The Office is the American adaptation of the hit BBC series of the same name created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Veteran TV writer Greg Daniels took charge of converting the quintessentially British show to American sensibilities for NBC, but only after a shaky start composed of episodes adapted whole cloth from the original scripts. Viewership skyrocketed by the end of the first season and beginning of the second, ensuring that the ideal office comedy would remain on the air for years to come.
Cast
Steve Carell stars as Michael Scott, manager of the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the Dunder-Mifflin paper company. Michael is an immature but enthusiastic individual who longs for love and likes to view her coworkers as his family.
John Krasinski plays Jim Halpert, a slacker and a prankster who takes advantage of any excuse to distract himself from the drudgery of life as a paper salesman, whether that means annoying his fellow salesman Dwight or pursuing a relationship with coworker Pam.
Jenna Fischer plays Pam Halpert (nee Beesley), the mousy Dunder-Mifflin employee who began as a receptionist, negotiated a promotion to sales and eventually connived her way into the satisfyingly vague role of office administrator. She is married to Jim and the two have a daughter, Cece, together.
Rainn Wilson plays salesman and beet farmer Dwight Schrute, a super-serious employee who is often oblivious to the pranks leveled at him by Jim and Pam. He also has a close relationship with Michael as his confidant and aspiring successor.
Ed Helms entered mid-series as geeky salesman Andy Bernard of the Stamford, Connecticut branch who eventually found himself working in Scranton after Stamford closed down. He is known for his clownish theatricality and his unshakable romanticism.
Craig Robinson plays Darryl Philbin, the laid-back foreman of the Scranton warehouse who often finds himself playing straightman to his weird coworkers.
Leslie David Baker, Phyllis Smith, Angela Kinsey, Brian Baumgartner, Oscar Nunez, Kate Flannery, Mindy Kaling, Creed Bratton, Ellie Kemper, B.J. Novak, Zach Woods and Paul Lieberstein fill out the cast as the rest of the employees of Dunder-Mifflin, Scranton, each with his or her own set of quirks and hang-ups.
The Office airs on Thursday nights at 9:00 PM on NBC.