March 24, 2005
Thursdays at 9 p.m. EST on NBC.
Seasons 1-4 are available on DVD.
Based on the popular British series of the same name, The Office is a documentary-style comedy that follows the everyday lives of workers at the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Oblivious boss Michael Scott oversees a crew that includes sycophantic weirdo Dwight Schrute, star-crossed lovers Pam Beesly and Jim Halpert and young wiz kid Ryan Howard.
NBC premiered The Office as a midseason replacement in 2005, with a first season consisting of only six episodes. First-season ratings were low, but the show returned the following year to steadily increasing viewership thanks to its strong popularity in online downloads and video streaming, as well as star Steve Carell’s success in the movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Since then, the show has become a pop-culture mainstay and one of the most popular sitcoms on TV, winning the 2006 Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series and anchoring NBC’s Thursday-night comedy lineup.
Steve Carell as Michael Scott
John Krasinski as Jim Halpert
Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly
Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute
B.J. Novak as Ryan Howard
Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson
Ed Helms as Andy Bernard
Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson
Brian Baumgartner as Kevin Malone
Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer
Mindy Kaling as Kelly Kapoor
Angela Kinsey as Angela Martin
Paul Lieberstein as Toby Flenderson
Oscar Nuñez as Oscar Martinez
Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Lapin
Creed Bratton as Creed Bratton
Craig Robinson as Darryl Philpin
Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant created the original British series; The Office was developed for American TV and is executive-produced by Greg Daniels, whose past credits include The Simpsons and King of the Hill. A number of series cast members, including B.J. Novak, Mindy Kaling, Steve Carell and Paul Lieberstein, also serve as writers for the show.
