Fall TV: The Office

Beginning on September 257^th, The Office, now in its fourth season will be returning to NBC on Thursday nights. A one-hour premiere will air that evening at 9/8C. The Office, a comedy based on the British series, The Office has been nominated for 9 Emmys, including Best Comedy, Best Actor (Steve Carrell, who plays Michael, the Boss), Best Supporting Actor (Rainn Wilson, who plays Dwight), Best Supporting Actress (Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam).

The Office is a documentary style comedy that looks into the comedic nature of the 9 to 5 workplace. In its poignant portrayal of the quirks of office life, The Office plays upon the foibles of all the office characters (e.g. the supercilious boss, who believes not only is he the world's best boss, but is a God to comedy; the brown noser, who sucks up to the boss; the office oddball, the office alcoholic, the office homosexual, the office minority, the arrogant and quirky assistant and the irritating human resources personnel). If you have ever worked in an office, The Office is sure to hit your funny bone, taking simple scenarios and stretching them to the max, often going overboard and one notch higher than you could possibly imagine. Filled with un-political correctness, this is the office of your worst nightmares.

Somehow Michael, the racist/sexist boss who alternates between being so pathetic you have to turn your head to keep from watching the horror taking place before you (like when he interrupted Phyllis' wedding last year to proclaim them man and wife before the minister was even done), and likeable when he somehow does one ounce of work and lands the company, Dunder Miflin huge accounts, or helps one of his employees out in a personal and touching way (often without even realizing it). These redeeming qualities and the fact that most of the employees at Dunder Miflin are just comfortable enough in their job to not think of leaving despite their boss's oddities help keep the laughs rolling and the stomach clenching-because-you-are-laughing-too-hard one liners going.

In this last season, the workers at The Office faced threat of losing the Scranton branch, Pam and Roy's engagement being called off (because of Pam's feelings for Jim and the realization that Roy is not the guy for her), Roy's near attack of Jim when Dwight broke out his pepper spray and knocked out nearly the entire office with his defense of Jim, Michael's relationship with his boss Jan and its turn to some weird S&M undertones, the temp Ryan getting Jan's job after she was fired, Jim's transfer to Connecticut and then back again to Scranton when the Connecticut branch was dissolved by the Scranton one and his new girlfriend, Karen, another salesperson who comes to Scranton with him, Dwight and Angela dating and becoming less careful about their feelings for each other around the office and finally, Pam and Jim both sorting through their feelings for one another throughout the season.

It will be exciting to see what stints odd ball Dwight Schrute will devise in this next season, and what will happen with his nemesis, Andy, who recently returned from anger management. My predictions are that there will be a lot more Dwight this season as he is a beloved character by audiences, despite his wackiness (which really is his charm). Perhaps he and Angela step up their relationship a notch. It would be funny to see their relationship become more sexual and we got a glimpse of their sexual sides in the episode where Angela chained herself in a hotel room to wait for Dwight while he was at a paper convention downstairs. This would add new dimensions to both characters. Are there wedding bells for them in the future? Or will the coming out of their relationship ruin it for Angela, who seems to get off on the fact that no one knows about it?

Michael is sure to continue to surprise viewers with his absurd and pathetic comments and off-beat management style, and it will be curious to see how his relationship with his boss Jan continues or if he will be strong enough to break free from her S&M obsessive personality. What PC boundaries will Michael continue to cross (he has already covered African Americans, Mexicans, homosexuals, and sexual harassment-perhaps he will venture into religion this season)? How far will the unstable Jan go now that she has lost her job? Will she take on some of Michael's personality traits and become obsessed with him like he was with her? Or are Jan's weird mood swings attributed to something else, like pregnancy?

Even more interesting will be suggestion that the office temp, Ryan, was offered a corporate position and will be overseeing Michael's office. Viewers were left with the impression that Ryan got the job that Jim and Karen (his current girlfriend) applied for. How will Kelly (Ryan's sweet but annoying teenager style talking girlfriend) handle him breaking up with her? Will she become enraged and change into an obsessed lunatic, calling Ryan repeatedly throughout the work day, or even worse, showing up at his front door? What weird twist of fate will occur to make the two somehow end up back in the same office again? Ryan just can't seem to get rid of Kelly-maybe she will get a job at corporate and continue to haunt him?

The season finale left watchers titillated with the much anticipated sparking romance between Pam (the receptionist) and Jim (a salesman), where Jim finally gained enough courage to ask Pam out on a date. The pair have been skirting around their growing attraction the last 3 years, and audiences have been left on the edge of their seat each time the two seem to get to a point where they just might get together. It will be interesting to see if and how their relationship evolves past friendship and if this will ruin some of the best tension the show has to offer. What will happen to Karen if the two do become a couple? If she and Jim break up, who in the office will she pair up with? Perhaps she too leaves for corporate and there is some coupling in that office. Do Jim and Pam perhaps realize they are better off as friends and then Jim and Karen get back together, realizing that they are a stable couple?

What will happen with Creed? His character has been developing this past season and fans seem to like his eccentric all for me personality. Is there a relationship for him in the works on the show? Will Toby, the HR person's character continue to develop? At Phyllis' wedding we saw his girlfriend catch the bouquet and run to kiss him. Or will he end up with another character in the office? He did have the hots for Pam during this season as well.

Hopefully The Office does not let us down and we can see at least some of the loose ties tied up. This season is sure to be even better than the last if it continues with the zaniness that seems to get progressively worse (better) each season. Tune in on Sept. 27^th!