Bad NBC... BAD!
Well, NBC has been busy unveiling its 2008-2009 prime time schedule today, which includes some rather baffling (but not unexpected) news -- "THE OFFICE SPINOFF" will debut in January 2009.  A regular episode of THE OFFICE will air in the coveted post-Super Bowl slot, followed by the pilot episode of the unnamed (I can only pray it's not named "The Office Spinoff"...) spinoff.

The ORIGINAL show will return in September, once again, with hour long episodes.  E! is also reporting that the episode order for 2008-2009 is "28 half hour episodes" (not sure how those hour longs fit into that).

The New York Times got the following information on the new show from Ben Silverman:

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.

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.

I got a chuckle out of some of the comments in the NYT article-- since the show was unnamed, the author asked, what names would its readers suggest for the show?

Reader Jaimie quipped: 'I think they should name it something like “Creative Oversight? or “Gigantic Error.?'

Damn right, Jaimie.

Can anyone REALLY see it as a good idea to split the attention of THE OFFICE's writing staff? A good idea to take characters from one of the most beloved and talented ensembles ever assembled and shuffle some of them off to another show?  THE OFFICE is amazing BECAUSE it has such a huge cast of characters... it's a TEAM effort, through and through. 

Sure, THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW gave birth to RHODA, THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW begat MAYBERRY RFD, ALL IN THE FAMILY spawned THE JEFFERSONS (and MAUDE), and DOCTOR WHO led into TORCHWOOD.  I GET the concept.  I know it's worked in the past, but it just makes me incredibly sad to think that one of the best shows on TV is going to screwed with in this way. 

For those people who say "But everyone said an AMERICAN remake of THE OFFICE would suck, and look how it turned out," I say "Bah."  The situations aren't analgous in the least.  The UK show was over, the American version took the pilot idea and ran with it, quickly making the show a very distinct beast.  None of the UK cast came to America, the UK audience didn't have to watch David Brent or Tim suddenly relocate to Scranton, PA, being replaced by some new "nobodies" (or even worse, not replaced at all).

Will I watch the new show? Of course.  Maybe I'll even love it.  But right now, it just worries me more than anything else.



Category:general -- posted at: 6:11pm EDT
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