NBC, LegoNBC Universal execs Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff just took the stage here at the TV Critics Press Tour, and they were just bursting at the seams with scoop about The Office spinoff. OK, not really, but I know many of you fellow Office die-hards are also hanging onto every word when it comes to the Dunder-verse (as am I), and there were some solid revelations, so here we go...
The newly announced Amy Poehler show will not be an Office spinoff, but they are still working on an Office spinoff.
A little confusing, yes, but based on what the NBC suits said, the just-announced project with Amy Poehler is not a fork of an Office story; it exists as a stand-alone, but it will have a similar tone and style, since it comes from the same writer-producers. At the same time, the execs and writers are also working on an Office spinoff, which will come from the world of Dunder Mifflin.
Silverman told us that because of Poehler's pregnancy, the Untitled Amy Poehler Non-Spinoff Show might not premiere after the Super Bowl as previously planned. March looks like a more plausible date for the launch of that series. However, it is possible that the other series from Team Greg Daniels (the Office spinoff) will air in that post-Super Bowl berth.
Ben Silverman seemed to intimate at one point that Human Giant guy and newly hired Office-verse actor Aziz Ansari may guest in a few eps of The Office, Scranton Edition, before becoming the seed character of a new Office installment.
Rashida Jones does still have a contract with NBC Universal and she, Poehler and Ansari should be considered the newest members of the Greg Daniels Players. Where and when Rashida will pop up remains to be seen.
And that's all they said (and perhaps know) for the time being. I asked Silverman after the panel when Greg and fellow executive producer Mike Schur might be able to talk about The Office Non-Spinoff and he told me: "As soon as they are ready! You know, Greg lives and breathes—he's on the blogs, he's reading all about everything about the show and what goes on inside the show—so he's really in tune to the fans. He really wants to try to seed [the information] out and build excitement over time. So I'm letting them manage and control [the reveals]. They do want a couple more of the cast in place, so they can lay it out, but they do have a specific idea [about the show], and I will let them tell you...and it does not take place in Scranton."
So what do you think? Will you watch both new series if they happen? Do you fear the fractioning of the staff might damage the original? Your comments are my command..
—Additional reporting by Jennifer Godwin