This would have been the worst 15–minute work break ever.
John Krasinski has revealed that the beloved sitcom couple Jim and Pam could have ended up just Jim. Can you imagine a TV world without this I heart you forever marriage? The show could have ended with fans crying tears as big as Niagara Falls.
The love story between the two characters may have been tested with a betrayal in their relationship if Krasinski (Jim) didn't refuse to do one life-altering scene, according to Brian Baumgartner's new tell-all book, Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office, obtained by E! News.
The book reveals that the show's creator, Greg Daniels, proposed an idea to have Jim cheat on his dream girl in season eight.
The original "After Hours" script had Pam (Jenna Fischer) on maternity leave and her replacement Cathy (Lindsey Broad) goes with Jim on a work trip to Florida. "During a business trip to Florida, Cathy makes up an excuse to spend time in Jim's hotel room, and the sexual tension is pretty apparent," per the book. "According to John, there was talk that maybe Jim would go too far and actually have an affair with her."
Krasinski read that Jim and his temp co-worker make out in a hotel room, and he closed that door right away.
Krasinski recalled, "That's the only time I remember putting my foot down. 'Cause [Greg] was saying, 'You're going to actually make out with her in this scene.' I remember saying things that I never thought I'd say before, like, ‘I'm not going to shoot it.'"
He added, "I remember saying to Greg, 'My feeling is there is a threshold with which you can push our audience. They are so dedicated. we have shown such great respect to them. But there's a moment where if you push them too far, they'll never come back. And I think that if you show Jim cheating, they'll never come back.'"
The problem arose after Daniels suggested they needed a good Pam-Jim storyline, per the book. Krasinski said he chimed in, "I think we should get borderline separated, and I think we can do it and then come back," adding the creator was "on board."
Thank goodness Krasinski didn't say "I do" to this scene.
E! News reached out to reps for Krasinski, Baumgartner and Daniels for comment but didn't hear back.
The Office, which originally aired from 2005-2013, is now streaming on Peacock. Relive our favorite episodes of The Office below.
This episode of The Office shines as each character gets to showcase one of the games that they play around the office, inspiring Jim and Pam to create an Olympics tournament of their own.
And when Michael tears up after getting a medal for closing on his condo, well, we tear up, too.
Just like how Pam can feel God in this Chili's, we feel nothing but happy feelings when watching "The Dundies" and seeing all of our favorites come together for their office's version of an award show.
While there are plenty of hilarious moments in this episode, the heartwarming part we watch over and over is when Michael (who has just had a bad day after going to Ryan's business school) shows up to Pam's art show and falls in love with her drawing of the office.
"That is our building, and we sell paper."
From Michael burning his foot on a grill to Dwight becoming friendly after a concussion, this episode's humor is peak nostalgia for the series.
Spoiler alert: A lot of these episodes are Jim and Pam heavy.
And can you blame us? Their relationship was the heart of the show, and "Casino Night" was the episode where we finally saw the two act on their feelings for one another when they kissed for the first time.
Yes, Jim and Pam are the couple goals of the show, but it was touching to finally see Michael find his soulmate in the series, especially when his proposal with a room full of candles was the sweetest thing to see.
The ring that cost three years of his salary didn't hurt, either.
Who would have ever thought a gas station proposal could be so romantic? Seeing Jim and Pam get engaged was one of the highlights of the series, and it gives us a fuzzy feeling anytime we rewatch the touching moment.
While Jim's Plan A was to marry Pam a long, long time ago, we always can count on watching this two-parter episode to cheer us up.
From Pam and Jim getting married on Niagara Falls to the entire office dancing down the aisle, it's an episode that reminds us why this show is one of our absolute favorites.
Nine million, nine hundred eighty six thousand minutes of Michael Scott being the branch manager at Dunder Mifflin was still too short for us, but this episode that sends off Steve Carell's character couldn't have been any more precious.
It's hard to tie up a show, especially one as beloved as The Office, but we feel that the finale truly did an amazing job and fills us with warmth whenever we replay it.
Seeing Dwight and Angela get married, enjoying the brief return of Michael and spying Ryan and Kelly running away together brought the show full circle and reminds us that life is beautiful and everything will work out fine.
(E! and Peacock are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)