Question: I sense that NBC has gone off in a very different direction as well. Parks and Rec, of course, will continue, but you had a very specific tone and it seems like NBC’s sort of gone off in a different direction now, obviously, and that you’re yesterday’s flavor to a certain extent. Do you ever feel that all?
Greg Daniels: We never had an expectation of big success when we started it. You remember this, John? When we did the pilot we were just so excited to all get together and to do this type of work with other comedy people who loved the same type of thing. And the writers and the cast…
John Krasinski: Yeah, I remember every week being told that this would be our last episode, and unfortunately we weren’t going to keep going. I remember saying, “Is there any way I could get a DVD of this to show my mom, because this is definitely the best thing I’ve ever done.” And I was happy with that, and I actually still have that DVD. So for us, it was just like we were in the best regional theater group in the world. We just thought no one was necessarily paying attention, but we were having a blast.
Greg Daniels: Yeah, and then every time we hit any kind of milestone, like the pickup for the first season or pickup for the Season 2, or to get to after the Super Bowl…
John Krasinski: …we were like, “What? We’re going to get a whole season?”
Greg Daniels: Yeah, there was always a feeling that we were pulling something over the NBC Executives, I guess.
Jennie Tan: Hi, Greg and John. How are you guys?
John Krasinski: Hello.
Jennie Tan: Hi. First of all, that’s great news that there’s still hope for supersizing the finale, so very happy to hear that, and…
John Krasinski: I know…
Greg Daniels: Yep…
John Krasinski: …I was happy to hear that, Greg…
Greg Daniels: …and thank you for raising tens of thousands of signatures.
Jennie Tan: Yes, we’re almost at 20,000 signatures, so I’m…
John Krasinski: That’s amazing.
Jennie Tan: …super excited. And John, speaking of commercials from the previous question, you know one of my favorite…
John Krasinski: Oh, God.
Jennie Tan: …commercials that you were in…
John Krasinski: Oh, God.
Jennie Tan: …was for Kodak.
This was great. Thank you! Going home to watch some old eps after work now!
Awesome! Thanks!
Ah, that 27 seconds of silence felt ground-breaking to me. Too much good stuff from this show.
Great great stuff! I feel however that I should curl into the fetal position on the floor imagining the empty office! :(
[from tanster: yeah. that was heartbreaking to hear.]
Great stuff! I always love cast/writer/director interviews! I’ve blocked out my entire day on May 16th! ;) haha!
Seeing their favorite episodes mentioned you can tell how magical Season 2 was. To this day I go back and watch chunks of it at a time.
The show had such a great knack for laugh-out-loud silliness grounded with legitimate drama – which it sorely misses these days.
One of the greatest seasons of scripted comedy tv ever.
Any hope for audio?
What a bummer to think the office is now empty :(
They should totally auction off some of the set props like they did after Seinfeld ended!!
I don’t know how to describe this feeling. Many shows of GREAT quality, greater quality, have come and gone with sadness at the departure.
This however, is truly a hollow feeling. I feel like the beat of my heart is echoing inside me because truly the one thing that my wife and I have shared from our first date till now, is over.
I feel the loss so potently. I’m your average white collar corporate type. 28yrs old. Would never know me as some kind of TV guy. Not like Stanley and his “mystery stories” or Kelly and her “Glee”
The office wasn’t my Seinfeld or sopranos, it was my date night. My dinner infront of the TV night. My cuddle with my wife and laugh night. The office is my funny bone and much like a funny bone, when it hurts, it’s not funny. I’m pained by the loss but appreciative. I only wish NBC would have given the office the lifespan of Law and Order SVU. Alas, I guess America likes Rape and pedophiles more than Oscar and the Senator or Angela and her Cats.
Goodbye my lover, goodbye my friend, you have been the one, you have been the one for me..
Oh gosh. Yeah, that last part was heartbreaking.
I realize this is an entirely unrelated thing to post, but now that I know Greg is so fond of lurking and reading the comments, I’m going for it:
Mr. Daniels, I was going through a box of old college paperwork a couple weeks ago and found one of my annual financial aid statements from a certain women’s college in the Pioneer Valley. I noticed a line item I’d never seen before and did some research on the name. And long story short, tell your parents thanks from a random fangirl for helping to make me the first out of seven kids to go to college. I’ll try to keep repaying the debt by buying DVD sets or something. :)
Now, the relevant stuff:
I really want to know where the Homer doll and Pam’s drawing of the building went! When I watch re-runs now, I keep finding myself wondering where certain things ended up. Like, there’s this sad little part of me that really wants Brian Baumgartner to have that blown-up photo of Michael and Jan at Sandals in a basement rec room.
See you all in Scranton this weekend. :)
I think a small piece of me died when I read that the set is already torn down. :(
The Office and its fantastic characters will live forever in my heart (and on my dvd shelf).
Nicely said gentleman.