35 comments

  1. Gabe’s awkwardness made me like the character instantly. Glad he’s a regular now.

  2. So good to hear! I thought he was a great addition to the dynamic, love the actor, and I look forward to this!

  3. So…is Toby done then? Doesn’t make any sense to have both of them, not that it has to necessarily, it is TV.

  4. Toby would not be done because of this. Gabe is the Sabre liason to DM Scranton, not a part of HR.

  5. Yay! That’s awesome, I’ve loved Gabe from the start of the Sabre storyline.

  7. I love the Gabe character and I’m happy for the actor. However, I was sort of hoping that Sabre would be ejected and that David Wallace would somehow be brought back to be in charge. I guess this means Sabre is permanent? Oh well, I’m not really a big fan of the Sabre transition.

  8. I was really happy when the actor came in, I loved him in “In the Loop” where he plays a similar character, and I’m glad we’ll see him more now.

  9. I’m pleased – I really like Gabe/Zach. And I’m in the group that hopes Kathy Bates shows up a few more times next season too – she and Steve are brilliant together. I miss David Wallace, but it seems like Andy Buckley is pretty busy these days and so at least I’ll be seeing him on the big screen! Maybe he can come back as a customer or something. Once “Suck It” gets off the ground he’s going to need lots of office supplies, right?

  13. Gabe might bring some realism and sanity, and he’s actually pretty funny. I really hope Jo doesn’t make any more appearances, though. Kathy Bates is a great actress, but the character serves no comedic purpose at all.

  14. This is great news! The Office writers are at their best when creating new characters. In the original cast, everyone was so well rounded and developed, and yet they can keep adding great characters with such depth like Andy, Erin, Holly, Gabe, Charles, etc. that all have their own individual qualities. Only misses are Pam’s Mom and Karen, IMO.

  15. Oy! Am I the only one who doesn’t enjoy Gabe. Not liking the whole Sabre storyline. I think David Wallace and Jan should team up with some of David’s NYC friends/backers and go after Sabre in covert hostile take over. We need the old gang back, and this would provide many new stories that would have history to them as well. We need to revisit these relationships; their characters have a lot of life left in them and they tie the whole office together.

  16. Yay! i was really hoping they would make Gabe a regular. I haven’t been this happy since ryan started wearing bowties:)

  17. Gabe (Zach) promotion is great news on MANY counts:

    1- NBC, and The Office producers, are positioning the show & cast for a run at Season 8, post Steve & Michael! The Office may be around for years!

    2- Season start, Gabe will become Michael’s new Ryan-type protégé. Turns out, Michael has nothing on Gabe when it comes to crazy mindset!

    3- In mid-season, Jo will promote Michael to some Sabre job, the result of their goodwill talk in the Season 6 finale.

    4- Jim will turn down the Scranton regional mgr.job because it pays less than his sales position. He & Gabe become friends. Jim stays as #2.

    5- Season start, Angela falls hard for Gabe, though Gabe at first is oblivious, then repelled. Naturally, their unlikely pairing leads to a disturbing romance.

    6- Michael grooms Gabe for his job. Strangely enough, unlike Ryan, Michael’s insane business acumen actually makes sense to Gabe, who eats it up. Folie a deux.

    7- Seasons end: Michael leaves, Gabe takes over, Jim is #2, Gabe promotes Dwight to Sabre assistant sales mgr, Gabe proposes to Angela (cliffhanger?), Erin pines for Gabe, Sabre adds two people to the Scranton branch.

  18. Woo hoo! Gabe became one of my favorites this season. He is the most awkward character…LOVE HIM!

  19. So I guess this means the whole Sabre storyline will continue, NOT thrilled about that. No offense to Zach Woods, but I have not been a fan of the Sabre stuff that took place this last season.

  20. Go Gabe! I’ll like him even more if we do see a weird Angela/Gabe relationship like Robert suggested

  21. Not loving this news. I know that oftentimes awkward=funny in The Office, but Gabe just seemed too awkward to be realistic. This also means that the sub-par Sabre plotline is likely to be extended.

    And another thing: @ #17 Robert, do you really want The Office to continue on “for years”? They’re already running low on good material, and if they continue for much longer, it will just become obsolete–especially if Steve Carell is no longer around. They need to start wrapping it up before it loses its charm.

  22. So very happy about this–always got giddy when his character was in a scene–love his weirdness!

  23. Danielle G #19: I agree, the Sabre stuff is boring. But take heart-the real reason for Gabe’s (Zack’s) promotion to full cast reveals a method to the madness. With Gabe as Michael’s protégé, once the two of them start messing with The Office staff, say goodbye Sabre storyline & hello funny new Office.

    Tan #20: The weirdness of the Angela/Gabe relationship will match that of Angela/Dwight. Oh, and look for Pam to become Angela’s romance coach!

    Overkill #21: YES, I do want to see The Office around for years! One of the most talented ensemble casts on TV, dedicated writers, with a soap-opera loyal fanbase. Gabe as the new Michael will shake everything & everyone up. Forget Sabre. Michael will un-Sabre Gabe and Officize him. The Office never became “obsolete” as a comedy, just the Michael character.

    Welcome to The Office renaissance, courtesy of Gabe & the producers. Revitalized storylines, featuring both major & minor characters interacting with new…alliances, story arcs, romances, enemies & friendships.
    Office fans, get ready for Season 7 as Season 1 redux, something Michael would call, “emotionally magnificent”!

  24. Kathy Bates is worth her weight in gold. MORE SABRE!
    Gabe is sooooo realistically goofy! Over educated, no common sense, no backbone. There are probably as many Gabes out there in the business world as there are Michael Scotts. Bravo!!!

    P.S. Enough of the inter-office romances already.

  25. Gabe as a new full cast member is fantastic news, cause it means NBC’s fighting for The Office to stay around in Season 8.
    The Office anchors NBC’s Must See Thursday night comedy lineup. Overall, The Office is NBC’s #1 comedy, winning the choicest demo in its timeslot with a 7.5 Nielsen + Tivo +mobile downloads.
    I suspect that NBC will test Gabe as Michael’s replacement sooner rather than later. With Michael leaving for Sabre HQ, (as Robert #23 suggests), the test episodes will feature just Gabe & The Office regulars, sans Michael. If The Office retains its key demo lead then look for Season 8 with Gabe at the helm. If ratings drop with Gabe, they’ll roll-out Jim as the new Michael. My hunch is that Jim as Michael’s replacement would retain ratings…we’ll see.
    By the way, Michael loves Scranton. But he loves “love” even more. I suspect Michael finds his true love at Sabre corporate HQ. That’s why he accepts a new job at Sabre HQ. Steve (Michael) leaves Scranton for love. Office fans will miss him yet approve his departure, cause as the song says, “the things we do for love.”

  26. Does this mean they’re continuing the Sabre storyline through next season? I was hoping they’d end that, it’s so boring! I love Kathy Bates, but her character is not funny.

    I just hope that adding him doesn’t mean we’ll get less of the other characters. Cause it felt like this season was very light on the supporting cast, especially the first half of the season.

  27. Shannon #26, makes a great point: “Cause it felt like this season was very light on the supporting cast”.
    Season 6 sucked because the supporting cast disappeared, and the Michael, Jim, Dwight, and Pam top-heavy scripts fell flat without any funny support.

    Case in point: Why have the writers shunned Angela Martin, and forbidden her from interacting comedically with anyone else but Dwight? Did she forget to save the oil from the tuna can? Most of her (unfunny) lines in Season 6 were to Dwight about that lame child contract arc. I hope Robert #17 is right & Gabe and Angela hook up. Hey writers, spread the comedy around. Un-shun the supporting cast, esp. Miss Angela Martin!

  28. Add me to the tally under “unhappy with this news.” I was never a fan of the Sabre storyline, and as someone below said, I felt that the supporting cast was FAR under-utilized this past season – if Gabe gets more storylines and screen time over other characters, I will be sorely disappointed. And why is he there all the time, anyway? What is his job? (I know he’s not in HR exactly, but I thought he was just there temporarily to ease the transition between DM Scranton and Sabre.)

  31. 28: Gabe’s job is regional director of sales. The Sabre people probably like having someone “in house” in charge of the Dunder Mifflin sales staff.

    And I’m glad he will be back. He’s so hilariously awkward.

  32. Will Gabe save The Office?
    Fellow TallyHeads, here’s the story…
    The Office began with Steve’s genius anchoring the show, Jenna & John’s inspired office-romance acting, and Rain’s brilliant portrayal of the disturbing yet intriguing Dwight. Added to this, were the top-notch characterizations of the secondary cast.
    By Season 3, the show ran like Emmy-level clockwork. Tick-tock.
    Inevitably, Michael overstayed his welcome, Jim & Pam entered the Dead-Zone of marriage, Dwight went off the deep end, and Dunder-Mifflin went under & became a subsidiary.
    The show’s creative clock stopped. No tick-tock in Season 6. Sure, there were occasionally noteworthy episodes like “Murder,” “The Delivery” and “Niagara.” But even a stopped clock is right twice a day!
    Major characters became too predictable, unfunny, selfish. Minor characters became nothing more than office furniture. Intra-office storylines dried up. Outside life was brought in to revive & re-energize The Office, but ironically, this had the opposite effect.
    Season 7 is Steve’s last & Zach Wood’s first. Who will rescue Jim & Pam from the Dead-Zone, lead Dwight back into the fold, and bring the minor characters back to life?
    Who will wind up The Office clock?

  33. I think a lot of people here are giving Gabe way more importance than the character actually merits. I would bet everything I own that he would never be chosen as a replacement for Michael, should they decide to go in that legacy-destroying route of continuing the show after Steve leaves. He’s a minor supporting player, not the harbinger of a renaissance. And Michelle #27, Angela can be funny without being involved in a relationship. The show’s had more than enough intraoffice romances at this point.

  34. I don’t love the whole Sabre thing, but Gabe is a great character and a great addition to the show. If we have to keep going with the Sabre thing then I’m glad we’ve got Zach as a regular.

  35. I was hoping that there was going to be fresh ideas for Season 7. The inclusion of Gabe as a regular character unfortunately confirms that the writers will continue with the insipid sitcom tendency.

    My constructive criticism is based on how much emphasis the writers put on punchlines, unrealistic plots and very local (cast-related) jokes.

    Previous seasons were characteristic for how much I could relate to the situations presented (office pranks, jealousy, romance, friendships and common interaction). Some episodes where cringe-worthy, or satirical, but always entertaining.

    Now, the episodes are quite weird and the main characters behaviour is simply creepy.

    Please, keep the good work.

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