Whedonesque : Comments on 12221 : NBC Universal confirm that Joss Whedon will direct 'The Office'.

Personally, I've never watched this show, but of course Joss's return to television is something to sing about! Happy New Year, Boss!

MySerenity | January 11, 01:58 CET

Now there's no doubt about Joss own sort of confirmation over here in the Black.

Numfar PTB | January 11, 02:01 CET

I wonder who he'll kill off.

My favorite writer directing an ep of my favorite show. Doesn't get much better than that.

leafblown | January 11, 02:09 CET

That's excellent news. Also whedonesque got mentioned in the story on aint it cool news, with a link to the post by joss. i hope this means that now we can mention the office all we want like veronica mars has gotten around here.

theyarescientists | January 11, 02:12 CET

This is very interesting. Can anybody give me a clue as to how many times will I need to watch this show in order to have a possibility of understanding what is going on when I watch Joss's episode?

newcj | January 11, 02:14 CET

This is good news, but unless the story for the episode is somewhat unique then I don't see how (even) Joss directing can change all that much. It's a mockumentary, in essence, so the story needs to be somehow special to really allow uniqueness in terms of directing.

Now, I've read reports that Ramis contributed to many of the funny of his episode, so while the directing is on par for an ep of the office he got some input in the actual content, so that would be pretty nice if Joss did the same.

Either way, one of my favorite shows on tv (I can't pick one between the Office, Dexter, CSI, Weeds, and Entourage) is now going to host Joss. Good.

Dhoffryn | January 11, 02:19 CET

I feel like I'm in the movie Gaslight (post a post and it disappeared, as did the thread). The remark "Yes people, I am the ideal mate," written by our fearless leader the other day was taken way too literally by silly literal me; i.e. posted in the wrong thread. I am so glad there are sharper posters than I that understand the deep and mysterious ways of Joss. And how did he time that confirmation so well, just a couple days before official news hits the black. I suppose it is not for us to know, no, secret.

Tonya J | January 11, 02:20 CET

newcj, while I (and others) would recommend the show in general, you can probably get situated just by watching clips on the NBC site. The situations/relationships aren't too complicated (Jim/Pam will they or won't they, Michael's ongoing affair with his boss, etc.).

jam2 | January 11, 02:24 CET

He's a tinker isn't he ;).

Well, must confess i'm still not 100% convinced but i'm like that. If it's true then it's good news because there's more Whedon out there in the world which i've observed to be a net positive, just hope as mentioned in the other thread and here that he gets a chance to 'bring the Joss' and has input into the script. If not, well, maybe he can stamp his uniqueness by setting it on the ISS or something, NASA use paper, right ?

(disclaimer: not seen the US one - yet, by the looks of things - so i'm just assuming it's still a paper company, please don't recycle me if i'm wrong ;)

Saje | January 11, 02:31 CET

jam2, let's not forget the strange love affair between Dwight/Angela as well.

Hoppy | January 11, 02:32 CET

squeeeeeeee!!!!!!!

Noclaf | January 11, 02:36 CET

I'm so glad that turned out to be true! I very rarely see sitcoms that I think are as funny as the Jossverse shows, but The Office is truly hilarious.

Now Joss needs a "World's Best Joss" mug. :)

spidermansays | January 11, 02:37 CET

Fantastic news! Really looking forward to this.

I can picture it now, starting with a oner as Michael leaves his condo, drives to work, goes up to The Office, and the episode ends with the epic battle between Dwight and Ed Helms' character (name escapes me right now), along the way losing one employee of the office forever.

Ghost Spike | January 11, 02:37 CET

You know what would make me crazy (or if you prefer squee with hapiness), if somehow they worked a deal to get Joss involved in Scrubs, that's a wacky show that he would be fun with it, with some liberties that Office's mockmentary style would not allow.

I enjoy The Office, but I still prefer Scrubs.

Numfar PTB | January 11, 02:44 CET

Joss directing Michael Scott, Pam, Jim AND Dwight?

Heaven.

I'm not bothered about Joss writing the episode from scratch for this one. The writers on this show know their shit. It's usually tightly done.

ETA: The British version of The Office was great, I thought, but the beauty of the American version -- in my mind -- is it takes the basic concept and builds a universe of stuff around the characters. Yes, it's Americanised: but it's still intelligently done, and funny. It's not like the 94 Red Dwarf US pilots where they didn't understand why the UK version worked.

[ edited by gossi on 2007-01-11 00:50 ]

gossi | January 11, 02:48 CET

I'm sort of with you Tonya J, although I don't have any disappearing posts.

Seriously, Joss directing an episode of a non-Joss show just seems so...out there. I mostly remember his response when someone asked if he was going to write and direct a VM.

I'm one of those sticklers who is too in love with the British version to give the American one the credit it probably deserves. To be fair though I've only seen the first season, which was actually fairly okay, and I've heard it gets much better.

WilliamTheB | January 11, 02:48 CET

This is fan-heaven. Luuurve The Office.

"I wonder who he'll kill off."

Ha, ha, that's good.

Caroline | January 11, 02:51 CET

Right there with ya Caroline! :-D

So, let's speculate: what will Joss have Jim and Pam do to Dwight?!!? :-D

OzLady | January 11, 02:57 CET

I greatly prefer the UK Office to its US counterpart. I prefer Jim to Tim, though. And I prefer Dwight to Gareth. And I think I prefer Pam to Dawn.

Just for the record, I love Steve Carrell, but he can't touch Ricky Gervais.

leafblown | January 11, 03:00 CET

Maybe while Joss is directing he can talk Steve Carell in being Wonder Woman!

embers | January 11, 03:00 CET

Yay! So Joss is in fact the ideal mate!

Let this be a lesson to us all or something...

QuoterGal | January 11, 03:03 CET

Perhaps Joss will have Kevin murder someone with his shredder. Kevin is definitely a character he could do quirky things with, or even get a stranger than strange nerd trio going as an homage.

Tonya J | January 11, 03:05 CET

Joss ain't writing it, so not so much. He might have uncredited tinkering with the script, maybe.

Although, that said, I totally agree Kevin does quirky things. And really can't dance.

gossi | January 11, 03:08 CET

I don't want to bash Kevin, but dang if he can't sing either (though watching/hearing Brian Baumgartner do a karaoke version of You Oughta Know in the recent Christmas episode was effing hysterical).

Tonya J | January 11, 03:15 CET

I can't wait to see what Joss will do with this cast.

Arabchick | January 11, 03:18 CET

And when the dvds come out, Joss does the commentary on his episode! Yes?

lycoming | January 11, 03:20 CET

Well, this is excellent news - but I wonder if we'll even notice, given the mockumentary style of the show is pretty fixed.

crossoverman | January 11, 03:29 CET

I was really excited when I found out about the episode of the US one that Gervais and Merchant, and then in the end I was a little dispointed. I hope this one lives up to the Joss-ness.

If you think about it The Body is sort of the same style as The Office. Almost. Possibly.

Jona | January 11, 03:30 CET

And then Joss will have such a good time that he will say "Dang, I miss TV" and come back with a series!

Lioness | January 11, 03:47 CET

This is great news! I don't watch the Office, but season 1 is in my que. Maybe I should move it up.

Numfar PTB - I would love to see Joss' take on Dr. Akula.

Harmalicious | January 11, 03:59 CET

Whoever said that they wondered who's he's going to kill off, that, my friend, is funny.

This is really fun news. Now I just want to hear he's going to write and direct an ep of Veronica Mars. That would be all kinds of awesome.

Kerec | January 11, 04:10 CET

Wow...this is awesome news!

Gotta say...Ricky Gervais' David is just so annoyingly real in the UK one, whereas Steve Carrell's Michael, is stupid but lovable.

I do kind of love the UK version more tho.

nixygirl | January 11, 04:13 CET

Hmmm. I'm still skeptical: personally, I read Joss's post here as being a tease, not a confirmation. I've not seen the US version of The Office, and I wasn't a fan of the UK one (a single episode was enough for me), but I find it hard to see what Joss would get out of or bring to this.

Unless he did a musical episode...

Kiddo | January 11, 04:20 CET

I was really excited when I found out about the episode of the US one that Gervais and Merchant, and then in the end I was a little dispointed.

Of all the season three episodes, theirs felt a little off... but it was still really great.

If you think about it The Body is sort of the same style as The Office. Almost. Possibly.

And really, in all sorts of ways, not.

crossoverman | January 11, 04:26 CET

What's the betting that the second the episode airs Aintitcool will be buzzing with "Worst... episode... ever" posts?

I'd love to see a Doctor Who episode with special guest director Joss Whedon, but would probably prove a tad expensive. A Veronica Mars would be nice, but he'd have to be quick, I have a horrible feeling that we're coming to the end of that show.

Kiddo said:
"I've not seen the US version of The Office, and I wasn't a fan of the UK one (a single episode was enough for me), but I find it hard to see what Joss would get out of or bring to this."

You should give it a shot, I really don't like the UK version of The Office, and I just cannot stand Ricky Gervais, but rank the US version as one of my favorite shows. I'd recommend you check out season 1, if you still don't like it after the first 6 episodes (skip the 1st if you want, it's just a remake of a British episode) then it's probably not the show for you, but it would be a shame if someone missed out on this show because the original left a bad taste in their mouth.

Ghost Spike | January 11, 04:44 CET

Joss directing a Halloween episode would be even more intriguing, but should be interesting how Joss will put his stamp on this one for February. Maybe the Ghost of Numero Cinco will show up handing out the mail, or the new guy is a vampire, or could be one if he applied himself more. Maybe Namfur will perform the Dance of Converting the Computers to Windows Vista.
Or not.

[ edited by impalergeneral on 2007-01-11 02:55 ]

impalergeneral | January 11, 04:55 CET

Pam and Jim will get together, but then Jim will tragically lose his soul, forcing Pam to kill him.

vampire dan | January 11, 06:27 CET

I can see it now:

"Tonight, on 'The Office'. Kevin dies, Pam discovers mysterious superpowers, and vampire-Jim goes off to Stanford on a quest for redemption. Stay tuned!"

White Knight | January 11, 06:41 CET

This is good timing. One month ago I was still stubbornly resisting my friend's suggestion that I watch this show. I had seen one random episode awhile back and wasn't too impressed, so I was hesistant to try again only to disappoint her. Fast forward to now, I'm completely caught up and completely hooked. Great show, great characters. Glad I gave in.

hacksaway | January 11, 07:27 CET

Whoo hoo! Count me in as one who wasn't too impressed the first time I saw an episode of The Office. But, the more I watched it, the more I understood the characters and thus the humor of the show. When I watched the rerun of the first episode I saw (not the first episode of the series...), I thought it was hysterical! So, now maybe Dwight can get a new Joss bobble head...

jbfletcher | January 11, 07:43 CET

Jim will take away Pam's bucket.

In retaliation, Pam will steal Jim's son, and toss him into a hell dimension, where he will learn to resent his father and the martial arts.

Willowy | January 11, 07:45 CET

er... he won't resent the martial arts. He will learn them. Bad previous post error - forgive me.

Willowy | January 11, 07:48 CET

Metaphorically Joss may do those things. I'm hoping the script for the episode mixes things up like, job switch for a day for instance: Kevin gets Michael's job, Pam becomes Office Manager and fires the snotty woman from the Christmas episode with the competing party and also forces Dwight into a sensitivity-training class, Michael has to be the company janitor, and on and on. Something like that.

Tonya J | January 11, 08:07 CET

I wonder if he'll put the Orb of Thesulah in the jello.

Willowy | January 11, 08:35 CET

Well, it makes sense. Someone has to come in and defeat all the polar bears J.J. Abrams is going to set loose in the episode before Joss'.

There must be some kind of particularly interesting arc coming up that the folks at The Office decided to bring in some very clever writer types to direct. Can't wait for the episode to come out and here's hoping that Joss gets to add a little bit (and maybe kill Karen) in the process!

Small Frye | January 11, 08:52 CET

Can't wait. Can't wait. Can't wait.

On the other hand, Pam's heart could be torn out quite literally while Jim and Karen do a little dance on it, chanting for the senior partners of Dunder Mifflin to bring about the apocalypse. I'm going to hide now.

NaughtyBoozeHound | January 11, 08:58 CET

(and maybe kill Karen)

What's wrong with Karen? Look, as much as I want Jim and Pam to get together, Karen hasn't done anything wrong :-)

crossoverman | January 11, 09:30 CET

Karen's not Pam, just like Riley's not Angel and Ben's not Glory.

NaughtyBoozeHound | January 11, 09:35 CET

Wait a minute, Riley's not Angel ? I always suspected those two weren't connected in some way, this just confirms it.

Think I may have to cave and check out the US one. Which is cool because I was really stuck for what to do with the 15 seconds I have free each day.

Saje | January 11, 13:10 CET

So the Scranton office is part of Wolfram and Hart? It makes sense.

Simon | January 11, 13:18 CET

Harmalicious - I gotta say, Dr. Acula is a Mitch Hedburg joke which Scrubs shamelessly ripped off, making the show both unfunny and evil.

mshecubusisevil | January 11, 13:51 CET

Office tidbits, since I'm not asleep:
- Ryan (BJ Novak), Kelly (Mindy Kaling), and Toby (Paul Lieberstein) all act on the show, and also serve on the writing staff
- Someone already pointed out the Joss => James Gunn => Pam (Jenna Fischer) connection, but there's also this: "Office" manager Steve Carell starred in "The 40 Year Old Virgin," for which Jack Green did the cinematography. He also was the cinematographer on "Serenity," which Joss directed.

I'm sure Joss can have fun with this whether or not he's writing the episode. I wonder if he gets to choose the episode, or if there's a specific timing constraint. I'm also curious to know how he got the gig; if it was just as simple as a phone call asking him or if it's something more.

Arabchick | January 11, 13:58 CET

And then Joss will have such a good time that he will say "Dang, I miss TV" and come back with a series!

My secret wish.

OK. Now it's not a secret.

Damn.

I'm cancelling my class the night his episode airs!

ETA: NBC seems to be seeking us all out. Heroes, The Office, great original shows on Sci-Fi and USA (all with Mutant Enemy alumni working on them), and now JJ Abrams and JOSS directing The Office?

What's the catch?

[ edited by Nebula1400 on 2007-01-11 15:11 ]

Nebula1400 | January 11, 17:07 CET

Awesome. The office is a great show, and I know I'm supposed to be watching to see what stupid thing Dwight or Michael Scott is going to do next but for me it's all about the the Jim & Pam. Watching the way things are going down with them is just fascinating.

The Office is a great show but I'm with Numfar on this one Scrubs is my favorite. One of my friends and I reference it constantly.

war_machine | January 11, 17:17 CET

Not to be overly geeky, but regarding Dr. Acula: actually, Dr. Acula is a character in an old Ed Wood movie, as well as a pen name used by Forrest J. Ackerman starting in the late 1950s. I can't comment on the Mitch Hedberg joke, but I did think it was hilarious when it showed up on Scrubs. I can only imagine the brilliance of a Joss-directed production of J.D.'s screenplay.

[ edited by spidermansays on 2007-01-11 16:50 ]

spidermansays | January 11, 18:45 CET

Well, here's hoping Joss has fun doing this.

It does mean I'm going to have to work out which digital channel shows the American version of The Office, here in the UK though! I didn't much like the British version so I've never sort out the American version. It sounds as though I may be missing out. I just hope the American version has less dizzy-making camera work than British one!

ArielWillow | January 11, 18:57 CET

I think it's on ITV2 ArielWillow (saw a trailer featuring it among other US shows last night) though it'll no doubt appear on terrestrial sooner or later (if it hasn't already).

Saje | January 11, 20:02 CET

Thanks Saje!

ArielWillow | January 11, 20:13 CET

Saje I think ITV2 snatched the rights to The Office from BBC2 so I don't think it will be shown on terresterial TV.

Simon | January 11, 20:27 CET

Oh well, can't say i'm exactly surprised, seems like the Beeb can't hold onto anything anymore (was astonished f'rinstance that BBC2 got 'Heroes', albeit after Sci-fi. I can only imagine the Sky purchasing dude was off sick that day or something).

Saje | January 11, 21:10 CET

Ah! (light bulb goes off in head). I wonder if NBC were waiting to reveal the news at the TCA Winter Press event.

Simon | January 11, 23:15 CET

"Pam and Jim will get together, but then Jim will tragically lose his soul, forcing Pam to kill him."

Wow. This is fanfic that really, desperately needs to be written. God, I'd tune in every week for an Office-Buffy hybrid. It could be an extended version of "Storyteller" - all about the day-to-day mundanities of being a member of the Slayer army. Filing tax returns for 1500. Mr. Pointy in the Jell-o. Hijinks ensue! Call me!

Spoon! | January 16, 16:00 CET

January 11 2007