NBC/ Chris HastonOh, Holly Flax (Amy Ryan), how the Office fans have missed you!
Which is why it gives us great joy to tell you that coexecutive producer Jennifer Celotta is talking about a possible return for Michael's (Steve Carell) lost love. Dare we dream?! Could Michael finally have found his soul mate? And is it possible she'll pull a Jan and return with a—gasp!—bun in the oven?
Even better, we're getting word on when the Pam (Jenna Fischer) and Jim (John Krasinski) wedding may go down, how Dwight is handling the loss of Angela (note: It involves setting fire to stuff) and what Karen (Rashida Jones) will be up to when she returns...
"They're going to start planning their wedding, I can say that," Celotta tells me of über-Office coupling Pam and Jim. Coexecutive producer (Toby!) Paul Lieberstein adds, "We are following Pam and Jim outside [of the office]. I don't think we'll be back in the house, but we will be following them outside."
So will they say "I do" before the current season ends? "We’re not sure," says Celotta. "They’re definitely headed toward a wedding, that’s what we have in our minds, but we don’t know exactly when."
And it won't be all smooth sailing for PB&J. According to Lieberstein, Jim's ex Karen, Rashida Jones, returns for the first half of a two-part episode in March for an episode called "Lecture Circuit" written by Mindy Kaling (Kelly), and it will reunite Karen and Jim's bride to be.
"Michael has been doing well at the office," Paul explains. "And Wallace asks him to go around and talk to some other branches, and one stop is Utica. He has Pam with him as his assistant." Will Karen confront the boyfriend-stealing, now-engaged Pam? "Pam is very nervous and anxious to see Karen, and the storyline deals with that," Lieberstein says.
Meanwhile, it seems like Dwight Schrute is not handling the loss of Angela too well. For The Office's big Super Bowl episode, Dunder Mifflin is in need of a good old-fashioned fire drill, and per usual, Dwight Schrute will take things a smidgen too far. "In an effort to do extreme disaster training, because [Dwight's] frustrated with the way people are responding to him, he sets fire to the office," Lieberstein reveals. "He locks everyone in the office and sets fire to it, and then Michael has to come and cool him down afterward."
So what about the fans' hope that Holly (Amy Ryan) will be back? "There's a strong story for Michael coming up," Celotta teases, revealing that the producers are stalking pursuing Ryan to see if she might return before the season ends. "I don't want to say the storyline," Celotta says. "I like it to be a surprise."
When asked if Holly might pull a Jan and return with a big ol' baby bump, Celotta simply clears her throat.
And OK, chances are they wouldn't go that route again, and Celotta just had a little tiramisu stuck, but still, a tiny Holly/Michael Yoda bambino sure is fun to imagine!
Are you hoping Amy Ryan returns? Or that Jim and Pam tie the knot this season? Holler at the producers in the comments...
—Reporting by Natalie Abrams