The Office to become one-hour show?

Monday, April 30th, 2007

CNNMoney.com posted an article today on NBC Universal CEO Jeff Zucker. Toward the end of the second page of the article is an intriguing tidbit about The Office:

At NBC’s “upfront” presentation to advertisers on May 14, Zucker says he expects NBC to unveil five new programs — three dramas, one comedy, and one reality show — for its fall schedule. Zucker and Reilly are considering stretching The Office to an hour and canceling the original Law & Order.

Link: Life imitates TV

Tipster: Luke

Posted in News

134 comments

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how many minutes of commerical in a 1 hr. program
134 | vivian Mon. Jul. 28, 2008 at 1:18pm
[from tanster: use punctuation and re-post. thanks!]
133 | j Thu. May. 3, 2007 at 2:48pm
this would be AWESOME. ideally i would like 45 minutes including commercials, but more time is better than less! Some of the more recent episodes, like “Safety Training” and “Product Recall,” seemed really really short.
132 | Andy + Dwight=Aight Wed. May. 2, 2007 at 2:40pm
125-”I dont think its a great idea developing Creed, Meredith, & Stanley & co. because that just adds to the already large list of characters to keep track of.”

Actually the only characters that are truly developed are Michael, Jim, Pam, and Dwight. A show like LOST is so brilliantly done because the audience has in-depth knowledge about each character.

Obviously The Office is a different format than LOST, but comedies have in-depth characters as well (all 6 Friends characters were highly developed).

I think a lot of us would agree that seeing Jim’s apartment, Dwight’s farm, Pam’s art show, and Michael’s improv class add a lot to the story. I would PAY the writers to have them script an episode about Creed - where he lives, hobbies, family members, etc.
131 | 30% Frontal Attack Wed. May. 2, 2007 at 9:31am
Extending The Office to one hour would be a stellar move. The show seems to produce enough content to fill an hour, hence all the left over deleted scenes that cannot make it into the 21 minutes that they have in the 30 minute slot. The time extension would allow for more awkward pauses, more story development and character flavor. It will also maintain the show’s realism. There have been some deleted scenes posted on NBC.com that I couldn’t believe were axed. (A deleted scene from “Safety Training” comes to mind). They are sometimes just as funny, if not funnier than what the producers edited into the aired episode, and would have lent more value to the full view of the storyline. I can only guess that they had to chop them for lack of time. One hour should would allow all this Jammy, Michael Scott, Dwighty goodness, and I would be in bliss for one full hour each week.

And also - an extra 30 minutes of John Krasinski, Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson and Jenna Fischer would make my week. :-) I hope we have some good news at the NBC Upfronts.
130 | Debi Wed. May. 2, 2007 at 7:10am
attn: 120 DrunkBiking i would hope for a three hour block of comedy move ER to another time and either bring back Andy Barker PI or get a new comedy but this is just wishful speaking
129 | j Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 8:22pm
i hope they don’t cancel law and order but i hope they make the office an hour
128 | j Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 8:18pm
124- well, Ugly Betty comes to mind. Or Freaks and Greeks (which was great). Of course these are more dramedys than sitcoms…but The Office is less a sitcom than it is a dramedy, so it’s perfect.

Jeff Zucker: make our collective dreams come true and we will follow you to the moon and back.
127 | Spud Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 8:17pm
I would love if the Office was an hour long! 1/2 hour is too short, (20 minutes without commercials).
126 | I Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 7:35pm
At first my reaction was heck yeah! But now I’m worried that it may be too much of a good thing. I love this show and don’t want to get burned out by it.
125 | amanda Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 7:34pm
IT’d be great to be able to see an hour of The Office every week, but the formula they have now is gold. I dont think its a great idea developing Creed, Meredith, & Stanley & co. because that just adds to the already large list of characters to keep track of. Their consistant characters provide comic relief at perfect times. I think NBC should stay the course w/ The Office & spend some time developing new shows.
124 | Dwight Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 7:27pm
WOW - could they really do that?

has there ever been a one hour comedy in the history of television??
123 | Corporate Booty Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 6:21pm
Drop Karen and get Pam with Jim and each episode can be 15 minutes. Not really, just drop Karen.
122 | Bears Beets Battlestar Galactica Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 4:17pm
Attn: Jeff Zucker

This is a great move! Sell a few more ads and let the writers develop these awesome characters. Also, please consider dropping the idea of repeats and skipped weeks all the time. It gives viewers too many opportunities to channel surf and watch other networks. Keep the momentum going.
121 | Givethepeoplewhattheywant Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 4:02pm
The 22 minutes it’s on now is not enough. If it were 29 minutes like most British shows, that would be perfect, but what they’re proposing (45 minutes) is too much.
120 | G Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 3:25pm
I doubt it seat42f, I’d expect something more like this:

1st hour: Deal or No Deal
2nd hour: Scrubs/30 Rock
3rd hour: The Office
119 | DrunkBiking Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 3:21pm
I actually HATE this idea!!!! Only because it most likely means Thursday night would look like this…. 9:00 hour is too jam packed as it is….

8:00 - 8:30 Earl
8:30 - 9:30 Office
9:30 30 Rock
118 | seat42f Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 3:06pm
That would be zoppity
117 | Brian Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 1:09pm
I’m putting this up so more people can see it! We already have almost 100 signatures in 18 hours!! Keep ‘em coming!

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/hourlongoffice
116 | Jeff Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 12:42pm
I think the format of The Office is suited to an hour - not just because I want more Office (of course I do!) but because I think it is the kind of well-rounded show that can handle it. It’s not really a sitcom - it’s a character-driven show that has a storyline that develops over many episodes, and it has plenty of moments that aren’t funny but are sad, romantic, intense. There’s a reason The Office doesn’t have a laugh track - because it’s more than just a series of one-liners.
115 | TobyFan Tue. May. 1, 2007 at 11:17am