The Office

The Office is an American satirical mockumentary television series that airs 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 shot in a single-camera setup, without a studio audience or a laugh track. The presence of the camera is openly acknowledged by the characters.

The Office was adapted for American audiences by executive producer 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 sitcom Committed (which was itself a midseason replacement).93084|1|,00.html Office, Jury Report for NBC Duty in March. Zap2It.com. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.

The original BBC version enjoyed significant success at home and abroad, and won two Golden Globes. NBC then commissioned a U.S. version.84105|1|,00.html The Office Finds Work at NBC. Zap2It (October 16, 2003). Retrieved on August 15, 2008.

The show has completed its fifth season, with the sixth season set to premiere Thursday, 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 the regional manager of the Scranton branch of paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin. Michael Scott briefly left his position as regional manager 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 humour tend to fail. Often, he says things that are inappropriate, offensive, or unwittingly mean in the hopes of getting a laugh. For instance, he objectifies his female employees and holds stereotypical views of black people. However, despite his general air of braggadocio, Michael can be very insecure and spineless when dealing with his staff. 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. Indeed, he seems to have a knack for putting himself and others into awkward situations. 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. Before he was promoted to regional manager he was a great salesman; his promotion put him 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.

Though Michael can be rude, bigoted and insensitive at times, he appears in general to be a sympathetic character because of his general lack of malice and his genuine desire to make people happy and be liked by them.

Pamela "Pam" Morgan 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 "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 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, if any, sense of humor.

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 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. Dwight also likes paintball and Karate"The Fight", The Office Season Two (US/NBC Version), 2006, Los Angeles, CA: Universal Studios. and many weapons. Not much is revealed about Dwight's parents except that his father used to take him hunting, and also that his father battled cancer. Dwight once mentioned that his grandfather fought in WWII and ended up in an Allied Prison Camp.