With Andy stepping up as the new regional manager on 'The Office' (Thu., 9PM ET on NBC), we're getting the opportunity to get deeper into him as a character. This week, that was through a garden party he threw -- at Schrute Farms! -- to try and make his father proud of him.

Stephen Collins and Dee Wallace played his parents, joined by Josh Groban as his younger, and clearly favored brother. He even got the namesake from the father, rather than the eldest son! It became a lot more clear why Andy's so insecure and acts out ... and even had such rage issues when we first met him.

'7th Heaven' star Stephen Collins is heading to 'The Office.' Collins, known to many as Rev. Eric Camden after his 11 years on 'Heaven,' will play Andy's father.

Collins made the announcement on his Twitter account. "Doing "The Office" this week. Ridiculously fun & talented group, including @Rainnwilson who I worked w/in his 1st job in '89 in the Park," he tweeted.

According to Entertainment Weekly, 'ET' actress Dee Wallace will play Andy's mother. Look for Wallace and Collins to appear in an October episode.

'The Office' returns to NBC on Sept. 22 at 9PM.

In other casting news ...

I was pretty down on Sons & Daughters last week, mainly because they aired two fairly laugh-free half-hours that were also short on the dramatic touches that have made this show one of the more unique programs on TV. But Fred Goss and company have come roaring back with two fine and funny episodes this week, each revolving around a singular event in the Walker extended family.

The "Hospital Visit" referenced by episode one's title occurs after some normal family strife and an argument with Cameron about her separation sends Colleen to the hospital with chest pains.  So all of a sudden, people that were being driven nuts by Colleen's passive aggression -- like Sharon, maybe? -- all of a sudden talk about what a saint she was. "I mean, when we came home from school, she'd have food for us to eat, and the power was always on..." Sharon says with a straight face. But the big event is that Colleen and Wendal, who can still bring in the buxom young bartenders, get back together after he rushes to her side.

For two guys who have never written for TV before, Fred Goss and Nick Holly are off to a fast start. Their new ABC comedy, Sons & Daughters, which airs Tuesdays at 9 ET, has been universally praised by critics (including me), and the first two episodes gave the network better ratings than it's had in that timeslot.

Goss, who also stars on the show as Cameron Walker, mostly had acting and editing credits before this project, most notably on the Bravo comedy Significant Others. Holly, believe it or not, was a literary agent who partnered with Goss to create this and other pilots. As they pitched their ideas around, demand for their services increased; an ABC executive actually pitched them the idea for this show, for instance.

There's a good reason for that, though: the show's improvisational style and realistic extended family dynamic have hit a nerve with everyone... including Arrested Development fans, of which Goss seems to be very aware. The AD issue and others came up last Friday as the two spoke to me by phone from their office in Los Angeles.