinoff will move to Thursdays at 9:30 p.m., immediately following the original “Office.”

It’s a tall order for Mr. Daniels and his colleagues, as they will also be producing hour-long versions of “The Office” throughout September.

Mr. Silverman noted that “The Office” has a “huge ensemble” of actors.

“We can’t even service some of these great actors and performers [on the original show], so it’s very likely you will see some of those actors on the spin-off,” he said.

“The Office” stars Steve Carell as the awkward boss of a struggling paper sales company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The program, an import from the United Kingdom, has averaged almost 9 million viewers in its fourth season this year.

[Adam Lenhardt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TonyD

Mr. Silverman noted that “The Office” has a “huge ensemble” of actors.

“We can’t even service some of these great actors and performers [on the original show], so it’s very likely you will see some of those actors on the spin-off,” he said.

So basically, they're going to stripmine the supporting cast of the main show to try to birth the spin-off. That's the worst thing about premature spin-offs: they actually dilute the quality of the main production by stealing talent both in front of and behind the camera.