The Office season 7 thread (1 Viewer)

Patrick Sun · Sep 23, 2010

With this being Steve Carell's last season, how will they replace Michael Scott as this new season winds down? It returns in its usualy 9 p.m. EDT Thursday night timeslot on NBC.

Adam Lenhardt · Sep 23, 2010

Originally Posted by Patrick Sun

With this being Steve Carell's last season, how will they replace Michael Scott as this new season winds down?

I've heard two proposals from the creative team:

Promote someone from within the existing cast to be the boss and market it as a true ensemble. Likely Dwight, but maybe Kelly or Darryl though Sabre's minority advancement program.
Hire another "name" actor to fill the void. Within this route are two differing proposals:
Hire a dramatic actor like Harvey Keitel to be the straight man against the rest of the cast's insanity. Hire another comedic actor like Tim Allen.

I think the most interesting suggestion would be 2a, since it would make a fresher show than 1 or 2b.

EDIT: Solid premiere. I laughed more and harder tonight than I did during the majority of the episodes last season.

joshEH · Sep 24, 2010

Rhys Darby is the other semi-big-name (if you watch HBO, that is) being floated about as Carell's potential replacement. I'd make this show regular appointment viewing again in a heartbeat if that happened.

I think this was better than most of last season's episodes, but it still has that treading-water feeling that makes me wish they'd just ended it with Jim and Pam getting married.
But I don't think the rest of episode lived up to the goofy enthusiasm of the opening. And it seems kind of odd that they'd spend so much time getting Andy and Erin together last season, only to have Gabe steal her away off-screen over the summer. Probably the second-least (or third-best) of the four NBC comedies I watched last night (with Community and 30 Rock ahead of it, in that order). That said: I loved Michael's, "I'll be on 'em like moss on a Mississippi tree stump," and Jo's reaction. Kathy Bates is really good on this.

TravisR · Sep 24, 2010

Eventhough it sorta felt like it was from another show, I loved the 'musical number' at the beginning because it seemed like the actors were having alot of fun.

Dwight is on another planet at this point but he still makes me laugh.

And Michael's nephew saying "I love cinema. My two favorite movies are Citizen Kane and Boondock Saints" was absolutely hilarious.

joshEH · Sep 24, 2010

Shit, yes -- the "Boondock Saints" line was priceless. Forgot about that one.

Also:

"Everywhere I look, it's 'Betty White' this, and 'Betty White' that. Finally, a kid who's not talking about Betty White. Of course I follow him."

Despite what happened to the show last season, I still have something of a fondness for it, but I'd love to see it get a really strong second wind this year.

Brent M · Sep 24, 2010

Originally Posted by TravisR

joshEH · Sep 25, 2010

I really hated the whole "Gabe-and-Erin" thing. Really hated it.

It added absolutely nothing to the episode, and without any kind of proper setup, any follow up on it throughout the season (because of course there's going to be more emphasis on it as the season progresses) is going to feel really limp.

The opening got me, and little bits here and there in between worked, but man, what a disjointed premiere.

Bryan^H · Sep 26, 2010

Originally Posted by joshEH

I really hated the whole "Gabe-and-Erin" thing. Really hated it.

It added absolutely nothing to the episode, and without any kind of proper setup, any follow up on it throughout the season (because of course there's going to be more emphasis on it as the season progresses) is going to feel really limp.

The opening got me, and little bits here and there in between worked, but man, what a disjointed premiere.

I agree. The Gabe, Erin relationship....seriously? Is that the best the writers could come up with?

The whole episode was just kind of "blah". I was expecting so much more from the season opener. I'm sure it will get better.

Michael Henry · Sep 27, 2010

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt

I've heard two proposals from the creative team:

Promote someone from within the existing cast to be the boss and market it as a true ensemble. Likely Dwight, but maybe Kelly or Darryl though Sabre's minority advancement program.

Hire another "name" actor to fill the void. Within this route are two differing proposals:

Hire a dramatic actor like Harvey Keitel to be the straight man against the rest of the cast's insanity. Hire another comedic actor like Tim Allen.

I think the most interesting suggestion would be 2a, since it would make a fresher show than 1 or 2b.

EDIT: Solid premiere. I laughed more and harder tonight than I did during the majority of the episodes last season.

2b. David Brent gets hired by Dunder Mifflin (Slough, Berkshire Branch) and hires Gareth Keenan to be his Assistant Regional Manager (or Assistant "to the" Regional Manager).

David is then relocated to take over the Scranton branch to take over once Michael Scott leaves - but you see the transition between the two for the last 4 or so episodes.

David also brings along Gareth to take over Dwight's position as he will be moved into a different position.

David Brent, Michael Scott, Gareth Keenan and Dwight Schrute sharing screen time for 4 episodes and then the new guys taking over next season? I mean it writes itself at this point.

joshEH · Sep 27, 2010

Paul Lieberstein ("Toby") recently confirmed that the producers have been having a number of conversations with Ricky Gervais about finally appearing this season -- reportedly, it's something that Gervais wants very much to do, supposedly especially since it's going to be Steve Carell's final season.

Would love it if this happens.

Ronald Epstein · Oct 3, 2010

Just catching up on shows piling up on my Tivo.

Great Season Seven opening for The Office (Office

Lip Dub). Had to rewatch it several times it was so good.

The first two shows this season are fairly strong.

Last season seemed a little shaky but I am glad

the show is somewhat returning to its roots. Glad

to get away from the Jim and Pam baby storyline

as I thought it was ruining the show.

The joke concerning Erin and the disposable camera

seemed a little cheap but somehow it almost seemed

to work anyway.

Looking forward to the rest of the season before

Carell leaves it.

Adam Lenhardt · Oct 7, 2010

I'm trying to thing of another show that has integrated a new main character into the cast midstream as successfully as "The Office" has with Andy Bernard, and I'm not coming up with anything.

Mike Frezon · Oct 7, 2010

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt /forum/thread/304265/the-office-season-7-thread#post_3737365

TravisR · Oct 7, 2010

Michael Emerson (playing Ben Linus) was an amazing addition on Lost. That being said, Ed Helms certainly holds his own and was a great addition to The Office.

Brent M · Oct 8, 2010

Originally Posted by Mike Frezon

Not to get The Office thread too far off track, but I always felt M*A*S*H really went downhill after Henry Blake, Frank Burns and Trapper were replaced with the above mentioned characters. The show was never as funny as it was the first few years with the original cast IMHO.

joshEH · Oct 8, 2010

Creed again won the episode with him dictating the review over the phone.
The "Gabe-and-Erin" bullshit is so retarded. Manufactured bullshit to create a new Jim-and-Pam situation, when nobody wants a new Jim-and-Pam situation. Meanwhile, the "Jim-and-Pam-as-parents" storyline continues to be cliché and predictable as all hell.
Similarly, an Ed Helms-centric episode is okay, I suppose, but this show has long outlived the conceit of being a "documentary." They do the shaky-handheld and zooms all the time, but it makes absolutely no sense that there's supposedly a camera crew following them to a play, and then actually standing there recording people watching it. Besides that, it had some good moments, but I think they should have just decided to end the show with Carell leaving.

TravisR · Oct 8, 2010

Originally Posted by joshEH

...this show has long outlived the conceit of being a "documentary." They do the shaky-handheld and zooms all the time, but it makes absolutely no sense that there's supposedly a camera crew following them to a play, and then actually standing there recording people watching it.

I don't have a problem with the documentary apparently having broadened its scope to look at all the aspects of the lives of the people that work in the office (as per last night's episode, even Angela has a camera in her car now) but I guess you have to suspend disbelief that this must be one of the longest shooting documentary in history. Especially when you consider that the subject is not genocide in Rawanda or something with a little more meaning than looking at life of workers in a paper company in suburban Pennsylvania.

Adam Lenhardt · Oct 8, 2010

Originally Posted by TravisR
I guess you have to suspend disbelief that this must be one of the longest shooting documentary in history. Especially when you consider that the subject is not genocide in Rawanda or something with a little more meaning than looking at life of workers in a paper company in suburban Pennsylvania.

I don't know; when you consider TLC reality series like "Little People, Big World" have nearly 200 episodes in the tank over six years, it's not too big of a stretch that a reality series about Dunder Mifflin could stretch over ~120 episodes so far and a similar number of years. The stretch is that the corporate office would continue to allow production of a series that makes the company look absolutely terrible at times.

TravisR · Oct 8, 2010

Originally Posted by Adam Lenhardt

The stretch is that the corporate office would continue to allow production of a series that makes the company look absolutely terrible at times.

My assumption has always been that none of the footage has been seen by the public yet. I guess both scenarios are a stretch at this point though because you either have to ask "Why would Dunder Mifflin not have fired probably everyone at Scranton by now?" or "Why would the documentary shoot for 7 years if they haven't used the footage yet?"

joshEH · Oct 8, 2010

The problem is that it becomes a storytelling crutch. For instance, in the season premiere, instead of using good writing to show Andy is upset, he just says it to the camera.

Of course, if, at the end of this season, it's shown that Michael was the one behind the documentary crew staying on for that long (for instance, promising to pay them himself), it becomes a phenomenal joke. Plus, it would be a perfect "out" from the entire faux-doc format.

And a perfect "out" for the series, as far as I'm concerned. I'm still half-expecting NBC to announce in the spring that the show is, in fact, over.

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