The Office (American TV series) season 1

The first season of the American television comedy The Office premiered in the United States on NBC on March 24, 2005, concluded on April 26, 2005, and consists of six episodes. The Office is an American adaptation of the British TV series, and is presented in a mockumentary format, portraying the daily lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictitious Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. The season stars Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and B. J. Novak.

This season introduced the main characters, and established the general plot, which revolves around Michael Scott (Carell), regional manager of the Scranton branch office, trying to convince the filmmakers of the documentary that he presides over a happy, well-running office. Meanwhile, sales rep Jim Halpert (Krasinski) finds methods to undermine his cube-mate, Dwight Schrute (Wilson); receptionist Pam Beesly (Fischer) tries to deal with Michael's insensitivities and flubs; and temporary employee Ryan Howard (Novak) is acting mostly as an observer of the insanity around him.

The first season of The Office aired on Tuesdays in the United States at 9:30 p.m. The season debuted to high numbers and garnered moderately positive reviews from critics, aside from the pilot, which received mixed reviews. While some enjoyed the pilot, others opined that it was a mere copy of the original British version. Universal Studios Home Entertainment released the season in a single DVD on August 16, 2005. The DVD contained all six episodes, along with commentaries from creators, writers, actors, and directors on most of the episodes, as well as deleted scenes from all of the episodes.

Production

The first season of the show was produced by Reveille Productions and Deedle-Dee Productions, both in association with NBC Universal Television Studios. The show is based on the British comedy series of the same name, which was created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant for the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). This season was produced by Greg Daniels, along with consulting producers Larry Wilmore and Lester Lewis. Writers for the season included Daniels, Gervais, Merchant, Michael Schur, Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, and B. J. Novak. For this season, Schur was a co-producer, Kaling was a staff writer, Lieberstein was a consulting producer, and Novak was an executive story editor. Though Daniels is credited as a writer for "Pilot", the majority of the episode was adapted from "Downsize" of the British series, with many scenes being transferred almost verbatim.

The first season featured episodes directed by five different directors: Ken Kwapis directed "Pilot" and "Diversity Day", Ken Whittingham directed "Health Care", Bryan Gordon directed "The Alliance", Amy Heckerling directed "Hot Girl", and Daniels both produced and directed "Basketball". This season of The Office was almost entirely filmed in an actual office building in Los Angeles, California. Footage of Scranton, Pennsylvania, taken by John Krasinski was also used in the opening theme.

Cast

The Office employed an ensemble cast. Most of the main characters, and some supporting ones, are based on characters from the British version of The Office. While these characters normally have the same attitudes and perceptions as their British counterparts, the roles have been redesigned to better fit the American show. The show featured a large cast size, many of whom were known for their improvisational work.

Main

• Steve Carell as Michael Scott, regional manager of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton Branch. Loosely based on David Brent, Gervais' character in the British version, Scott is a dim-witted and lonely man, who attempts to win friends as the office comedian, usually making himself look bad in the process.
• Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, who, based upon Gareth Keenan, is the assistant to the regional manager, although the character frequently intentionally omits the "to the" in his title.
• John Krasinski as Jim Halpert, a sales representative and prankster, who is based upon Tim Canterbury, and has a crush on Pam Beesly, the receptionist.
• Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly, a receptionist based on Dawn Tinsley, is shy, but is often a cohort with Jim in his pranks on Dwight.
• B. J. Novak as Ryan Howard, a temporary worker.

Recurring

• Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson-Gould, vice president of regional sales.
• David Denman as Roy Anderson, a warehouse worker and Pam's fiancé.
• Leslie David Baker as Stanley Hudson, a grumpy salesman.
• Brian Baumgartner as Kevin Malone, a dim-witted accountant.
• Creed Bratton as Creed Bratton, the office's strange quality assurance officer.
• Kate Flannery as Meredith Palmer, the promiscuous supplier relations rep.
• Mindy Kaling as Kelly Kapoor, the pop-culture obsessed customer service representative.
• Angela Kinsey as Angela Martin, a judgemental accountant, who also serves as Dwight's love interest.
• Paul Lieberstein as Toby Flenderson, the sad-eyed human resources representative.
• Oscar Nunez as Oscar Martinez, an intelligent accountant.
• Craig Robinson as Darryl Philbin, the warehouse manager.
• Phyllis Smith as Phyllis Lapin, a motherly saleswoman.
• Devon Abner as Devon White, a supplier relations representative.

Notable guests

• Toby Huss as the voice of Todd Packer, a rude and offensive traveling salesman, and Michael's best friend.
• Larry Wilmore as Mr. Brown, a consultant who arrives to teach the office about tolerance and diversity.
• Patrice O'Neal as Lonny Collins, a warehouse worker.
• Amy Adams as Katy Moore, a handbag saleswoman.

Broadcast and reception

Ratings

The first episode of The Office scored well in ratings, gaining over eleven million viewers, as well as ranking third in its timeslot on the night of its airing. However the episode aired on a Thursday evening, and between the change from the first episode and the second episode, The Office moved to Tuesday evenings. The Office subsequently tumbled in the ratings, averaging under 6.0 million viewers, just over half that of the previous episode. The first-season finale, "Hot Girl", received one of the lowest ratings in the show's history, earning just a 2.2 rating with a 10 share. After the lackluster reception of the episode, many critics erroneously predicted that "Hot Girl" would also serve as the de facto series finale. The Office averaged 5.4 million viewers for its entire season, ranking it #102 for the 2004–2005 U.S. television season.

Reviews

The series premiere, "Pilot", received largely mixed reviews from critics. After the first episodes, critics thought The Office would be another failed remake of a British comedy, much like how the American version of Coupling was in relation to the original British series. The Deseret Morning News believed The Office was a failed remake, and said "Maybe, after The Office dies a quick death on NBC, the network will decide that trying to Americanize British TV comedies isn't such a great idea." The New York Daily News said the show was "neither daring nor funny", adding that "NBC's version is so diluted there's little left but muddy water". The Los Angeles Times complained that Steve Carell, who portrays Scott and also appeared in the movie ', was "too cartoon" and said: "Lost in translation is the sadness behind the characters."