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Office workers talk about return

Actor Rainn Wilson, executive producer Greg Daniels gather 'round the watercooler for scoop on the comedy's comeback.

Television critics across the country have repeatedly said the sitcom is dead. Rainn Wilson and Greg Daniels of NBC's The Office would beg to differ. Wilson, who plays the lovable geek Dwight, and Daniels, one of the show's producers and writers, spoke with reporters about the hit show, which returns with new episodes on April 10.

Rainn Wilson as Rainn Wilson.

Though The Office is in its fourth season and has established its own trajectory away from its inspiration--Ricky Gervais' original UK show The Office--Daniels and Wilson were both asked what distinguishes the American version from the British version.

After heaping praise on the cross-the-pond Office, Daniels said the American version had to be more of a character comedy versus Gervais' bleak picture of office life.

"I don't think we really got it 100-percent right until the second season in terms of the mix and the tone, although I really like our first season," said Daniels. "But once we started to have moments--for example where Dwight is crushed at leaving his work or stuff like that--it kind of opens the characters up in a way where you feel a little bit more for them and you're also uncertain as to what's going to happen next because he might have a moment where you feel for them and then on the other hand, you might have a moment where they're really just being played for laughs."

Wilson was asked what sort of previous office experiences he's had, and the answer was a bit of a shocker. "I was Pam," he said, as he talked about his job as a receptionist for a New York ad agency. But in spirit, he felt most like the character Jim. "My heart really wasn't into it, but I was also very capable which is a lot like Jim."

Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute.

Keeping on the topic of office work, the two then discussed if they get "cubicle fever" on set--the feeling of being stifled in a corporate setting.

"We all go a little bit mad even in the office setting, about eight hours into sitting under those fluorescent lights on the set of The Office," admitted Wilson. "And surfing the web, and there's only so many times you can check CNN.com to see if a bomb has gone off somewhere. We start to go a little bit stir crazy and things start to get out of hand. So I think that is true. But recently we've kept ourselves entertained by doing Brian Baumgartner imitations and coaxing Ed Helms to do all of his imitations."

Recently it was revealed that Angela Kinsey, who plays straight-laced Angela, is pregnant. Office fans hoping for a Dwight or Andy Jr. shouldn't get their hopes up--the writers have no intentions of writing Kinsey's real pregnancy into the show.

"Angela [looks] like a little person swallowed a watermelon," said Wilson. "Everything about her looks exactly the same except she has this enormous tummy. And I think all of her scenes from here on out are going to be staged with her behind the copy machine."

One character that literally ran off in a huff from the show was Karen, Jim's ex-girlfriend who was dumped between seasons in favor of Pam. Rashida Jones, the actress who plays Karen, has moved on to star in Unhitched, but may make some cameos back in Scranton. Daniels said that part of the deal for Jones leaving was a few chances to return as Karen in future episodes of The Office (though with Unhitched's mediocre reviews, she may be permanently available soon).

The pair closed out the conversation by teasing the first episode back from break, titled "Dinner Party." In it, bossman Michael Scott (Steve Carell) finally gets his wish for Jim and Pam to come over to his house for a dinner date. However, the pleasant night he hoped for goes awry as tensions between him and Jan, who lost her wrongful termination suit because of Michael's bungling, hit their peak.

As for the other five episodes remaining this season? Daniels says fans can expect the Dunder-Mifflin Web site to be taken over by sexual predators and Dwight and Michael clubbing in the New York City party scene with Ryan.

Just another typical day in The Office.

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