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5PM UPDATE: It’s Official: It’s ‘The Office’ Un-Spin-Off. So my sources tell me showrunner Greg Daniels won, NBC lost, and all is right with the world. I’m glad everything is finalized because, geez, I’m sick of reporting on this. (And I don’t even watch The Office. Not my kind of show. Don’t hate me…)
PREVIOUS: NBC is going to absurd lengths to keep its so-called “The Office Spin-off” hush-hush. For instance, I just found out that NBC pitched the new show to Amy Poehler with the ridiculous condition that she keep it secret and not tell anyone what it’s about — not even her representatives. C’mon, who does that? Meanwhile, the media debate rages about whether this will be a true spin-off or an unrelated show. Here’s why there’s such confusion: because nobody knows yet! (Which begs the question: what the hell did NBC actually tell Poehler about the show?)
I understand that not even showrunner Greg Daniels nor NBC has firmly decided which tack to take. This is being figured out right now. Here’s what I’m know from insiders: Daniels wants to do an unrelated series with an Office-like tone and vision. But NBC wants a directly related Office spin-off, again with the same tone and vision as the American version of the original British series. “What NBC keeps arguing is that they want to cast Steve Carell in the first episode of the new show debuting after The Office on Super Bowl Sunday, and why would he show up if it’s not related?” a source tells me. “But Daniels is a stubborn, stubborn guy. I bet Greg gets his way.”
Certain sources insist to me the new show won’t be a spin-off. Yet what’s hilarious here is that the NBC pinheads are so lacking in imagination that they don’t think Daniels can come up with an easy plot device to feature Carell in the first episode without the show being an actual spin-off. I really think NBC’s founder David Sarnoff is spinning in his grave. “The General” helped Dwight D Eisenhower win World War II. Thank god NBC’s current corporate feebs weren’t in charge of that war — or we’d all be Nazis.
Amy Poehler just confirmed to the media what I reported back on Tuesday: that she’ll be joining “The Office Spin-off”. ”I can kind of confirm that I will be working in some capacity on that show,” Poehler told the AP. “I don’t really have any other details yet.” She just picked up an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series today for her great stuff on Saturday Night Live. (Poehler’s husband Will Arnett also received an Emmy nomination today for his guest performance on 30 Rock). But Poehler will stick with SNL for its expanding programming during the election. Meanwhile, I’m going to keep calling this “The Office Spin-Off” even if it turns out not be, because “Greg Daniels’ Other Show That Has The Tone And Vision Of The Office But Isn’t An Office Spin-Off ” is too damn long…
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Oh, so NBC are the ones who think a direct spin-off is a good idea then. Because they’re the ONLY ones who seem to think that. Should we remind them about Joey?
And if Amy is sticking with SNL through November does that mean that the new show will film in NY? Because unless she’s doing both at once that doesn’t give them a lot of lead time to get the new show ready for a January premiere.
Btw, do we really think that NBC swore Amy to secrecy about the premise or that there just actually ISN’T one yet? Which really makes you realize how desperate NBC is that they’re that hellbent on getting this thing on the air. Sort of reminds me of a few years ago when Fox announced a new show from Michael Crichton for Thursdays at midseason even though the show had no script, no cast, and no premise. And of course it never happened.
NBC knows how to handle these situations very well.
This could be another COUPLES-like automatic hit for them.
my god. thats terrible the office was a great show why spin it off!
“Couples”? I assume you mean “Coupling”?
So NBC is ass-backwards in trusting its top showrunner from creating a new show?
The network that greenlit “Joey” is demanding another forced spinoff?
NBC needs to trust Greg Daniels and shut up. They now have the two top female comedians (Fey & Poehler), so they should be focusing on how market the new show.
Then again, this is the network who had a breakout hit in My Name is Earl, only to let it lose 50% of its audience.
Please, please, please Nikki: Can you write about why you don’t watch The Office?
It would be interesting to see a take by somebody in the media, who doesn’t like that show.
As you know, 99% of TV critics love The Office.
But very few people watch it.
“coupling” didn’t even last a full season. “automatic hit” my bullocks.
Tom, you think that very few people watch The Office? I feel like there are a TON of people who watch it. Maybe I just surround myself with the kind of people who are cool enough to watch.
Glad to see that this will be going Greg Daniel’s way. NBC hasn’t done a very good job in the ‘spin-off’ arena, why should they be allowed to destroy The Office’s good name? Greg has the right idea. Create another awesome show using the same beautiful minds that birthed The Office. It’s a win win win situation.
NBC gave Daniels money to create an office spin off. He didn’t do that. They had to have seen the ideas and drafts through the creative process. A spin off means that someone from the original cast stars retains their character but in a new show. Like Fraiser was to Cheers. Why didn’t NBC put the breaks on this UN spin off and take back their money?
I don’t understand why Zucker or Ben Silverman have jobs at NBC. GE should sell it off, hopefully to someone who loves television because it’s a great medium to explore stories and characters weekly. NBC has become a joke.
Maybe NBC should be happy it’s not a spin off because then they’d have to go through all those nasty and costly negotiations with Ricky Gervais who actually DID create The Office. (NBC needs to read the ABC memo on ripping off foreign shows)
Maybe Silverman’s unhappy because his company didn’t sell the Un spin off. He likes buying his own stuff.
The fact that Greg Daniels won this is due to his credibility and integrity. Little by little we see the dirty hands of the NBC suits change The Office by mandating sitcommy storyline contrivances upon Daniels’ writing crew that were non-existant in the first three seasons.
I used to work at NBC during the Tartikoff days. If only he were alive now to see how Zucker and Silverman are conducting their business by taking one of the only few successful, well done comedies we have right now, and diluting it’s essence by trying to beat it to death with a spin off. This is a lesson: never hire a wealthy spoiled momma’s boy with a well connected family to run a network. It’s one thing to have the know-how in bringing such a wonderful show like The Office to the US. It’s quite another when you deconstruct its parts all in the name of money. And yes, money is the game here, but if you tamper with the quality – no one is going to watch anymore. Good for Greg in winning this one.
I’m glad Daniels seems to have won this fight. That said, is Silverman really doing things differently from Tartikoff? Wasn’t BT at NBC when Cheers spun-off Frazier, and when Cosby spun-off A Different World? Wasn’t he also involved with the Deep Space Nine spin-off of Star Trek? I think Diff’rnt Strokes was spun off into The Facts of Life while Tartikoff was at the network, too.
I can think of other (non-NBC) sitcom spin-offs that ran a long time. In some cases, it’s arguable that they never should have. At CBS, there was All In the Family, which like The Office, was based on a British original series, and spawned The Jeffersons, Maude, and Good Times. Happy Days begat Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy. Mary Tyler Moore was responsible for both Rhoda and Phyllis (those shows are part of the legacy of Grant Tinker, for whom Tartikoff worked), and the drama, Lou Grant.
Departing from sitcoms — Melrose Place came from Beverly Hills 90210. Angel came from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Dallas led to Knots Landing. M*A*S*H, a sitcom, produced the drama Trapper John M.D. The Practice morphed into Boston Legal. And then of course, there are the CSI and Law & Order franchises.
The Simpsons started out a short on The Tracy Ullmann show. One of the best (in my opinion) shows on the air right now is The Colbert Report, which spun off of The Daily Show.
It’s possible to make a spin-off without diluting the original. That said, I would rather see Daniels handle this whatever way he chooses. He’s the one with the true vision, and in my opinion, he hasn’t done us wrong, yet.
If by having a spin off to the office makes The Office go down the drain I am going to be one very upset person! The show is great enough already it doesn’t need a spinoff. A spinoff with only make the show worst not better!
Spin! Spin!
The Office is so flat. Characters are flat. Willing to roll the dice here and see if the spin off is better. Very likely I think.
The Office is about a bully. Not much funny about that. And that’s the sad thing. It’s not even funny. Oh sure, if you like beating up on geeks. But that’s so 25 years ago.
Boring!!
Office Space, the movie, was good. But The Office? Not good.