Q. Did you write a scenario where Jim really did go to NYC just to see if it clicked, or were you always intent on bringing him back to Scranton? | Long Tim
Charlie: We always intended to have Jim turn around.
Q. What made you decide to have Jim turn around? I think it was a good decision (for Jim) but I’m VERY ready to see some Jim/Pam interaction … I was actually getting excited that they would FINALLY see each other!! When will they see each other again?? | lovinJAM
Charlie:
- Jim trusts Pam implicitly.
- I’m not sure I’m allowed to say when or if Jim and Pam see each other again.
Q. In the scene where Jim is driving to New York, where was this shot? There were signs that pointed to the Interstate and New York. Does your props team make interstate signs as well? | MikeU
Charlie: I think Greg sent a guy to Scranton at the beginning of the season to get a bunch of footage like that. The sign he actually shot was for I-95. Our crew changed it to 80 in post production. Very impressive.
Q. Was is in the plans all along to bring Roy back in some capacity. Any chance we might be seeing him again? | Kath
Charlie: The writing staff is always trying to think of realistic ways to bring Roy back. Roy’s such a great character and David Denman is such a fantastic actor, I was really lucky to have him in my episode.
Q. When we saw the black and white camera in the elevator–was that supposed to mean that the camera crew installed hidden cameras after they had been locked out by Holly? | kip
Charlie: Those were pre-existing security cameras independent from the doc crew.
Q. Did you come up with the “that’s what she said” line or was it a group effort? That by far might have been the best one to date! | andyroke
Charlie: That was my line. In high school, I had a teacher who hit us on the head with a squeaky toy gavel when we said stupid things. I thought it would be funny for Michael to have one. The line just came from that.
This was so interesting! Thanks, Tanster! I am crossing my fingers to see the Kelly scene on the Season 5 dvd set also. However, “I don’t know when or IF Jim and Pam see each other again” just doesn’t sound good to me. Oh well. I trust those writers! Thanks again!
I got my question answered!
Tanster: Thanks for arranging this yet again. You’re amazing!
It’s great to hear a little bit about what goes on behind the scenes.
Great Q & A! I was really wondering why Kelly was wearing that crazy hat and red outfit.
Thanks, Tanster and Charlie! It’s wonderful that “The Office” is so kind and generous to their fans!
Tanster…it’s d’awesome that the writers make themselves available to you (and us!) to answer questions. I think that fans of The Office are an intelligent bunch and we really appreciate the behind-the-scenes glimpse these Q&A’s give us. To hear, right from the horse’s mouth, about how certain scenes were shot, why one line was chosen over another, and what goes into putting an episode together is very much appreciated. Thanks to you and Charlie!
Thanks Tanster and Charlie! That was fun to read. What a great day to start off my morning!
Wow – that was great. Thanks for doing this tanster, and Charlie! I feel like I get to know the show I love on a different level. Too cool!
Second time asking –
Do you know if Charlie Grandy is Fred Grandy’s son from “The Love Boat”?
Love this Q&A’s – keep em coming
Thanks Charlie! Thanks, Tanster! This is like the best thing ever. Keep it going; I’m starting to develop a dependency on it.
I always enjoy these Q&A’s, but they may have been the most informative and interesting to read of them all. It’s like getting the DVD commentary a year early!
Yay Charlie! Thanks for answering so many great questions! I would’ve loved to have seen Kelly’s TH about driving Ryan wild with lust. It makes me laugh just thinking of how that would’ve gone.
Thanks for answering my question! The only thing that confused me though is how using the camera would be a crutch. If it’s a documentary, it would be perfectly acceptable for the people to acknowledge the camera being there.
GREAT interview!
Thanks, Charlie, for taking the time to answer our questions!
It’s always a fun treat to read these. Thanks muchly!
I love this episode, so it’s great to receive these wonderful insights into how it was written.
Thank you so very much for making it possible for us to get such amazing behind-the-scenes details. This has become my favorite part of officetally! I’m always blown away by the willingness of the writers to make themselves available to the fans this way. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
God, I friggin’ love these. Thanks tanster and Charlie!
Thank you so much for this!
Those are always so interesting to read!
This season is so good so far! I can’t wait for the next episodes!
This episode was awesome! Thank you Tanster!!
Welcome to our little kingdom, Charlie. Always fun to read insight and get clarification ($5000 deductible! Yes, I can finally sleep tonight!)
Thank you to the writers (and Tanster) for taking the time to talk to fans in this way. It’s appreciated so much!! We know how busy you are and the fact that you take the time out to do this is awesome.
Thank you so much.
I can appreciate how tough it is for a new writer to enter an established writing dynamic. And I just have to say: what a great addition Charlie Grandy makes. Without knowing the “behind-the-scenes” of it all, I would never have guessed it was his first episode for the show. It felt “in” that Universe, filled with tiny details that spoke of thorough knowledge of these characters and this world, and just plain hysterical.
Thank you again for answering the questions and for the episode itself.
-6- jbklover:
A simple Wikipedia search of “Fred Grandy” yields the answer that he does, indeed, have a son named Charlie.
Thanks for the great Q & A — and thanks, Powers That Be — for being so loyal and connected with your fans!
Fascinating, as always! This episode has got to be one of my all-time favorites. Thank you for the Q&A, Charlie and tanster! I can’t tell you how grateful I am for these behind-the-scenes peeks at my beloved show.
Thanks Charlie and Tanster!
This was a GREAT Q&A. Very funny, very informative, all around just awesome. And thank you for answering my (somewhat random) question! It made my day AND I’m doing my first NaNoWriMo novel (a comedy) this year…so knowing what other writers do will help.
Thanks Charlie and Tanster!
Wow, it sounds like this episode could have been an hour long. It’s too bad they had to cut so much out. It sounds like it could have been even funnier. Not that it wasn’t, just, you know, more.
I would love to see all the Ryan/Kelly stuff we missed! I still want to know what the other phrases were that he came up with for C.R.I.M.E. A.I.D…
An enormous thank you to Charlie and Tanster for gifting us with this special Q&A interview. Being able to read about the creative process and behind-the-scenes working of my favorite show adds an entire new dimension to my enjoyment. Never before have I felt so emotionally invested in a show, and the content and spirit of this website has a direct relationship to that. I may not comment often, but I am reading avidly! :-)
He answered my question! Thanks Charlie! And thanks Tanster for this awesome website!
Yay, my question got answered! Thanks Tanster and Charlie!
Woo my question was answered! Thanks so much Tanster and Charlie!
Thank you so much Charlie Grandy and Office Tally! This was such a favorite episode, and I love these generous behind the scenes looks at the creative process he gave us. So much talent and devotion goes into each show, and we get to Q&A with the amazing writers about it. Are we lucky or what? Thanks!
Hooray! My question was answered! What a great Q&A. Really helps me understand everything better. :)
thanks Charlie for answering our questions!!!
I actually feel so warm and fuzzy inside cos my question got answered. Made my day- Thank you so much Tanster and Charlie
I don’t know why, but I just could not stop laughing after the mistaken-Springsteen-songs bit. Tracy Chapman, Fast Car. Awesome.