Spoilers for the Office Season 4

Since its debut in 2005, The Office has seen a steady rise in fans and viewers. The fourth season was supposed to be the culmination of all of the show's success. Twenty-five total episodes, including five hour-long ones, were ordered before the season began. Unfortunately, due to the well-publicized writer's strike, only nine have aired thus far.

Now that a deal has been struck and the strike is over, The Office is set to return with new episodes once more. The first of these new episodes will air on April 10^th, followed by five more new episodes, with the finale being hour-long. A far cry from twenty-five episodes, no doubt, but some is better than none.

While details on the remaining episodes are scarce, a few rumors have surfaced onto the internet. A slight warning before I begin. Although many of these rumors are small and some are more fact than rumor, I still don't want to spoil the show for anyone who doesn't want to be spoiled. So readers beware. And as an added disclaimer, I should add that I got these rumors by scouring the internet and did not make them up myself.

The first concerns the general plot of the episode airing on April 10^th. The plot of the episode will follow a dinner party held by Michael and Jan. The twist? Only Pam and Jim show up even though everyone was invited. As part of this episode was filmed before the strike began, this is more of a fact than rumor. All accounts related to the episode label it as hilarious and chock full of the trademark awkwardness often seen in The Office

Another rumor going around the internet is that the episode following the dinner party will leap into the future five months. This move makes sense and falls in line with The Office's timeframe style. Season openers for The Office always jump ahead a few months to make up for the months without new episodes, keeping the show in virtually the same timeframe as real life. It will be interesting how the five-month time jump, if true, plays into future episodes. Especially considering how dicey Jan and Michael's relationship was by the end of "The Deposition."

It also seems like Karen might be coming back for one more episode this season. Before the strike began, Rashida Jones, the actress who plays Karen, was slated to be in at least one more episode in season four. Whether that still is true or not is up in the air. Truth be told, Karen played her role on the show to the end and it is hard to imagine a good reason for her to return again.

That's it for now. I truly wish I had something more substantial to offer, but at this point The Office hasn't had episodes filmed or written so it is pretty hard to find leaks on the new episodes. I'll put any new information/rumors out there as soon as it pours out. Until then, be happy. One of the better shows on television is coming back!