“The Office” writers on fake spoilers, iPhones, and sharing

By: Jen Smith
Fancast.com

Any time you can get the entire writing staff of a hit nonsensical comedy like The Office together in a room to answer questions, chances are you’ll get injured. This was what happened to me, a fan/entertainment journalist sent to cover the occasion. Let’s back up a bit. The Paley Center for Media held the first of its new series “Inside the Writers Room” in Beverly Hills on October 14. The whole idea is to host a panel for the fans to come in and ask the questions they’ve just been dying to know.

In attendance are the producers and writers (some of which double as actors), fans, and journalists. It is my job (and the job of the die-hards in the audience, presumably) to bring these questions and answers to the masses. The main speakers were Greg Daniels (Executive Producer), Paul Lieberstein (“Toby” and Co-Executive Producer), Mindy Kaling (“Kelly” and Producer), and Michael Schur (Producer). Also hanging out were a handful of other producers and writers, all of whom are equally hilarious. Sadly, B.J. Novak couldn’t make it… according to Mindy, he’s in rehab right now. Don’t freak out, y’all. She was joking.

Speaking of joking, there was a lot of it going on. I don’t think I stopped smiling the majority of the night. Remember the injury I was complaining about? I pulled a muscle in my lower back after laughing too hard. I’m not even kidding. I wish I were!

Moderating the event was guru of everything The Office, Jennie Tan a.k.a. Tanster from the ultimate fansite www.OfficeTally.com.

Instead of attributing any one specific writer to each answer (because there were, like, a dozen people on that stage all talking at the same time), I’ll just give you a question and its general answer. This answer might be a combination of several different writers’ answers (including my one-on-one interviews), but it will give you all a better idea of what was said without being redundant. I couldn’t fit all of it (that’s what she said) but I included the best stuff, and hope you enjoy it.

Michael is showing a lot of interest in Jan’s baby, even though it’s not his. What’s up with that?

Michael desperately wants kids and misses Jan, but that’s going to be about it for now. But, we’ll find out more about the baby in the coming episodes.

Speaking of Jan, she’s changed quite about for the past year or two. Was that a conscious decision?

Because it’s a mockumentary, we’re trying to find the reality of these characters, but we’re also trying to find comedy. With Jan, we had a bunch of ideas of how her characters can change in different ways and how she could affect Michael in terms of him growing as a person. We’ve had a lot of fun with her character and will have more fun with her character soon.

Will Angela and Andy actually get married? Will Dwight and Angela get caught?

That’s a big fat no comment. But we’re going to keeping it interesting. For instance, some characters might know about Dwight and Angela’s affair, but the audience might not know that those characters know. Phyllis loves planning the parties now, so she’s going to keep that bit of gossip to herself.

Now that Pam and Jim are engaged, were you worried that they might lose their luster?

They’re not Ross and Rachel. They’re their own couple. We admired how spicy Ross and Rachel stayed and how watchable it was, but we don’t want to replicate those moves. We’re always trying to keep it interesting.

When are Holly and Michael going to hook up?

They have great chemistry. They’re both kind of dorks. It’s like how they have trouble mating pandas in the zoo. They’re both cuddly, but sometimes they need help. So, you’ll have to watch and see.

Speaking of hook-ups, is something going to happen with Ryan and Kelly?

Where there was once love, it could always happen again. No door is ever shut, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.

What’s Dunder Mifflin doing for Halloween this year?

Everyone’s got fun costumes on. We talked about some politically-inspired costumes because it’s the last episode before the election, but the closest we got was Oscar dressed as Uncle Sam.

What’s the deal with the spin-off?

We’re currently casting and meeting people, but there are no deals to report yet. It’s a companion piece with a similar tone, but no characters are the same, they’re not in the same state, and it will not have any similar subject matter. The mockumentary form is great for comedy so there’s plenty of room for more on TV.

What’s your secret?

We make a conscious effort to not be funny. Not every second has to be a joke. We believe that the characters are real people, so if they were always happy it would be boring.

Do you think Michael is a little over-the-top sometimes?

We have an index card up on the wall that says “Michael isn’t Homer.” He’s not a cartoon, but they have the same archetype. We’re always trying to figure out who he is through trial and error. But he’s a real man with flaws that make him funny. He’s a little naïve and hopeful. Steve Carell has this instinct about what his character would or wouldn’t do. He’s fluent in Michael Scott.

Have you ever considered a live episode?

Because it’s a documentary style, it wouldn’t work. We wouldn’t be able to have those talking heads. There’s no way it could be pulled off. If we did it, it would end up only being a publicity stunt.

What are the two rules in Paul Lieberstein’s School of Acting?

Don’t laugh and remove the water bottle off the desk.

Was Toby supposed to be creepy?

No.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

As writers, we hate spoilers. We’d prefer if everyone would just watch the show. Sometimes we like to put fake spoilers out there.

Do you have any idea how the show will end?

We already have a couple ideas for the last episode, but it’s hard to know exactly what will happen because we don’t know when it will be.

Last but not least—who came up with “That’s what she said?”

It was B.J,’s idea.

Other points of interest:

-It is definitely a good idea to birth watermelons at work.
-Mindy is addicted to her iPhones.
-There are no immediate plans to bring back Rashida Jones.
-Kelly is Mindy’s alter ego.
-They definitely want to do another Dundees Awards, but they don’t know when.
-They’re looking for someone to fill Jan’s and Ryan’s old job.
-Writers always name their own episodes as their favorites. Selfish bastards.

The other writers in attendance were: Jennifer Celotta, LeeEisenberg, Aaron Shure, Lester Lewis, Brent Forrester, Justin Spitzer, Anthony Farrell, Ryan Koh, and Charlie Grandy.

The Office airs Thursday nights on NBC at 9 p.m. Missed a few episodes? Watch ‘em free on Fancast here!