The Office Spinoff, or how to ruin a good show
By fred | April 3, 2008
As mentioned earlier, The Office is getting a spinoff, and I’m sure some will like that news while others will hate it. And I’ve previously said, I’m the the later group, I think this is a freaking stupid idea, but really I’m not surprised, because it’s coming from NBC and that douche-Silverman, so really, what did you expect ?
Here’s a hint, though, to show you how stupid and bad this will be : they want to make a spinoff from The Office, because it’s a popular show and they’re sure there’s lots of money to be made there. And that, is their idea. It doesn’t come from an actual idea, from the creative department, from writers who thought of doing something else, something more, of expanding the show or anything like that, not even close.
In fact, they had that “idea” over a year ago, and ever since they’ve been trying to come up with something, anything. A plot for the show, an idea of what it’ll be like, or about, or who will be the main character(s), but they have nothing. Over a year now, and they have nothing but a blank page. And do not trust Silverman when he’s trying to reassure you that the original show won’t be affected, lying about how “it will be from the same show runner as the Office mothership… We want to make sure it is what we want it to be and in no way damages the mothership. We will only bring it to market if it’s up to the quality we want“.
Seriously, can you read that and not laugh ? Because I can’t. Of course it will hurt the mothership you moron, you are going to use its name to promote a show that is very likely to suck balls. Not only that, but you will also rip it out of some of its characters, and I’m pretty sure that’s not helping in any way. Yes, Silverman said it was “very likely” that actors from the show would move over to the new spinoff, so get ready to loose some people !
Don’t let them fool you with that “quality we want” crap, because they saw such quality in last year’s Bionic Woman while everyone else saw how crappy it was, and meanwhile they didn’t see quality in Journeyman while there was obviously some. And I say that while not being a fan of the show, but I don’t need to be a fan to see that there were quality in that show, in the writing, in the acting, everywhere. Just like it was missing in Bionic Woman, and I’m not really holding my breath when it comes to Knight Rider (I’ve seen the movie!), or this new spinoff…
Not so long ago NBC was proud to announce that they wouldn’t order pilots no more, but directly go for 13 episodes orders of selected series in which they believed in. Now tell me, how exactly can you believe in a series, how can you see any potential for a show when all you know about it is that it will be a spinoff from some other show, and that’s it ?
You can’t. You’re obviously lying and see a potential as in “that other one is a hit, we’ll use the same people and call it about the same, it should make us some money as well”.
Silverman & co really have no idea what quality means. He never liked Scrubs, he doesn’t care for Friday Night Lights, he’s not a fan of 30 Rock, he just see that those shows can bring in some money so he’s pretending to love them. Until the ratings fall and then you can forget about it.
I don’t know if that new spinoff will be about management, following Ryan, or the warehouse, or even another branch that could follow Karen (Rashida Jones) now that Unhitched is dead, or Jane in her new adventures, but it just doesn’t feel good. I just hope it won’t be about the accounting staff or anything that would really deeply hurt the show. Not to say I wouldn’t miss Ryan, but it’s not like he was around a lot these days.
Take out Angela, Jam, or Dwight, and you’re basically ruining the show completely. And coming from Silverman, I could see him explaining how this is a great idea, you know, quality-wise…
Posted in News
Shows: The Office
The writing and the chemistry of the cast of The Office I doubt will be rivaled in the spinoff, but I hope they can pull it off.