bj novak

TBS is adding The Office into its repertoire of nightly comedy reruns starting this fall. There aren't a whole lot of details yet, like whether the net is going to be running all three seasons, and how many episodes will air each week.

TBS prides itself on its evening comedy line-ups and I have to admit that I often get sucked in to watching some of my favorite episodes of Family Guy, Seinfeld and Friends. I can definitely see myself doing that with reruns of The Office, too. The net also plays reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens, and Sex and the City. Even though I don't particularly like those last three shows, it's nice to see The Office joining their ranks as classic comedies.

Fox-owned stations will also get to start playing The Office reruns during local access starting fall of 2009.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant must be thrilled. Syndication can make some big money for them.

**UPDATE: TBS also bought My Name is Earl. Reruns start in fall 2009.

We all know B.J. Novak as Ryan Howard on The Office (he's also a writer and associate producer on the series). However, long before that, he was sharpening his comedic skills on the unsuspecting patrons of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

Give Me My Remote has the scoop, straight from Novak's MySpace: while in high school B.J. and his brother decided to swipe the cassettes used for audio tours at the museum and replace them with their own tour, complete with Chinese music and everything (the tapes were for the Chinese art exhibit). The boys recruited fifteen of their friends to sneakily replace the regular cassettes with the new ones, thus giving museum goers a tour unlike any other.

You can download the Novaks' audio tour via iTunes by clicking here. Trust me, it's worth it. This is one of the funniest things I've heard in a long time.

There are reportedly two versions of The Office season finale-- one where Karen leaves and one where she stays. The reason isn't so much about storytelling as it is about the uncertain future of Rashida Jones, who plays Karen. She starred in a pilot called The Rules for Starting Over for Fox and now is waiting to see whether it's being picked up. Kristen over at E! Online says it's a good chance Fox will pick up the comedy. We'll know what happens on May 17th when Fox reveals its fall schedule.

Soapbox time: I'd like to see Karen go. I like Rashida Jones, but it feels like her character is doing nothing but treading water these days. With Karen gone, there's even more of a reason for tension between Jim and Pam because they will have to decide whether to act on the opportunity to hook up. If Karen stays, I'm fine with that too, but I hope something juicy happens in the season finale to spice up her relationship with Jim and her coworkers.

Do you want Karen back next season on The Office?

[Thanks, Chris W.!]

Welcome to TV Squad Lists (formerly 'The Five'), a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

I'm bored with The Office right now. Now, don't interpret that as "I hate the show"... because I don't. I think it is one of the best shows on television, but it has hit a plateau and needs to be stirred up a bit to get interesting again. Last Thursday, I found it to be the second-to-least funny of NBC's comedy line-up (Scrubs was the least funny with the random, meaningless killing of a cast member).

I think the main problem is that The Office is a little too close to real life right now. And let's face it: real life is boring. Office life in particular isn't interesting, and The Office has to walk a fine line between realism and entertainment. Lately, I think, The Office hasn't so much walked that line as it has stepped on both sides of it.

During last week's episode of The Office, Michael and Andy sang an... um... interesting rendition of John Mayer's "Your Body Is A Wonderland" to their new Benihana girlfriends. Of course, the show had to get the rights to the song before they could use it. Knowing that his work would be goofed on, John Mayer initially declined to have the song used on the program, one of his favorites. He later reconsidered, after he got some more information from producer BJ Novak... and asked for a Dundie.

Well, it worked, and John Mayer is now a Dundie winner ("Tallest Music Dude"). That was a pretty clever move! Not only did he get his work on one of his favorite shows, but he also made his way into the annals of Dundie history. Nice work, Mayer. I commend you.

If you're like me, you're waking up with a major hangover today. It has nothing to do with the elections and everything to do with Britney and K-Fed's divorce. Like, OMG! I totally thought they'd last 4EVER!

To brighten your day, I have a video mash-up for you. It's The Office meets Justin Timberlake's SexyBack. It brings a whole new meaning to the song, which was just 'okay' in my book until I saw the video. It's mostly Dwight and Michael, with a little Jim sprinkled in (the one who's really bringing sexy back!). Next time I hear that song on the radio, I'll be rocking out in my car with some Michael Scott dance moves! Look for me on a freeway near you.

Video is after the jump:

NBC is really getting the hang of this whole internet thing. On top of making much of its schedule available for viewing and for sale, the network will also stream a special edition of this Thursday's episode of The Office. NBC is calling it a "producer's cut", which is basically a different version of the show with extra scenes and whatnot. It will be available for viewing starting at 9 pm (Eastern) on NBC.com-- right after The Office airs.

This is a smart move on NBC's part. It's like a DVD extra that is available right after you see the movie! Of course, deleted scenes on DVDs tend to be disappointing (there's a reason they're deleted!) but hopefully this will be worth the hype.

Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam on NBC's The Office, has taken over weekly blogging duties at TV Guide. She replaces B.J. Novak, a very witty writer who probably didn't have the time to write the blog, write the show, and play the role of Ryan each week. Obviously, Jenna's writing style is different from B.J.'s, but it still provides interesting behind-the-scenes information about the show. For example, she writes a bit about how she and the other gals from the cast go to lunch, where they usually see paparazzi but never have their pictures taken. And, the guys on the show have an on-going video game tournament during down-time. She says that John Krasinski, who plays the lovable Jim on the show, is the best at video games. Hopefully Jenna provides more tidbits about John because there are some of us who have a crush on him.

[Thanks for the tip, Doc!]

Best:

5. CBS Sunday Morning  If you don't watch this, you should. It's old-school television news at its best with in-depth news stories, and lots and lots about the arts. Plus, the original "moment of zen" at the end.
4. The Daily Show  A good way to blow off steam when the news of the day is really getting you down.
3. The Office  This show really came into its own this season, and I just adore all the characters.
2. My Name is Earl  Always good for a one-liner.
1. Lost  They mess with our heads. And we like it!

Worst:

5. Night Stalker  I couldn't even stomach the first episode of this new show. Sad, because I had such high hopes for it.
4. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition  Too much showmanship, fabricated content (i.e., who can we get to build this house?), and way too much product placement.
3. Britney & Kevin: Chaotic  Quite possibly the most useless piece of crap to air this year.
2. Desperate Housewives  That's right. I can't stand this show. Too many open plotlines that don't interest me at all.
1. Saturday Night Live  It hasn't been funny in years. Except for that Narnia rap everyone is talking about.