dunder mifflin

Sheesh. You'd think that winning an Emmy would buy a cast some time off. Not so for the crew over at Dunder Mifflin. Michael has been covering the webisode mystery since July. But that isn't all that NBC had the cast up to this summer. While clicking around Comcast's On Demand service today I came across the NBC fall preview. Between promos for their various shows, there were eight little scenes from The Office. Everyone gets to play, but the focus is mostly on Dwight, Pam, and Jim. If you are a fan of the show, you will enjoy it. I'll not spoil it for you by quoting, but there are some classic Dwight lines. And thanks to the power of the internet, you won't even need Comcast to see it. Watch the video, sans previews, after the jump.

I would have to say "yes."

Now, there are differences, of course, between the two shows, but I think in terms of the writing, the cast (the entire cast), and the watercooler buzz factor that has been building, I would say that The Office is the closest thing to Seinfeld that we have on the air right now.

As Verne Gay at Newsday says, it's not nearly Seinfeld in terms of ratings. In fact, there's a danger that it will become what another critically-acclaimed comedy became:

"In even blunter terms, is The Office the next Seinfeld or the next Arrested Development, yet another joyous, original, brilliant, and yes, ignored TV comedy? This may be one of the most important questions in TV entertainment at the moment ..."

I think it's safer than AD, if only because NBC isn't FOX, and they understand buzz and have stronger shows to surround it to keep it afloat.

[via TV Tattle]

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!]