Fie on the Office Wedding

Jim Halpert illustrates 'the worst purgatory of 30-something life'

(NEWSER) - The Office has turned from funny and charming to the most depressing show on television, and it’s all thanks to once-beloved character Jim Halpert. “The show has taken the story of a man with a promising future and given him an interminable present,” writes Meghan Keane for The Awl . But wait: Didn’t Jim get married and promoted? Yes, but the former development showed Jim has no real friends—and the latter, that he's lousy at his job. More»

Why NBC should pull the plug

(NEWSER) - Sure, sure, The Office is still funny, but it’s becoming increasingly obvious that it’s running out of steam, and should just close up shop when Steve Carell departs. “You can sense a weariness and desperation setting in,” writes Matt Zoller Seitz on Salon . “Are we seeing yet another example of network TV's factory mentality (26 episodes a year, series run extended indefinitely) squeezing the vitality and focus from a once-great show?” More»

Long-awaited Office proposal cost big bucks and required huge rain machines

(NEWSER) - Jim’s proposal to Pam at a gas station rest stop may have looked spur-of-the-moment, but a top creative on The Office says it took weeks of planning and high-tech special effects. To create the 52-second scene, the production team built a replica of a rest stop on Merritt Parkway and brought in huge rain machines—for a whopping $250,000 shot, executive producer Greg Daniels tells the Washington Post. More»

How about Ricky Gervais to replace Steve Carell?

(NEWSER) - The Office without Steve Carell as boss might be unthinkable, but think we must. Who could possibly replace him? The Week rounds up five possibilities:

• Ricky Gervais: He's the boss from the original British version, and he's "inherently meaner" as an actor, which could be fun, writes Christopher Rosen at the New York Observer .

Sitcom star will depart after upcoming season

(NEWSER) - Ending weeks of speculation , Steve Carell has confirmed that he'll leave The Office when his contract expires at the end of the 2010-2011 season. "I just think it's time," the sitcom star tells E! "When I first signed on I had a contract for seven seasons, and this coming year is my seventh. I just thought it was time for my character to go." More»