While The Office has been off the air since 2013, there’s no denying that it was one of the best comedies of the last decade. Here are 10 fun facts about everyone favorite American work-related TV show about paper.
The Office was almost Canceled.
During its first season, NBC was dangerously close to canceling the The Office. TV shows like Skating with Celebrities and Wife Swap were getting higher ratings than The Office, but after the release of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Steve Carell help launch The Office into stardom in the United States.
Rainn Wilson auditioned for Michael Scott.
In 2005, Wilson went into NBC to audition for the role of Michael Scott, but didn’t land the role because he was doing a “terrible Ricky Gervais impersonation” and the producers passed on him for Steve Carell. Fortunately, Rainn Wilson got the role of Dwight Schrute instead.
Parks and Recreation.
Originally, the TV show Parks and Recreation was going to be a spin-off show for The Office with Rashida Jones’ Karen character as the lead. Although the spin-off was scrapped, Jones was still attached to the project as a possible spin-off to keep the project alive.
HBO.
Originally, Greg Daniels developed The Office remake with HBO or FX in mind as its home network. Lucky, it landed on NBC with a wider audience at the time.
The Farm.
The episode “The Farm” in The Office’s final season was supposed to be a backdoor pilot for a new spin-off TV show starring Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute. However, NBC passed on The Farm and the episode was simply another one in a very long final season.
Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey are BFFs.
On The Office, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey play Pam and Angela, respectively. On the TV comedy, their characters are bitter rivals, but in real life the pair are actually best friends.
Some of the writers are actors.
Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, and B.J. Novak are writers on The Office. They also play Kelly, Toby, and Ryan, respectively. Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, and John Krasinski have written and directed episodes on occasion.
Alternate Actors.
Adam Scott audition for Jim, while Mary Lynn Rajskub auditioned for Pam and Modern Family’s Eric Stonestreet almost played Kevin. The Office fun facts indeed.
The Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
The fictional Dunder Mifflin, INC. Paper Company is actually a member of the real-life Scranton Chamber of Commerce in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Real First Names.
Phyllis Smith plays Phyllis Lapin-Vance. Angela Kinsey plays Angela Martin. Oscar Nunez plays Oscar Martinez. and Creed Bratton plays Creed Bratton. Yes, Creed Bratton is his real name!!