The Office

The Office is an American mockumentary comedy television series that broadcasts on NBC and is developed by Greg Daniels. An adaptation of the BBC series The Office, the series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. To simulate the look of an actual documentary, it is filmed in a single-camera setup, without a studio audience or a laugh track. The presence of the camera is often acknowledged explicitly by the characters.

The Office was adapted for American audiences by executive producer Greg Daniels, a veteran writer for Saturday Night Live, King of the Hill, Rugrats and The Simpsons. The creators of the original BBC series, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, have production credits, and also co-wrote the season three episode, "The Convict". It is co-produced by Daniels's Deedle-Dee Productions, and Reveille Productions, in association with NBC Universal Television Studios. The show debuted on NBC as a midseason replacement on March 24, 2005, replacing the situation comedy Committed (which was itself a mid-season replacement).

The original BBC version enjoyed significant success in the UK and abroad, and won two Golden Globes. NBC then commissioned a U.S. version.

The Office is currently one of NBC's best rated shows, and consistently delivers a very high 18-49 demographic rating.

Repeats of The Office are also broadcast in syndications, notably on TBS and Fox-owned stations in the US, on the Comedy Network in Canada, and also on Comedy Central and ITV4 in the United Kingdom.

The sixth season premiered on September 17, 2009 at 9:00 PM ET.

Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, is currently the co-manager of the Scranton branch of paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin. Prior to being co-manager, he was the regional manager of the branch, but on the September 24th, 2009 episode "The Meeting", he was made co-manager with Jim. In the fifth season, Michael Scott briefly left his position to start his own company, The Michael Scott Paper Company. Dunder Mifflin purchased the Michael Scott Paper Company in an episode that aired on April 23, 2009 and as part of the agreement rehired Scott as the regional manager.

Michael insists everyone in the office think of him as a friend first, a boss second, and "probably an entertainer third", as did David Brent in the original version. Michael holds inflated views of himself and considers himself an office comedian, but his attempts at humor tend to fail. Often, he says things that are inappropriate, offensive, or unwittingly mean in the hopes of getting a laugh. He lacks maturity and self-awareness, has few friends, and is quite lonely, made worse because his efforts to make friends with people usually backfire. Michael will resort to any means possible to make himself the center of attention, and often takes credit for the successes of others. His subordinates, with the exception of Dwight Schrute, think of him as inept, and several of them remark that they get their work done when Michael is distracted.

Michael wasn't always an incompetent employee at Dunder Mifflin. Before he was promoted to regional manager he was a great salesman, able to relate well with clients and using his personable attitude to his advantage. However, his promotion put him into a position above his level of competence, making him an embodiment of the Peter Principle.Newman, Rick (March 13, 2008). "What to Do With a Boss Like Michael Scott". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved November 3, 2008.

Pamela "Pam" Morgan Halpert (née Beesly) is a fictional character on the U.S. television sitcom The Office, played by Jenna Fischer. Her counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Dawn Tinsley.

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James Duncan "Jim" Halpert is a fictional character in the United States version of the television sitcom The Office, played by John Krasinski. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office. The character is named after a childhood friend of executive producer Greg Daniels.Wolgemuth, Liz (2008-03-24, "Breaking Out of the First-Job Trap". U.S. News & World Report. 144 (9):56-58 (accessed on 2008-08-23)

Dwight Kurt Schrute III is a fictional character on NBC's The Office portrayed by Rainn Wilson. His counterpart in the original UK version of The Office is Gareth Keenan.

Dwight is the top salesman for the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and has won numerous awards for his successes, despite lacking social skills and common sense."Traveling Salesman", The Office Season Three (US/NBC Version), 2007, Los Angeles, CA: Universal Studios. Additionally, despite his personal dislike of Jim Halpert, the two have been shown to be a very effective sales team. Dwight's ability as a salesman, though, has rarely commanded the respect of his peers or led to higher levels of professional success.

He is a physically imposing man at http://www.celebheights.com/s/Rainn-Wilson-46985.html with little sense of humor, a hunger for authority (however meager it may be), and a gullible nature that often makes him the target of pranks, primarily at the hands of Jim Halpert. Despite his severe naivety, he is very knowledgeable on a wide range of topics including bears, beets, and Battlestar Galactica.

In an episode commentary on the season-one DVD, Wilson refers to Dwight as a "fascist nerd". In a featurette on the season-three DVD, Wilson describes Dwight as "someone who does not hate the system, but has a deep and abiding love for it"."The Office Season Three", (DVD) (US/NBC Version), 2007, Los Angeles, CA: Universal Studios.

Dwight is a former volunteer sheriff. He has been trained in the art of surveillance. He enjoys Battlestar Galactica, the Harry Potter franchise, The Lord of the Rings, The Crow, Star Wars, Lost, Survivor, and 24. Dwight lives on his family's beet farm, in a nine bedroom farmhouse (with one bathroom), with his cousin Mose (played by producer/writer Michael Schur), where they grow table beets."Initiation", The Office Season Three (US/NBC Version), 2008, Los Angeles, CA: Universal Studios. Dwight also likes paintball, survivalism, Karate"The Fight", The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version), 2006, Los Angeles, CA: Universal Studios. and many weapons. He drives a 1987 Pontiac Trans Am.

Not much is revealed about Dwight's parents except that his father used to take him hunting, and also that his father battled obesity, high blood pressure, and cancer. Dwight once mentioned that his grandfather fought in WWII and ended up in an Allied Prison Camp , implying he was a soldier in the German army.