Well, new to producing The Office, but definitely not new to the show itself. :)
Some of you noticed a list of new producers in the opening credits of last week’s episode, New Guys — yes, The Office’s very own Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Ed Helms, and Rainn Wilson!
I asked Jenna about this, and here’s what she said:
Yes, we have all been promoted to producers and that will be the case for the entire season.
We will be working closely with the writers to develop the episodes. A few of the things we do are: listen to and pitch story ideas, read and review story outlines before they go to script, and stay after our table reads to discuss the script with the writers.
John and I have been particularly involved in developing the Jim/Pam arc for the season. So we hope you like it!
Greg Daniels oversees all of the creative direction of the show and our amazing writers bring it all to life. We feel privileged to be a small part of the process!
Wow, I am so excited to hear this, particularly for the Jim/Pam story. How about y’all?
I think it’s awesome. These guys know their characters well after all these years, so who better to bring on? I’m super optimistic!
It’s about time they asked the actors who have been playing these characters for eight seasons for their input. Both could have helped avoid some of the wrong turns taken in recent seasons (i.e. Jim acts like an idiot and gets flustered.)
Great news! Congrats to Jenna, John, Ed and Rainn!
Holy crap. This is so cool. And this is also why the show is different from other shows on television. From the get go, there was always so much collaboration. Writers, producers, directors, actors– everyone kind of does everything. And I think that’s why the show works. I LOVE that Jenna & John get to work on what’s happening with their own characters. I trust them!!
They should make Brian Baumgartner a “producer,” too. Then maybe he can add some input into HIS character, so that “Kevin Malone” won’t be written as such a clueless, drooling moron.
That’s awesome! I can’t wait to see where Jim and Pam’s storyline takes them! Hopefully hand in hand out the doors of Dunder Mifflin onto a new life with their family.
That is such great news! I have complete faith in both John and Jenna to complete the Jim/Pam love story with a very real ending. I think it’s very cool this show values the actors like that. I do agree with the Kevin character and hopefully they will tone him down.
The actors on this show have had input on story and character for a long time. The notion that these new producer credits are a major change is inaccurate; it sounds like an way to keep the core cast invested in this final season and tie the story in what is (for everyone but Ed Helms) the conclusion of a decade-long journey. Plus, it was the right time to do this when Mindy left to run her Fox show and BJ left to join her there.
I think it’s great they are using Jenna and John’s input for the Pam/Jim arc. Now we will know who to blame if we do not like it :)
Pam/Jim are the heart of the Office and I look forward to how they see their characters play out this season.
I agree Bob (#5)- Brian is soooo good and feel they are wasting his talent playing Kevin.
Anyone can play a buffoon…where Brian and the previous writers excelled was using a subtle touch (TWSS).
#8 I disagree with you. The actors may have given their opinion about how their characters were written, but they did not have the authority to really change things. Now I believe if something doesn’t “feel” right they can change it. They definitely have more of a voice.
i noticed that jenna and ed were listed as the producers in last week’s episode! i was like “*points emphatically at TV* HEY! HEY THEY’RE PRODUCERS!”
I’m guessing the deal is something like —
Before:
“I really don’t think Jim would do that in this situation. Here’s what I think he would do.”
“Maybe, but, well, we need this for the gag to work.”
After:
“I really don’t think Jim would do that in this situation. Here’s what I think he would do.”
“Alright, let’s try to figure out a new gag, then.”
Simplified, of course, but you get the picture.
There may be some creative input, but the Producer credits for these actors is probably more about getting a bigger slice of the money pie.