Comments on: Got questions for ‘The Office’ writers panel?

By: Sean

Sean — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:44:11 +0000

Has Michael heard the good news about Toby’s broken neck?

Sean from Nebraska

By: Stacey

Stacey — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:26:21 +0000

Oh, sorry Tanster! That would be Stacey from Centreville, Virginia! =p

By: Stacey

Stacey — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 04:24:46 +0000

Hey Office writers! Hey Tanster!!

Just one question that’s been on my mind for awhile (and this is for any of the writers, in a perfect world I’d like to know each of their responses):

Can you possibly sum up this experience? What has it meant for you as a creative person to be a part of something so iconic to the American people?

By: Sora

Sora — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:36:26 +0000

Sorry, one more question, from Washington, DC:

For those writers who keep blogs or MySpaces, especially Mindy, will you be updating those soon because us fans would really like that?

Thanks!

By: Alison

Alison — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 01:07:10 +0000

@ 156 Jessica and 159 Michelle Someone asked Greg that question at the Writers Block panel at The Convention. He acknowledged the confusion, but says he thinks Pam started first based on Jim's talking head in The Client's deleted scenes. You can watch him say that at around 6:27 here: Link Have fun at Paley, Tanster!!

By: Rebecca from IL

Rebecca from IL — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:40:05 +0000

Here’s a question for the writers that I’ve wondered about for a long time:

Do you ever get tired of being asked: “How much of what we see on-air is just the actors improvising?” Is it a compliment, like the dialogue seems so natural, or an insult, like the implication is that if it’s funny, it must have been the actors idea?

Rebecca from IL

By: Emma

Emma — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:09:46 +0000

By far, who was your favorite guest star or recurring minor character?
Thanks!
Emma from Long Island, NY

By: Dana

Dana — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:49:06 +0000

They may get this question often but I never feel like I’ve gotten a satisfying answer: is the idea of Stephen Colbert playing Gould still viable over there? Because I literally think that would be the best and funniest thing I have ever seen. They actually NEED to do that. Are they going to do it, or is it just an idea they play around with?

By: Carly

Carly — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:43:47 +0000

This is for Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg:
How did you get your career start (big break) as writers?

From Carly in Jacksonville, FL.

By: JAMforever

JAMforever — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:46:48 +0000

Did the timing of the writers strike change the direction of how you took the Jim/Pam story-line? In what way?
-Phoebe from NYC

GOOD LUCK TANSTER!

By: KC

KC — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:37:40 +0000

Approximately how much time does it take to write an episode? Has this time line varied from season to season (recognizing that Season One was derived primarily from its British counterpart)? What is the most considerable constraint faced in terms of writing an average episode?

Good luck with your preparation tomorrow Tanster. It cannot be easy to find new ground that hasn’t been covered in other panels or in the excellent episode Q&As with the writers that you provide.

By: DrunkBiking

DrunkBiking — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:23:49 +0000

Who among the writers has the weirdest taste in snacks?

Edward from Texas

By: Stefanie

Stefanie — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:16:29 +0000

One more!

Stefanie in Illinois:

In a perfect world, The Office would never end and there would always be that same band of crazies in Scranton. Alas, someday (far from now, I hope!), this fantastic show will have to come to an end. Do you as writers know how the show will end (a ‘master plan story arch,’ if you will), and if so, is it difficult to pace the show to reach that end?

By: Anna

Anna — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:14:14 +0000

Will you please please pretty pretty please ask them if we’ll ever get to see another Dundies Award?
/Anna, Sweden

By: Stefanie

Stefanie — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 21:12:26 +0000

Stefanie from Illinois:

It has been said that there is always extra footage left on the editing room floor that usually turns into deleted scenes on the season DVD or available online. Do you as writers enjoy the half-hour format, or would you rather be writing for a full hour of The Office?

By: Angela

Angela — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:40:17 +0000

I loved the inclusion of Kendall, the H.R. rep that David Wallace hates, in the latest episode. I hate him too! Is David Wallace a good boss surrounded by idiots, or a diabolical genius who hires people who are bad at their job to make him look better?

-Angela from Tampa

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:39:36 +0000

Woops, forgot to put Wendy from Atlanta in message below. Sorry!

By: Wendy

Wendy — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:37:59 +0000

Do you ever read “Office” related message boards after an episode to see how fans reacted to the show? If so, does fan reaction ever influence the direction of the show?

By: berry

berry — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:25:14 +0000

from berry in Annapolis, MD

Jennifer and Mindy,

What is it like being the only woman writers? Is it weird? Are there things the guys do where you both are like “how could they do that!” Or is it all pretty balanced in retrospect?

By: Michelle

Michelle — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 19:25:11 +0000

I just want to say that I think Jessica’s (156) question is really good… I knew I wanted to ask the same thing, but completely forgot what I was going to ask, haha