Office (television series, USA)

Small regional office for paper supply company Dunder Mifflin. Each of the employees has its own quirks, habits and complexes. Colleagues swear, make peace, joke and endure the antics of their hard-working boss for days on end.

The show was launched on NBC in March 2005. When asked by journalists about how the American series will differ from its prototype, one of the creators of the British series Ricky Gervais answered: “teeth are better” ^[1] .

The script of the series is 100 percent registered, but the actors improvise every now and then. The famous moment where boss Michael Scott ( Steve Carell ) kisses accountant Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) was improvised by Carell. Therefore, all the emotions on the faces of the heroes: shock, embarrassment - are absolutely real.

The Time magazine included the series in the top ten series in 2007, as well as in the "100 Best Television Shows of All Time".

The premiere show in March 2005 attracted over 11 million viewers, the show was the best in its time slot. The series ratings in the USA from 2005 to 2007 ranged from 2.5 / 6 to 4.1 / 11 (rating / share), which is a very high indicator for America.

The American version of The Office was broadcast in Canada , Ireland , Germany , Austria , Brazil and Latin America, the Pacific, New Zealand, Israel, Australia, Norway, the Netherlands, South Africa, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the Arab countries, as well as in the country - parent - Great Britain.

The main characters of the show appeared in the NBC channel promotions; based on the series released the video game "office"; the main characters of the series have their own sites and blogs on the Internet, in which they write not only on their real behalf, but also on behalf of their characters.

In May 2012, the series was extended to season 9, final for the entire show ^[2] . In February 2013, the release date of the final series of the show became known - May 16, 2013, it also became the anniversary two hundredth episode of the series ^[3] .

An innovative project in the genre of pseudo-documentary filming in a real office, but in a fictitious company, without laughing behind the scenes from two angles - an unexpected format for the series. The filming process is organized in such a way that the series takes the form of a kind of reality show, most of the dialogs in which are based on improvisation, and the actors do not know where the camera is currently located.

• The Dunder Mifflin company the office employees work for is fictitious.
• The first season was filmed in a real office. During the second season, NBC moved the filming to a special studio copying the setting of the first season, including plaques and testimonials hanging on the walls.
• A detailed script was written for each episode of the series, but the actors were always given the opportunity to improvise.
• Unlike the rest of the sitcoms, the "Office" was shot with several cameras in the form of a documentary.
• In the early episodes, camera crews were limited primarily to office space, but as the show expanded, the personal lives of the characters were included, and the cameras took on the ubiquitous, even obsessive function - to make the character’s entire life accessible to the viewer. Cameras begin to accompany the heroes from the office and to their homes.
• The deleted scenes and episodes are not logically deleted from the general narrative line - they are sometimes included in repetitions to supplement the episode. Also, the creators who were not included in the TV version of the frames and series as an experiment made available in the online version, on the channel’s official website.
• The creators of the series used part of the brands of well-known brands shown in the frame as a product placement for advertising purposes. However, a significant part of the products shown fell into the frame outside of contracts with manufacturers - the authors took products that would emphasize the characters' characters.
• Computers on the set of the office are connected to the Internet. Actors claim that when they are behind the scenes during filming, they often read their e-mail and surf the Internet.
• Four supporting actors have the same names as their characters: Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez I), Phyllis Vance (Phyllis Smith) and Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton)
• Four leading actors hail from Massachusetts : Steve Carell (Michael Scott), John Krasinski (Jim Halpert), B.J. Nowak (Ryan Howard) and Mindy Kaling (Kelly Kapoor). Guest actress Nancy Walls (Carol Stills), wife of Steve Carell, also from Massachusetts.
• John Krasinski and B.J. Novak studied together at the same school in Newton , Massachusetts. Both graduated in 1997.
• Brian Baumgartner (Kevin) and Ed Helms (Andy) both graduated from Westminster School in Atlanta, Georgia .
• Some shots from the opening video, in particular the building, were made by John Krasinski and his friends from a personal jeep. At this time, John already got the role and was preparing for the shoot.
• Steve Carell watched just a few minutes of the British version of the series, stopped, because he did not want to imitate the game of Ricky Gervais in the role of manager. On the other hand, John Krasinski enthusiastically looked through the entire original.
• The Penn Paper Building from the opening movie is located on Mifflin Avenue, in Scranton, PA . This is probably where the name of the fictitious company Dunder Mifflin came from.
• The series often mentions that the characters Phyllis Vance and Michael Scott are of the same age and used to study at the same university. In fact, Phyllis Smith is 11 years older than Steve Carell.
• Matt Walsh was on the list of key candidates for the role of Dwight Schrut, but he was expelled. Later, he played in the series of another character.
• Poor Richard's Pub, a bar often mentioned on the show, is a real bar in southern Scranton. There is a bowling alley "South Side Lanes".
• Some actors of the main and secondary roles wrote scripts for several episodes. B.J. Novak (Ryan), Paul Lieberstein (Toby) and Mindy Kaling (Kelly) wrote 12 of the 28 episodes of the first and second seasons. Lieberstein independently wrote the episode "Money" from the fourth season. Steve Carell wrote two episodes: Casino Night and Science of Survival. Michael Schur, screenwriter of twenty episodes, plays the role of cousin Dwight, Moza Schrut.
• The main screensaver of the office was spoofed in the animated series " The Simpsons " in season 22 of series 4, and in " American Dad!" »- Season 6, Episode 18.
• At the beginning of series 14 of season 7, Michael Scott and David Brent (Ricky Gervais) meet as Wernham Hogg's regional manager and protagonist of the original British television series . Also in the 25th episode of season 7, he sends his video resume from England to the position of regional manager.

In December 2017, TVLine reported, citing its sources, that the NBC channel is considering launching the sequel to the comedy series Office in the season 2018-2019. In the sequel, Michael Scott performed by Steve Carell will not appear, so the search for a new boss has already begun, and the participation of Ed Helms, Rain Wilson, John Krasinski and other actors of the original series remains open to question ^[21] .

21 awards and 63 nominations

• Golden Globe - Best Actor on TV ( Steve Carell )
• Emmy - Best Comedy Series 2006, 2007
• Peabody Awards
• Image Awards - Best Director's Work 2007, 2008
• " PGA Awards " - 2007
• Prism Awards - Best Comedy Story, 2009
• US Screen Actors Guild Award - Best Acting Ensemble 2007, 2008
• “ TV Land Awards ” - 2008
• Teen Choice Awards - Steve Carell 2007, 2008
• Television Critics Association Award - Outstanding Achievement in the 2006 Comedy Series ( Steve Carell ), 2007
• "Screenwriters Guild of America" ​​- Best Comedy Series 2007, 2008

• Official site (eng.)
• Dunder Mifflin Official Website