For almost 20 years (but just 8 seasons and some movies), Reno 911! has been cracking us up. The creators and core cast members, Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenny-Silver, and Robert Ben Garant, all started on MTV's The State (along with late-season cast member Joe Lo Truglio), clearly used all their connections to bring in both up-and-coming comedians at the time (like Zach Galifianakis) and established superstars (like Kenny Rogers and Paul Reubens). Here is a list of actors who you may have forgotten played roles in the classic comedy.

Zach Galifianakis

Before he became a household name in The Hangover series, for which he delivered many of the funniest lines in the movie, Zach Galifianakis was a semi-regular contributor to Reno 911!. He played the role of Frisbee, a survivalist with a boatload of kids who lived out by the airport (and thought aliens were invading) in multiple episodes of the show in the early years.

Patton Oswalt

Comedian Patton Oswalt's career started with a slew of funny but small-ish parts in movies like Magnolia, Down Periscope, and Dodgeball. He first appeared on Reno 911! in the show's second season and went on to multiple appearances, playing multiple characters, including appearances in the two movies, Reno 911!: Miami and Reno 911! The Hunt for QAnon.

Paul Reubens

Paul Reubens really needs no introduction. As Pee-wee Herman, he became a Gen X (and all the generations after) icon. Reubens, who died in 2023, played the amazing character Rick, who headed up his own "citizens' patrol" which cracked up audiences, and annoyed the members of the Reno Sheriff's Department.

Paul Scheer

Paul Scheer has made it a habit to star in some of the funniest shows of the last 20 years. Shows like The League, Veep, and Black Monday have made Scheer a household name. HE also played multiple roles in Season 6 of Reno 911!

Natasha Leggero

Natasha Leggero's first role came in one of too-oft forgotten fake reality show Joe Schmo 2 in 2004, the follow-up to the original The Joe Schmo Show. From there, she appeared in the reality show MTV's The 70s House. Leggero parlayed that into three appearances on Reno 911! playing different characters, mostly getting arrested.

Ryan Stiles

Ryan Stiles is certainly most well-known for delivering some of the funniest lines on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, where he's been a cast member going back to the 1990s. He also popped up on Reno 911! as a police officer charged with training the idiots in the sheriff's department on how to go undercover in Season 5.

Jamie Lee Curtis

One of the most surprising cameos in the show's history came in one of the later seasons when none other than Jamie Lee Curtis appeared as Lt. Donna Fitzgibbons, a one-eyed, no-nonsense from Sparks Sheriff's department who Dangle brings in to prank the other members of the squad. She also shares Dangle's sense of fashion.

Keegan-Michael Key

One of the funniest recurring morons the Reno Sheriff's Department has to deal with is the "hypothetical criminal" played by the great Keegan-Michael Key. He appeared a bunch of times over the years as a character who comes with hypothetical crimes he definitely didn't commit. Somehow, he seems to keep getting away with the crimes.

Paul Rudd

The ageless Paul Rudd appeared in five episodes of the show in the final seasons of the original run. He played Guy Gerricault, a very unnerving Lamaze coach for Trudy while she's pregnant. He also appeared in the first movie, Reno 991: Miami as a completely different character.

Rachael Harris

After bouncing around Hollywood for about a decade, working regularly but never really starring in anything, Rachael Harris appeared in Reno 911! as Dangle's ex-wife. She's best known these days for her role as Linda in Lucifer.

Christina Applegate

Christina Applegate has an almost "blink and you'll miss it" cameo as the legendary Terry's wife. It's hard to believe Terry (Nick Swardson) would be married to anyone, especially someone who looks like Christina Applegate.

Dwayne Johnson

There isn't a bigger star on the planet than Dwayne Johnson. The Rock, as he was known in wrestling, seems to have endless energy, with movies starring him being constantly released. One such movie is the first one from this franchise, Reno 911!: Miami, where he plays a cartoonish SWAT team leader. It's a role that suits him perfectly, of course.

Ron White

Stand-up comic Ron White is one of the funniest comedians around and his character on Reno 911!, as a drunk pilot, is exactly the kind of role White was born to play. He's simply hilarious.

Charlie Day and Mary Elizabeth Ellis

Before they played Charlie and "The Waitress" in Always Sunny In Philadelphia, real-life couple Charlie Day and Mary Elizabeth Ellis played twins in a... disturbing...relationship in Reno 911!'s second season. The chemistry they are known for now was on full display in their one hilarious appearance.

Murray SawChuck

Fans of Pawn Stars will recognize Murray SawChuck (or Murray the Magician) as one of the experts Rick brings in when he needs to evaluate the value of a magic prop. He's also well-known for his stage show in Las Vegas. In his appearance on Reno 911!, SawChuck plays a magician who gets pulled over, and then pulls out a bunch of tricks, of course.

Nick Swardson

Without a doubt, the most popular recurring "criminal" on the show is Terry, played by the hilarious Nick Swardson. It's fair to say you probably haven't forgotten his unforgettable appearance across pretty much every season and movie from the franchise, but we had to include him on this list, of course.

Danny DeVito

Did you know that one of the "producers" of Reno 911! is the iconic Danny DeVito? On the show, he has appeared as himself, who is a producer of the fake show that the real show is mockumenting. How meta!

Jim Rash

Jim Rash is best known for playing the hapless Dean in the NBC sitcom Community. He's also an accomplished writer, earning an Oscar nomination for writing The Descendants, starring George Clooney and Shailene Woodley. He was one of the more "regular" recurring characters, Andrew, in the early seasons of the show, who was arrested, usually in a compromising position, a number of times. He appeared 15 times in total as the wacky character.

Michael Ian Black

Though he was never a full-time cast member of Reno 911!, Michael Ian Black, as a member of The State, is a good friend and regular cohort of many of the cast of Reno 911!. Black appeared in multiple episodes, playing multiple characters on the show, and in the movie, Reno 911!: Miami.

Ian Roberts

Ian Roberts was never part of The State, but he did cut his teeth in another legendary improv group, Upright Citizens Brigade, which he helped found with Amy Poehler, Adam McKay, and Matt Walsh. Heady stuff. He joined the regular cast of Reno 911! in the show's first final season in 2009.

Oscar Nunez

We all know Oscar Nunez from The Office and its sister show, The Paper, where his character, also named Oscar, is the lone crossover character between the shows. Before The Office, Nunez appeared in a couple of episodes in the first season as Captain Dwayne Hernandez. He appeared in a later season as "Spanish Mike" as well. He even popped up in the movie Reno 911!: Miami, as "Jose Jose Jose."

Diedrich Bader

At the same time that Reno 911! was a hit on Comedy Central in the mid-2000s, Dog the Bounty Hunter was a phenomenon on A&E. Naturally, the mockumentary about a police department had to mock the bounty hunter. Enter Diedrich Bader, famous for his roles in Office Space and The Drew Carey Show. Bader played "Tommy Hawk," modeled after the Dog (Dwyane Chapman), right down to the blonde mullet.

George Lopez

Every police department in every city has to deal with the mayor sometimes. When that mayor is a drunk, like George Lopez's character in Reno 911!, he can be maddening for the cops, but hilarious for audiences.

"Weird Al" Yankovic

"Weird Al" Yankovic has the honor that no one else on Reno 911! ever had. The legendary musician and actor got to play a person from real life. Appropriately, it was another musician, Ted Nugent. Of course, it's a completely over-the-top satirized version of the Motor City Madman, but Weird Al's look is dead on.

Seth Green

Sometimes it seems like Seth Green is literally everywhere. This was especially true in the 2000s. Whether it was shows like Robot Chicken, which he also co-created, or Entourage, or, of course, Family Guy, or movies like the Austin Powers franchise and The Italian Job, Green was great. He was also hilarious in his Reno 911! cameo as the ridiculously mean boss of two sheriffs who were undercover as fast food employees.

Rainn Wilson

If we're honest here, Rainn Wilson's appearance in Reno 911! as a murderer taking the sheriffs on a wild goose chase feels like it could almost be his character from The Office, Dwight's brother, or cousin. It's honestly one of the funniest episodes of the whole series.

Debra Wilson

Debra Wilson is probably best known as the longest-serving cast member of MadTV, which included the first 8 seasons of the classic variety show. In addition to a ton of voice work in movies and TV, she's also known for playing Oprah Winfrey in the Scary Movie franchise, and for playing Dominatrix on three episodes of Reno 911! in 2008.

Brian Posehn

Yet another stand-up who played a great recurring character on the show is Brian Posehn. Posehn played Stevie the Coroner in a few episodes in the show's original run on Comedy Central. It's a perfect character for the comic, famous for his deadpan delivery. Who doesn't want a seriously funny, but deadly serious, coroner on a show like this?

Nick Krull

Another actor who plays the absolutely perfect role for his talents is Nick Krull. Krull plays an offensive shock jock who makes his name by saying the most ridiculous things. His take on Cinco de Mayo is as funny as it is offensive.

Scott Thompson

Like others on this list, Scott Thompson is a veteran of a legendary sketch comedy troupe, The Kids In The Hall. He popped up in the show's sixth season in two episodes.

Masi Oka

Masi Oka is most famous for playing the biggest hero on Heroes, Hiro Nakamura. That role earned him an Emmy nomination. He also played a more serious role as the medical examiner, Dr. Max Bergman, in the reboot of the '60s show Hawaii Five-0. Oka got to show off his comedic chops in a couple of episodes of Reno 911! as a Japanese translator.

Jeff Foxworthy

Even some of the biggest Reno 911! fans may have missed this very brief cameo. The legendary Jeff Foxworthy. Not only was it brief, but audiences never actually saw Foxworthy in the one episode in which he appeared in the third season of the show. The "redneck" comedian played Fast Eddie McClintock, the "fastest criminal in Reno, and we only very briefly hear his voice over his CB radio as he speeds away from the sheriffs in his black Trans Am.

Confession: when I do the occasional rewatch of The Office, I have a tendency to skip Season 1. While I don't think that the debut run is bad by any means, it is a stretch when the writers and the actors were all still figuring out what the show was and who the characters are, and it doesn't have the proper energy that the NBC sitcom had during its best years. Because of my lacking rewatches, however, I have never really paid attention to the key aesthetic changes that the show goes through after its first six episodes.

Rainn Wilson, who will forever be remembered for his turn as the lovable/angry/weird Dwight Schrute, was recently a guest on the Good Guys podcast hosted by Josh Peck and Ben Soffer, and in discussing The Office in its earliest form, he noted that the cinematography and the way that characters are presented wholly changes in the show's second season. While early episodes really strive for the "real world" feel that should be an extension of the documentary format, the filmmakers eased up on that idea in episode seven and beyond. Said Wilson,

It's not said by the actor specifically why The Office decided to make this aesthetic change – but we can probably assume it had something to do with trying to earn more audience appeal (in case you haven't figured this out yet from the full history of film and television, but viewers tend to like looking at pretty people). That being said, I suppose that I could argue that there is a logic to the change in the world of the show: realizing that the documentary crew was going to stick around for a while, the employees at Dunder Mifflin opted to present themselves a little better. And perhaps the operator of the business park did some maintenance to improve the lighting.

More than just The Office Season 2 being brighter and more "presentable," the show also sees an attitude change in its approach to its characters. Obviously Steve Carell's Michael Scott remains an ignorant idiot, but he is made to be a bit less cruel, and his edges are softened. Rainn Wilson explains how this was part of the NBC incarnation of the show separating itself from its British predecessor, saying,

Perhaps this will be the catalyst that gets me to do a new rewatch that actually starts with The Office Season 1. I'm certainly curious to witness the change and note the aesthetic and vibe shift for the episodes. As a physical media collector, I'll happily make use of the Blu-ray boxset that I purchased a few years ago, but all of the episodes (including the extended Super Fan edits) are also available to stream instantly with a Peacock subscription.

Some actors, no matter how long their career or how great their talent, will forever be first known for one iconic TV role. This isn't an indictment of their careers at all. In fact, in many ways, it tells the whole story. They were so good at one particular role that no matter what, that's what people will think of first. To be sure, these are some of the best actors of their generations ,and they deserve praise for all their roles, but especially these.

Kelsey Grammer - Frasier Crane

For a total of an amazing 20 years, Kelsey Grammer has played Frasier Crane. First on Cheers, then on its spinoff Frasier, and again in the reboot of Frasier in the 2020s. There may be no more obvious actor to include on this list.

Mariska Hargitay - Olivia Benson

Mariska Hargitay is Hollywood royalty as the daughter of Jayne Mansfield, and she's carved out on heck out her own career playing Olivia Benson on NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She has played since the end of the 20th Century, more than 25 seasons in total. There is no other character in prime time history with a longer run than Hargitay's Benson. It's remarkable.

Jessica Walter - Lucille Bluth

The late Jessica Walter had an incredible career, but for many, she'll always be known for one of her final roles, Lucille Bluth on the cult classic Arrested Development. She was so hilarious and quotable that it's easy to see why this is the case.

Peter Falk - Columbo

Peter Falk completely embodied Detective Columbo on the show that carried that character's name. He defined a new kind of TV detective, a style that has been often imitated but never duplicated over the years since Columbo debuted. He was funny and wicked smart. A Holmesian-style detective who never found a dry cleaner.

Tom Selleck - Thomas Magnum

Tom Selleck was a hard one to include here. Thomas Magnum was one of two iconic roles, along with Frank Reagan on Blue Bloods, that Selleck has played in his career. That's not to mention Jesse Stone, another fan-favorite. But in the end, it's all about Magnum P.I., one of the best shows ever.

Lauren Graham - Lorelai Gilmore

Lauren Graham is another tough one here, because Lorelai Gilmore is hardly her only big role on TV, but none of her other shows have been nearly as enduring as Gilmore Girls and that isn't likely to change in the future. It'll always be what her fans think of first.

Lucille Ball - Lucy Ricardo

Lucille Ball was a groundbreaking legend, and that is entirely due to her iconic character Lucy Ricardo on I Love Lucy. The list of what made the show, and the comedic actor, is so long, we could never fill it out here, but she also doesn't really need any explanation. She's the queen of early TV for very good reason, and that can never be taken away.

Peter Dinklage - Tyrion Lannister

Peter Dinklage might not like to hear this... or maybe he would... but Tyrion Lannister is such an amazing role, and Dinklage's performance is completely worthy of such an iconic literary and TV character. Game of Thrones took over the television watching audience completely, and Dinklage's Lannister was almost everyone's favorite. He's done great work all through his long career, but it will be impossible to top Tyrion.

Sean Hayes - Jack McFarland

Jack McFarland from Will & Grace is one of the most underappreciated characters in any sitcom in Hollywood history. Sean Hayes is fantastic in the role, and he'll have people saying "Just Jack!" forever.

Angela Lansbury - Jessica Fletcher

Angela Lansbury had a storied career that lasted decades, and every time she appeared on screen, she lit it up. Jessica Fletcher on Murder She Wrote was her crowning achievement. She's one of the best TV detectives of all time, even if there were way too many murders in Cabot Cove than there should have been.

Henry Winkler - The Fonz

Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli. Fonzie. The Fonz. A character of many names, and one iconic look. Henry Winkler has had a career that most actors can only dream of, but his role on Happy Days will always be what he is first known for. We should all be so cool.

Sarah Michelle Gellar - Buffy Summers

Sarah Michelle Gellar's role in the movie Cruel Intentions may be her most iconic movie role, but it doesn't eclipse her role as Buffy Summers on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Not even close. It'll always be her most beloved role.

James Gandolfini - Tony Soprano

On one hand, it's a shame that James Gandolfini is on this list. His premature death will always have us asking "what if?" On the other hand, he is so freaking GREAT as Tony Soprano in The Sopranos, that its impossible not to include him here. Just watching him in anything else, or old interviews, you quickly realize that he completely disappeared into the gangster. It's remarkable.

Gillian Anderson - Dana Scully

Speaking from experience, I can say that many teenagers in the 1990s have a huge crush on Dana Scully on The X-Files. She was smart and capable, but with an air of mystery that really kept viewers guessing, in the best way.

William Shatner - Captain Kirk

Personally, I think William Shatner's best role was on Boston Legal. He was also amaing in TJ Hooker. However, even if he had 1000 legendary roles over his career, he would still be most remember for James T. Kirk in Str Trek. That's how iconic the role, and the show are.

Matthew Perry - Chandler Bing

It was a real tragedy when the world lost Matthew Perry in late 2023. He was a once-in-a-generation talent and, in many ways, was first among equals on Friends. He was in some other great projects, like The Whole Nine Yards and Fools Rush In, but let's be honest, he'll always be Chandler in our hearts.

Amy Poehler - Leslie Knope

Amy Poehler was a star on SNL and in a ton of great movies. However, she was absolutely born to play Leslie Knope on Parks & Rec. It's almost hard to believe she isn't actually Leslie in real life, and that's meant to be the most sincere of compliments.

Michael K. Williams - Omar Little

Of all the amazing characters and actors on The Wire, Omar and Michael K. Williams stand out above them all. He was one of the most honest and complex characters in TV history, and the late Williams, another actor we lost way too soon, will be forever remembered for his portrayal of the Baltimore stick-up man.

George Wendt - Norm Peterson

Cheers had an amazing ensemble of comedic actors, and as a kid, my favorite was always George Wendt and his character Norm. He was the most popular guy in the bar and the most popular with viewers. When Wendt died in 2025, everyone started sharing their favorite moments of his from the show, despite the show ending decades ago.

Mary Tyler Moore - Mary Richards

Mary Tyler Moore made it after all, and all on her own. Her titular show was the highlight of her long, incredible career, and it's a good thing the show was named after her, because she deserves to be remembered forever for it.

Caroll O'Connor - Archie Bunker

Caroll O'Connor's role as Archie Bunker became one of the most iconic and most important in television history. The groundbreaking sitcom, All In The Family, changed TV forever, and Bunker, with his bigotry and chauvinism, reinvented just how much a simple sitcom could say about society.

Rainn Wilson - Dwight Schrute

Of all the characters on The Office, Dwight, played by Rainn Wilson, was the one we all loved to hate the most. It must have been such a fun role for Wilson, because he never phoned it in, and he never let us down; we could count on him driving us nuts every week. I mean that in the very best way.

Wayne Knight - Newman

Wayne Knight has popped up in all kinds of roles in his career. We'll never forget him for his performance in the original Jurassic Park, for example, but it's Newman on Seinfeld that we'll always love him most for. He might not have been a main character, but that is testimony to just how good he was. He's as remembered as the "big four" despite playing a much more limited role. That takes a great actor and an even better performance, and he did over the entire run of the show.

Ian McShane - Al Swearengen

Al Swearengen from Deadwood is one of the best characters of the prestige era of TV. Ian McShane has had a long, distinguished career, and at the top of the list of his great performances is as the foul-mouthed, tavern-owning gangster in the HBO Western.

Danica McKellar - Winnie Cooper

Ask anyone in Gen X about Danica McKellar, and they might mention her Hallmark movies. They might also mention her wonderful guest turn on The West Wing. In the case of both of those, though, they will come after they fondly reminisce about watching her as Winnie Cooper on The Wonder Years. They grew up with Winnie and Kevin (Fred Savage). It was her earliest role, but it remains her most iconic.

It’s a big year for the past employees of Dunder Mifflin and all of their fans, so cue up that theme song. 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the mockumentary sitcom juggernaut The Office. Plenty of exciting events regarding the milestone have already happened, including Chili's Scranton reopening along with Rainn Wilson revealing lyrics to that unforgettable intro. Wilson’s altered version is sure to be a hit, and his on-screen counterpart, Dwight Schrute, would be loving every bit of his take.

Plenty of current comedies still rank highly among our 2025 TV guide programs, but The Office and the beet farmer are dearly missed by fans. Schrute quickly became the character we loved more than the main as the show (streaming now with a Peacock subscription) drummed on and continued to showcase that zany heart of gold. As the 20th anniversary hype continues, Wilson agreed to share his lyrical stylings on the Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know podcast after writing about creating them in his book, The Bassoon King. Not to worry, we have the clip from the interview of The Rocker alum singing it (Via TikTok):

It took me about .5 seconds to realize what the funnyman did and I love it for him and the assistant to the regional manager. Even though the rendition is clearly skewed, it does reflect Dwight’s overall thoughts. The lyrics respectfully mention a senior sales rep, Stanley Hudson, recognizes there is a boss that runs the branch, and humorously shades both John Krasinski and Jim Halpert. It highlights the hardest worker at Scranton – a.k.a. Dwight – and leads me to obsess over timely Schrute storylines that could’ve been.

After he closed out the never-before-heard song, Wilson accepted the applause amusingly and humbly noted the praise:

It’s just like The Meg actor’s (along with the Scranton inhabitant’s) nature to push it a little bit further but still have fun with it. If The Office spinoff in the works needs an intro song writer, I think they’ve already found their man. Wilson and others from the original Office crew have sadly indicated they wouldn't be part of a new series, with the exception of Oscar Martinez. While I am excited and have trust in the new comedic Greg Daniels sitcom, new cast members have some big shoes to fill.

Seriously, though, I am excited for the future of the Office world and how it’ll translate into today’s more fast-paced world. It could all start with the theme song, but until we know more I’ll be wondering if it’ll come with actual lyrics. Until then, I’m more than thrilled with Wilson’s Schrute-forward take on the nostalgic tune, and ready to rewatch the gold old days of the NBC sitcom via Peacock.

When it comes to the smartest TV detectives we’ve ever seen, Adrian Monk definitely can count himself among them – right next to Columbo, Sherlock Holmes, and Luther (to name a few). For eight seasons of the USA Network series, Adrian Monk’s tendency to see all the details, often tied with his OCD, matched with his personal motivation to get “the guy” following the death of his wife, Trudy, was exciting to tune into week-to-week. All the while, major actors would often guest star. Some of which were big names before Monk, and others that have since skyrocketed into fame. 

Jeffrey Dean Morgan 

Over a decade before Jeffrey Dean Morgan became The Walking Dead’s Negan, the famed TV actor was in the Season 3 premiere of Monk, “Mr. Monk Takes Manhattan.” In the episode, Monk travels with the SFPD team to New York City to do some work in association with the murder of Trudy, but in the meantime, Monk gets embroiled in the case of a recently deceased Latvian ambassador. Morgan’s character catches the detective’s eye in connection to the ambassador’s death. 

Malcolm McDowell

The lead of Stanley Kubrick’s masterful A Clockwork Orange, Malcolm McDowell, made his way into Monk during Season 4 in a particularly great episode of the series that takes the detective into the world of fashion. In “Mr. Monk Goes To A Fashion Show,” he decides to pay a visit to the inspector of his favorite collared shirts when he notices recent inconsistencies. It leads him and Natalie to meet a British fashion designer named Julian Hodge, played by McDowell. 

Jennifer Lawrence

Did you know that Silver Linings Playbook Oscar winner, Jennifer Lawrence, was in Monk? Back in 2006, when the actress was a teenager and had not yet starred in any movies, she had a very small role as a high school mascot in the Season 5 episode “Mr. Monk and the Big Game.” Her head is covered for most of her scene, but she does take off the helmet for a moment in the episode. 

Jason Alexander 

Seinfeld’s Jason Alexander guest starred in Monk for the Season 4 premiere “Mr. Monk and the Other Detective” as another P.I. in town named Marty Eels. During Monk’s latest case, the detective begins to be overshadowed by Alexander’s character, which hilariously has Monk calling him a cheater. As Eels becomes a big competitor for Monk, it’s a blast to see Shalhoub and Alexander act together. 

John Turturro 

Monk perfectly cast the detective’s brother in 2004 by bringing in John Turturro in a fabulous guest role, that he would play in three episodes. Turturro, who is famous for being in movies with the Coen Brothers, Spike Lee and Adam Sandler played Ambrose, who suffers from severe agoraphobia and deepened Monk’s backstory. He was so memorable in the series that he earned an Emmy for “Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series” for the episode in which he debuted the character, in Season 2’s “Mr. Monk and the Three Pies”. 

Stanley Tucci

One of the strongest Monk episodes of the series is definitely Season 5’s “Mr. Monk and the Actor.” In the 2006 episode, an actor named David Ruskin is set to play Adrian Monk in a movie based on his life and comes to shadow Adrian on his cases. Stanley Tucci plays Ruskin as the actor goes a bit too method with the role of Adrian and debunks some demons regarding what it’s like to be Monk. Tucci won an Emmy for the guest role, and was actually a finalist to play Adrian Monk prior to his guest role. 

Rainn Wilson 

Just a couple years before Rainn Wilson would become Dwight Schrute on one of the best sitcoms of all time, The Office, the actor made a small guest appearance on Monk in Season 2. He played a massive baseball fan and collector as Adrian Monk looked into a case involving a star baseball player. 

James Brolin 

Longtime TV and movie actor James Brolin (who is also the father of Josh Brolin and husband to Barbara Streisand), made his way into Monk for 2005’s Vegas episode. Brolin plays a millionaire casino owner who becomes a suspect following the death of his wife, and Stottlemeyer brings in Monk to solve the case. 

Sean Astin 

In Season 5, Lord of the Rings and The Goonies actor, Sean Astin crossed paths with Tony Shalhoub’s Monk in an episode called “Mr. Monk Is At Your Service.” Astin plays a young billionaire, Paul Buchanan, whom Monk and Natalie come across amidst a visit to Natalie’s parents' wealthy neighborhood. Monk ends up going undercover as Paul’s butler to learn more about him. 

Sarah Silverman 

Famed standup comedian, Sarah Silverman, guest starred in three episodes of Monk over the years as a character named Marci Maven. She first became part of the procedural in 2004 for “Mr. Monk and the TV Star,”  where she played an obsessed fan of the star of a hit show made up for the series called Crime Lab S.F. 

Danny Trejo 

In “Mr. Monk Goes To Jail” in Season 2, Danny Trejo, of Spy Kids, From Dusk Till Dawn and Desperado (among many of his movies), also got to work alongside Tony Shalhoub’s Monk. During the episode, Monk goes undercover as the cellmate of Trejo’s character, who is a convicted quadruple murderer. As you may suspect, comedy ensues. 

Snoop Dogg 

Snoop Dogg was also in Monk for the Season’s “Mr. Monk and the Rapper,” where he played a fictional hip hop star, Murderuss. In the episode, Murderuss approaches the detective to hire him to clear his name after becoming the primary suspect in the death of another rapper. The best part? Snoop Dogg actually raps Monk’s famous “here’s what happened” segment at the end. 

Alfred Molina

Beloved character actor, Alfred Molina, has also been part of Monk for a Season 6 episode. What’s interesting about Molina, is he was actually one of the finalists to play the lead role of Adrian Monk before Shalhoub was cast. In his guest role, he played a billionaire software mogul whose beach house has a view of a nudist beach. 

Jon Favreau 

MCU actor and famed director Jon Favreau was in “Mr. Monk Goes To The Dentist,” which aired during the series’ fourth season in 2006. Favreau plays a dentist who Lieutenant Disher goes to and swears murdered someone while he was under anesthesia for a procedure. 

Carmen Electra

All-star actor, model and singer Carmen Electra can be found in the Monk episode “Mr. Monk and the Panic Room” which came out in 2004. The episode has the detective investigating a crime scene where it seems like a chimpanzee has killed his owner. The victim is a record producer and Electra plays his pop star wife. 

Craig T. Nelson 

Poltergeist and Parenthood actor Craig T. Nelson earned a very important role in Monk for its two-part finale, “Mr. Monk and the End.” He plays Judge Ethan Rickover, who was on the California Court of Appeals and has a history with Monk’s late wife, Trudy. 

Tim Curry 

In Season 1, an enemy of Monk’s was introduced as financier Dale “The Whale” Biederbeck. After the character was originated by Adam Arkin, none other than The Rocky Horror Picture Show’s Tim Curry embodied the role for a brief time in “Mr. Monk Goes To Jail.” 

Niecy Nash

Reno 911’s Niecy Nash made a guest spot in Monk in the early days for “Mr. Monk and the Girl Who Cried Wolf.” The episode follows Adrian’s first assistant Sharona as she starts to believe she’s losing her sanity when she keeps seeing a man with a screwdriver sticking out of his ear (that no one else can see). Neicy Nash plays Sharona’s friend and fellow nurse, Varla should step in to assist Monk. 

Jeffrey Donovan 

The star of Burn Notice, which also was on USA Network like Monk, turned up in the detective series in the episode “Mr. Monk and the Astronaut.” In the Season 4 episode, Jeffrey Donovan plays an astronaut who Monk is sure killed someone, but his alibi is airtight… considering he was in space when the murder occurred. 

Laurie Metcalf 

Roseanne actress Laurie Metcalf had some fun on Monk when she guest starred in the Season 4 episode “Mr. Monk Bumps His Head.” When Adrian wakes up in a small town with amnesia, Metcalf’s unhinged character uses the opportunity to convince the detective he is her husband. 

Nick Offerman 

Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman made an appearance in 2005’s “Mr. Monk and the Election” before he became famous for playing the very quotable Ron Swanson. Look out for the actor in his clean-shaven days during the Season 3 episode that has Natalie Teager running for the school board. 

Jane Lynch 

Before actress Jane Lynch rocked sweatsuits on Glee, she did guest for “Mr. Monk Gets Married.” In the episode, Randy Disher is concerned about his mother getting suddenly married to a man who is 30 years younger (played by Lost’s Nestor Carbonell) than him and asks Monk to look into it. This leads Monk and Sharona to pretend to be a married couple for a retreat that Lynch’s psychologist character is in charge of. 

Amy Sedaris 

The very funny Amy Sedaris was on two episodes of Monk to play Sharona’s younger sister, Gail. She first appeared in 2002’s “Mr. Monk and the Earthquake” before also being part of 2003’s “Mr. Monk Goes To The Theater.” Since she’s an actress in the series, her part in a local play that turns into a crime scene makes the second episode a particularly juicy appearance for Sedaris. 

Rachel Dratch

Saturday Night Live’s Rachel Dratch found her way into Monk for “Mr. Monk and the Missing Granny.” In the 2004 episode, Dratch’s character is stressed about the kidnapping of her grandmother and offers to help reinstate Monk to the police force if he can help find her alive. 

Howie Mandel

The Gremlins actor and game and competition show host played the role of Ralph Roberts in two episodes of Monk in 2008. Howie Mandel played the head of a religious cult called Siblings of the Sun in the Season 7 episodes. Mandel is a germaphobe in real life like Monk is.

Holland Taylor

Two and a Half Men actress Holland Taylor played Natalie Teager’s mother Peggy in two episodes of Monk. In the series, Peggy is a well-off woman who married into the Davenport Toothpaste business. She is part of 2005’s “Mr. Monk Goes To A Wedding” and 2007’s “Mr. Monk Is At Your Service.” 

Gena Rowlands

Gena Rowlands is an Academy Award nominee who starred in movies like Woman Under The Influence and Gloria in her youth before famously playing the older version of Allie in The Notebook. In Season 7’s “Mr. Monk and the Lady Next Door,” Monk becomes friendly with Rowlands’ Marge Johnson, but suspicions about her true intentions begin to grow. 

Ariel Winter

Before Ariel Winter became part of Modern Family’s Dunphy family, the actress was in Monk as an eight-year-old for “Mr. Monk and the Astronaut.” She has a small but pivotal role as the neighbor of the victim, whose place in the story leads Monk to track down the killer. 

Julie Bowen

In Season 7’s “Mr. Monk and the Bully,” Julie Bowen plays a character that Adrian Monk investigates after his childhood bully comes out of the woodwork asking for help from the detective. The Truman Show’s Noah Emmerich plays her husband and Monk’s former bully. Julie Bowen is a two-time Emmy winner for her leading role in ABC’s Modern Family. 

Eric Stonestreet

Modern Family’s Cameron Tucker was on Monk the same year the hit ABC comedy first arrived on network television. In “Mr. Monk and the UFO,” Eric Stonestreet plays a small role as a local mechanic named Boom-Boom whom Monk offends and ends up raising his estimate. 

Sung Kang 

Sung Kang, who famously played Han in the Fast and the Furious movies, also guest starred in Monk as two separate characters. First in “Mr. Monk vs. the Cobra” he plays an employee of a martial arts school they visit while investigating the death of a fictional kung fu star, Sonny Chow. Four years later, Kang stars in “Mr. Monk on Wheels” as the cousin of a criminal named John Kuramoto.

Angela Kinsey 

The Office actress Angela Kinsey had a guest role in Monk as Arlene Boras for two episodes of the series. She plays an X-ray technician who was in Alfred Molina’s episode, “Mr. Monk and the Naked Man.” She reprised her role for the 100th episode of Monk as well. 

From the very first episode of The Office on NBC, Dwight Schrute made us laugh with his ridiculous and hilarious lines. Of all the cast members on The Office, Rainn Wilson is easily one of the funniest.  While we might choose spend our time rewatching the series over and over, or by checking out some of the other great shows like The Office, right now, let's revisit some of Dwight's most amusing, absurd and hilarious lines from through the series' run. 

"You couldn’t handle my undivided attention.”

Don’t ask for something you can’t handle. Dwight made that pretty clear to Michael when he insisted on having Dwight’s undivided attention, and Dwight expressed sincere doubts about whether or not Michael was really prepared for it. I kind of want to see what Dwight's undivided attention actually looks like now.  

“Through concentration, I can raise and lower my blood pressure at will.”

On the surface, this may sound like a ridiculous claim, and it probably is. But at the same time, it’s not hard to picture Dwight Schrute sitting at home trying to will his blood pressure to rise and lower just to see if he can. 

“Do you ever watch Battlestar Galactica? No? Then you’re an idiot.”

The line “Bears, Beets, Battlestar Galactica” is said by Jim in a different episode, when impersonating Dwight. But Dwight did show off his love for the Syfy series on more than one occasion. Sure, we can laugh at how rude he was to this man when making small talk at David Wallace’s house, but if I'm being honest, as a fan of the show, I kind of get his enthusiasm. 

"So say we all."

“In the wild, there is no health care. In the wild, health care is 'Ow, I hurt my leg. I can’t run. A lion eats me, and I’m dead.' Well I’m not dead. I’m the lion. You’re dead.”

This wouldn’t be the first time Dwight expressed a lot of confidence about his place in the world. In this case, while he feels the average person would be helpless in the wild, he’s cast himself as the predator in the scenario, for some reason. The power of getting to choose a healthcare plan for the office has clearly gone to his head. 

“Today, smoking is gonna save lives.”

Dwight has a lot of big moments during the “Stress Relief” double-episode, but none shine quite as brightly as the cold open, wherein he sets off the smoke alarms in an effort to test the staff’s readiness for an emergency. Chaos promptly ensued. 

“Their meatball parm is their worst sandwich.”

Dwight could be truly diabolical when he wanted to be. Like the time he knew that Michael would try to take revenge on him for spying by eating the food he’d picked up to go for Dwight, and Dwight made sure to order the absolute worst item on the menu: the meatball parm. 

Michael's reaction when he takes a bite is just the cherry on top of this moment. 

“Stop… doing rhyming poetry, just tell them please? God the simplest thing.”

Honestly, all Dwight wants to do is carry out a secret meeting in the warehouse, but Andy has to go and be overenthusiastic about his participation in it and Dwight just can't deal with it. 

“I love catching people in the act. That’s why I always whip open doors.”

It’s not hard to imagine Dwight whipping open doors from time to time, whether it be at home, at work or wherever, in the hopes of catching people in the act of... whatever he thinks is worth catching them in the act of doing. 

“How many people need to get hurt before we learn a valuable lesson? One? Two? Three? Four?… No, hear me out - five?”

If you need someone to create a distraction to buy some time, you can count on Dwight. During the company picnic, when Pam hurt her ankle, Jim asked Dwight to stall for time to keep them from forfeiting the volleyball game. And this is what Dwight came up with - a question that was soon followed by more questions. An infinite number of questions. 

“People tell me things. I guess I have a face you can trust. I think it’s because of my low cheekbones.”

Michael was all too happy to share a bit of gossip with Dwight, only to be let down immediately when Dwight revealed that he was already aware of the two interns who were dating. Apparently his low cheekbones are to be credited for people telling Dwight things. 

“Whenever I’m about to do something, I think, ‘Would an idiot do that?’ And if they would, I do not do that thing.”

Dwight shared a bit a wisdom when talking about his efforts not to do as an idiot would do. As ridiculous as it is that Dwight would say this, his logic is sound right? 

“I am ready to face any challenge that might be foolish enough to face me.”

Dwight isn’t one to back down from a challenge. In fact, it’s the challenges that should be backing down from him. He made that clear when he was seeking employment after briefly resigning from Dunder Mifflin. 

“Any really good headhunter will storm your village at sunset with overwhelming force and cut off your head with a ceremonial knife.”

Leave it to Dwight to take the conversation in an entirely different direction. When Michael was talking about being headhunted after he quit his job at Dunder Mifflin, Dwight shared his two cents about headhunters. Of course, Michael was talking about the job-finding kind, not the ceremonial-knife-wielding kind. 

“Yes, I shouted fire. I shouted many things.”

Dwight was not even remotely apologetic about how he handled his infamous and disastrous fire drill, which not only led to panic and broken property, but also to Stanley collapsing due to stress. Not even when David Wallace was questioning him about the incident did Dwight back down from his intentions. Yes, he shouted fire. He shouted many things. And it’s true, he did. 

“Check for an organ donor card. If he has one, we only have minutes to harvest.”

Moments before he took the face off the CPR doll during an office emergency training session, Dwight suggested that the proper procedure after CPR failed should involve checking to see if the patient is an organ donor and getting to work on "harvesting." It’s more than a little unnerving that Dwight thinks he has any business carrying out this responsibility.  

“Identity theft is not a joke, Jim! Millions of families suffer every year.”

It took until Jim said “Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica” for Dwight to realize that Jim was impersonating him and not just quizzing him on what kind of bears were best. And while Dwight tried to brush the mockery off at first, he soon became enraged that his desk-mate would dare try to steal his identity. 

“They’re mushrooms! They don’t get that high.”

Why Dwight thought that growing mushrooms to a not-very-high height — because they’re mushrooms and don’t get that high — was a good example of something he could’ve been doing with all the time he’d spent that day trying to get the Scranton Branch staff members to owe him a favor is anyone's guess.

“Yes, I have a wig for every single person in the office. You never know when you’re going to need to bear a passing resemblance to someone.”

It’s a rare thing to see Dwight get the upper hand on Jim, but that’s what he did when he sported a Pam wig to trick Jim into mistaking him for his wife during the epic snowball fight they were having. This is what led to the reveal that he has a wig for everyone in the office. The Meredith wig has to be the best.  

“What does it say under martial arts training?… Oh, ok, I’m gonna have to supplement that. Can I have your fax number?”

After Jim and Pam submitted Dwight’s resume to a company that’s hiring, Dwight missed his chance at a potentially better job by getting caught up in trying to make sure the place recognized his martial arts skills, which were surely very relevant to a salesman job... right? 

“And I did not become a Lackawanna County volunteer sheriff’s deputy to make friends. And by the way, I haven’t.”

It’s no secret that Dwight isn’t popular, but in the early years of the series he did occasionally flex his authority as a volunteer sheriff’s deputy. Not that it’s made him any friends along the way, but as he said, that’s not why he became a volunteer sheriff’s deputy to begin with. 

“When I die, I want to be frozen. And if they have to freeze me in pieces, so be it. I will wake up stronger than ever because I will have used that time to figure out why I died and what moves I could’ve used to defend myself better now that I know what hold they had me in.”

It’s not unusual to ponder one's own mortality from time to time. But it’s clear from this quote that Dwight has drawn some very specific conclusions about how he’ll meet his end. And it’ll apparently involve some kind of violent encounter with someone who manages to out-maneuver him. 

“I will remain close by to provide unseen moral support but I will never help him. I will let harm befall him, I will even let him die. But I will never let him lose his dignity.”

Dwight insisted he’d stand back and let Michael die if it came to it. Fortunately for Michael, he doesn't actually follow through with this statement. In the end, when he spots Michael stuffing a mouthful of poisonous mushrooms into his mouth for an afternoon snack, Dwight quickly steps in to rescue his boss. 

“Of course I see saw. Mose and I see saw all the time.”

This is one of the more underrated hilarious lines from Dwight Schrute, in my opinion. When Ryan asked him “Didn’t you see Saw?” — meaning the horror movie — Dwight’s mind instantly went to see-saw. While we never did get that Schrute Farms spinoff series, we did get more than a few glimpses of what went on at Dwight's home during his non-office hours. And that included (in a different episode) the reveal of a Google Maps photo of him and his cousin see-sawing the day away on the farm.

“Who is Justice Beaver?”

Dwight may have been up on the latest Battlestar Galactica twists and turns, but he’s not paying much attention to pop music. This is made clear when Jim mentions Justin Bieber, and Dwight asks him who "Justice Beaver" is. A crime-fighting beaver, obviously. 

“The last time I went to a theater, a man dressed as a cat sat in my lap.”

There are a lot of good excuses someone might come up with for why they don’t want to go to the theater. In Dwight’s case, he’s still not over being sat on by a man dressed as a cat at the last show he attended. I like to think this experience involved some date with Angela in years past, but that’s just my speculation. 

“I have to do something to his eyes.”

Dwight took Michael’s plan to strike back at the Utica branch very seriously. Like… too seriously. Not only did he bring bottles of gasoline with them, but he was also really insistent that he do something to someone’s eyes. Fortunately, the only thing injured during the incident was a copy machine. 

“I was shunned from the age of four until my sixth birthday for not saving the excess oil from a can of tuna.”

Every once in a while, Dwight shared a nugget of his past that gave us some insight into his background and family history. In this case, it’s the unsettling reveal that he spent a couple of years of his youth being shunned by his family for being wasteful with tuna oil. 

“There’s too may people on this earth. We need a new plague.”

Not only is it unnerving to hear the tone of irritation bordering on outrage at the mere presence of other people in his vicinity, but it’s even more disturbing that Dwight would wish a new plague on the population. Never mind that he’s saying these thoughts out loud. In a church. 

“We have to establish a pee corner!”

Do we, Dwight? 

Leave it to Dwight to waste absolutely no time at all in establishing a “pee corner” in the elevator when Pam’s prank on him backfires and they end up stuck in there together. It didn’t help that he’d been drinking copious amounts of water in the time leading up to this incident. Still…  So gross.

“I have been recommending downsizing since I first got here. I even brought it up in my interview.”

This one goes all the way back to the pilot episode, when we were just getting to know Dwight Schrute. That Dwight would be so confident in his job security at Dunder Mifflin that he'd express enthusiasm at the prospect of downsizing really isn’t that surprising in retrospect. But it’s especially funny — and yet still believable — that he’d bring it up in his own interview. 

Let’s be fair though, as unusual and occasionally rude as Dwight sometimes is, we know that he is actually pretty good at his job. 

“In the end, the greatest snowball isn’t a snowball at all. It’s fear.”

Jim had to learn this lesson the hard way. It’s not often that Dwight gets the upper hand on Jim when it comes to pranks, but we saw it happen when Jim made the bad choice of starting a snowball fight war he, as it turns out, couldn’t finish. Jim survived, but not without some battle scars and a hefty dose of fear.  

“Are you calling me an idiot? Don’t you ever talk to me like that, you pathetic, short little man. You don’t have any friends or any family or any land.”

Dwight wasn’t even up on stage to roast Michael, at first. He was trying to defend his boss when he felt people were being too harsh toward the regional manager. And then Michael started calling him an idiot and Dwight just let loose with some harsh facts. 

Boom, roasted indeed. 

The Office’s main cast may have hung up their desk jobs at Dunder Mifflin more than a decade ago, but many of them just reunited for a new gig! Rainn Wilson is the lead of an AT&T Business ad campaign that has him back with Jenna Fischer, Craig Robinson, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery and Creed Bratton. While talking to CinemaBlend about the new ad, Wilson reflected on Dwight Schrute with some hilarious bit ideas.

Even though last May marked a decade since the end of The Office, it remains just as popular as ever, with fans often coming back to old episodes. But what if Rainn Wilson’s Dwight Schrute was still on the air today? I asked the actor if he’s thought about the opportunities he’s perhaps missed in the time since the TV show’s finale. Here’s what he said:

Rainn Wilson had a lot of golden ideas for Dwight Schrute if The Office was bringing us new episodes during 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic had us adjusting to a lot of changes. From Zoom meetings to “pods,” Wilson recalled imagining scenarios that would be fun to explore as his iconic The Office character. As he continued:

There were so many hilarious and disastrous pranks across the run of The Office, but as Rainn Wilson shared, there could certainly be more good ones in the 2020s. While it’s unlikely The Office’s original cast will ever officially bring back the series, Wilson and other familiar faces from the NBC series have teamed up to promote AT&T Business. In the commercial campaign, Wilson heads a startup for his “Sleep With Rain” pillow which gives snoozers the ability to hear the actor’s voice in their ear when they head off to dreamland. Check out the funny ad:

Fans can also get excited for an upcoming The Office spinoff from the original creator. Earlier this month, it was announced that Greg Daniels is behind a new take on the show that will be about the staff of a struggling Midwest newspaper. Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore have already been cast. During our interview with Rainn Wilson, the actor also shared his thoughts on The Office spinoff.

While we wait for the series, you can check out Rainn Wilson in the original The Office series with a Peacock subscription.

Dunder Mifflin’s 9-to-5 shenanigans may have retired years ago, but recently much of the cast of The Office reunited to sell ASMR pillows for an AT&T Business ad campaign. When CinemaBlend spoke to Rainn Wilson and Craig Robinson about “getting the old band back together” for the series of commercials, the conversation turned to a sweet idea from Robinson about how he’d like to reprise his beloved role of Darryl Philbin.

In the AT&T Business campaign, Wilson and Robinson are joined by Jenna Fischer, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery, and Creed Bratton. In the series of commercials, The Office actors are all involved in selling “Sleep With Rain” pillows, which are pillows with speakers that emanate the calming sounds of Wilson’s voice. Check out the fun commercial:

During our interview on the campaign, I asked the pair of comedic actors if they ever considered doing the commercials as their The Office characters. Here’s the conversation that followed:

Rainn Wilson: “No, and it's a weird thing too 'cause I mean, I don't think any of us would wanna play those characters really, maybe even ever again. But, at the same time, like we don't own those characters. NBC owns those characters. So even if we wanted to…”

Craig Robinson: “I'll play Darryl in a heartbeat, for the record.”

Rainn Wilson: “You would? You would do it?”

Craig Robinson: “I would, yeah. What I'm thinking about opening Darryl's Bar.”

Rainn Wilson: “Maybe Dwight has gotten divorced and fired and his only recourse is to be the bartender at Darryl's Bar.”

Craig Robinson: “I smell a spinoff right here.”

As Rainn Wilson explained that the ad collaboration does not involve NBC along with sharing how the original cast may never play their iconic characters again, Craig Robinson had other thoughts. The actor shared that he would absolutely play the Dunder Mifflin employee once again! When prompted by Wilson, Robinson shared his own spinoff idea: Darryl’s Bar.

Wilson jumped in, sharing that he could only see Dwight Schrute joining in on that idea if he got divorced, fired and really needed work. It’s a pretty solid idea, and we’d absolutely tune into something of that sort, especially if it meant these characters coming back to life after over a decade. Also… can you imagine Dwight being a bartender? It’d be hilarious.

The conversation comes at an ample time as The Office's Greg Daniels is bringing a new take on the franchise with an upcoming Peacock spinoff. As revealed last week, there will be a new version of the comedy that will take place at a struggling newspaper in the Midwest. Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore have been cast in lead roles and it’s been said it takes place in the same universe as the original U.S. series.

While we wait for the new The Office show and imagine what antics would occur on Darryl’s Bar, you can see the full original show with a Peacock subscription and check out shows like The Office as well.

It's hard to believe it's been over a decade since The Office wrapped up after nine seasons and 201 episodes. Now, there's a new Office series on the way that serves as a spinoff of sorts to the OG show. And, as we officially learned earlier this month, the long-awaited sitcom is heading to Peacock The upcoming series will be a “new take on the franchise and per the first plot details, will take place in the Midwest at a struggling local newspaper. CinemaBlend recently spoke to franchise alums Rainn Wilson and Craig Robinson amidst their reunion for an AT&T ad, and the former shared what makes him "sad" about the new show.

Considering their connection to the original show, it's not surprising that either actor would have thoughts, and Rainn Wilson made some solid points on the subject. Additionally, Craig Robinson shared what he thinks about the original cast being part of the streaming production.

Rainn Wilson And Craig Robinson Tell Us Their Thoughts On The Office Spinoff

While many comedies have emulated The Office, there’s nothing quite like the long-running NBC series starring Steve Carell, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer and co. When I asked Rainn Wilson about possibly appearing on the spinoff as Dwight Schrute, here’s what he had to say: 

Based on his comments, he’s a bit bummed out that the new series will take the franchise to a completely new city and region. And, because of that, it makes it less believable for Dwight Schrute to turn up. He also shared his idea for The Office to take cues from the Law & Order franchise and have all sorts of documentaries being around the Scranton area. As for Craig Robinson, who spoke to CinemaBlend alongside his co-star, he said this: 

After working with Greg Daniels for so long, surely there’s a lot of trust from the original The Office cast regarding what he’ll do next. Since the new show will be in the same universe, one would hope that there’s certainly a place for the original characters to “pop in.” Still, Rainn Wilson makes a great point regarding how it wouldn’t really make sense if they did. 

Much Of The Office Cast Reunited For An AT&T Ad Campaign

While Rainn Wilson and Craig Robinson are not among the cast of the new The Office series, they did just work together again, alongside Jenna Fischer, Brian Baumgartner, Kate Flannery and Creed Bratton. Check out one of a few AT&T Business ads they collaborated on: 

During our interview, Rainn Wilson opened up about working with AT&T Business on their new ad campaign, which is called "Sleep With Rain." When talking about working with his former co-stars again, he shared that it was like “getting the old band back together.” In the commercial, Wilson is the lead of the startup small business and his Office friends assist him with promoting his pillow, which has speakers on the side where the calming sounds of his voice can play as the customer dreams. Wilson recalled the whole cast “showed up early” due to the excitement of being back together. 

While it’s not the reunion special fans likely crave, it’s great to see these TV stars back together. And, who knows, Maybe at least some of the stars will get a chance to show up on the new show at some point. In the meantime, you can stream every season of The Office with a Peacock subscription. 

The Office’s staying power hasn’t waned since signing off the air in 2013. Thanks to first-run syndication and its huge run on Netflix, the NBC sitcom has only continued to grow in popularity and viewership. This increase can be seen in the ever-growing fandom across multiple generations. The cast has experienced this appreciation firsthand from countless fans, and recently Dwight Schrute actor Rainn Wilson shared a sweet note he got from a flight attendant.

The Dark Winds star took to his X account to show his appreciation for the sitcom’s fans. According to Wilson, he was recognized by an Office fan who left a secret note. He mentioned an Alaska Airlines flight attendant didn’t interact with him, and he didn’t get to thank her for the note. The moment was starkly different from a viral plane video of a fan not recognizing him, and you can see the sweet handwritten note below:

It’s nice to know The Office is still bringing comfort and joy to TV viewers despite not airing a new episode for a decade. Wilson still has love and appreciation for The Office cast and crew despite working on multiple shows since then. However, he did caution other fans to not leave random thank-you notes in the future. 

The attendant’s note especially touched my heart. I held back tears as I read it. She spoke for The Office fandom who cherished the Dunder-Mifflin staff and their messy and chaotic office. Watching the NBC sitcom episode-by-episode or binging the entire series can serve as comfort food for millions of viewers. Just reliving certain moments brings a smile to my face.

The flight attendant expressed the same sentiment that many Office faithful have felt over the years. Of course, there are diehard fans who’ve been there since the first episode, but the pandemic found new fans through Peacock subscriptions and Netflix subscriptions. The workplace comedy’s humor and relatability have made it a go-to show for different generations. Watching the hilarious chaos of Dunder-Mifflin allowed viewers to escape whatever hardships they were experiencing. Jim and Pam’s relationship evolution and Dwight's plotting to become the Scranton office manager serve up the right escapism for viewers during rough times.

All this love between the cast and the fans may stir those pleas for a revival in the future. However, a revival might not happen if The Office creator Greg Daniels has any say. Daniels expressed zero interest in a reboot, but he wants to do a new take on the classic sitcom. As viewers wait anxiously to see if a reboot still happens, they can watch The Office’s best episodes of all time in the meantime.

There is no genre more near and dear to my heart than comedy. The skills necessary to make others laugh -- whether live and in-person or through a screen -- are a unique and beautiful combination that should be protected at all costs. Some artists are able to do so without leaning in to touchy subjects or cursing, while others go all the way to really earn that R rating. The tactics may differ, but the end goal is the same, to bring others joy through jokes. 

Many comedians see movies as the apex of a potential career, but most don't start out their careers in Hollywood. Many grow first through either stand-up comedy or sketch comedy. This list honors them. Here's a look back at famous actors who started in either the stand-up or sketch comedy world and went on to bigger screens.

Rainn Wilson

Known as arguably one of the best characters on the hit show The Office, Rainn Wilson got his start in the arts in New York City where he studied acting at NYU. He went on to do theater both off and on Broadway as well as sketch comedy. He even did a post-modern clown show before getting his big break on the show Six Feet Under in 2001. 

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg got her start by studying drama in New York, where she landed a few stage performances before trying her hand at stand-up comedy. Like many others on this list, her comedy routine -- "The Spook Show" -- caught the attention of Oscar-winning director Mike Nichols, who helped get the young comedian to Broadway. She eventually landed her first film in Steven Spielberg's film The Color Purple, for which she earned an Oscar nomination in 1986. 

Steve Buscemi

The veteran character actor made his acting debut in 1985, but also tried his hand at stand-up comedy. Eventually, Busemi decided he "wasn't funny enough," and switched to acting instead. Buscemi has since starred in popular movies including Fargo, Resevoir Dogs, and the hit HBO Max show Boardwalk Empire.

Emma Thompson

If you're looking for a stand-up with some serious credentials, look no further than Emma Thompson. Winner of two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, a British Academy Television Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, the talented actor got her start in stand-up while in Cambridge. 

John Candy

Arguably one of the greatest comedy legends to ever live, John Candy led a fascinating life, getting his big break after joining the ensemble of SCTV — which is, essentially, the Canadian equivalent to SNL. In 1989, the star even added radio personality to his resume. The LA Times did a whole write-up of his syndicated, two-hour program, Radio Kandy, which sounds wild and apparently included rock music and comedy sketches featuring some of his former SCTV co-stars.

Mo'Nique

Mo'Nique started her comedy career with stand-up, heading to It's Showtime at the Apollo and Def Comedy Jam before eventually landing a leading role on TV's The Parkers. The comedian took her acting to the next level in 2009's Precious, for which she won an Academy Award.

Steve Carell

A versatile actor with numerous groundbreaking performances in both television and film, Steve Carrell was once a legend at Second City in Chicago who went on to land his dream job working on the ill-fated Dana Carvey Show, which you can learn about in Too Funny To Fail, one of the best comedy documentaries to date. Known best for his role as Michael Scott in the U.S. adaptation of The Office, Carell eventually went on to become a leading man in both comedies and dramas. 

Michael Keaton

To put himself through college where he studied acting, Michael Keaton worked as a cab and ice cream truck driver, and it wasn't until 1975 that he officially debuted on television. He did some stand-up comedy in his early 20s, which he recounted in an interview with Ellen, but he eventually found the right calling with movies.

Tina Fey

Known for her work on the smash hit show 30 Rock, Tina Fey got her start in acting at Second City which quickly led to a job at Saturday Night Live as notably one of the only female writers at the time. She got her break co-hosting Weekend Update and later went on to be a huge star in Hollywood. 

Jamie Foxx

It all started with a dare from a girlfriend to try his hand at an open mic. Flash forward some years and that performance led Jamie Foxx to multiple awards, including two Academy Awards, double digit Grammys, and three Golden Globe Awards, all while showing a versatile ability to crush performances across multiple genres and artistic art forms.

John Cleese

Coming from the United Kingdom, John Cleese is a British comic actor best known for his television work on Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers. Cleese began writing and performing in comedy revues at Clifton College in Bristol, England, and was a member of the renowned Footlights Club while a law student at the University of Cambridge. He is best known for his work with Monty Pythion, namely Monty Python And The Holy Grail. 

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais went to school at Ashmead Comprehensive School before going on to study at University College, London, where he gained a degree in Philosophy. After university, Gervais attempted to pursue a pop career with Seona Dancing, a synth-pop duo he formed with a fellow student. After forming a writing partnership with Stephen Merchant, he would go on to land his breakout role on The Office, premiering in 2001. In between all his acting gigs, he's performed plenty of stand-up and has multiple Netflix specials. 

Eddie Murphy

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, SNL star Eddie Murphy began performing his own comedy routines at 15. In 1980, the work of the soon-to-be comedy legend caught the attention of Saturday Night Live producers. In 1982, Murphy landed his first leading role in the film, 48 Hrs, which led to multiple leads in classics such as Beverly Hills Cop and Coming to America. He went on to earn an Oscar nomination for Dreamgirls and truly set the bar by playing six characters in the 1996 smash hit, The Nutty Professor. His '80s comedy specials are still discussed today. 

Amy Schumer

Amy Schumer is certainly better known these days for her work in numerous films including the fantastic Trainwreck, but most of those career opportunity doors opened through her stand-up comedy. She built a name for herself through her work on the live mic before mostly switching to movies.

Chris Rock

An SNL vet, Chris Rock's comedy career began in 1984 at 19 when he took the stage in the New York City club Catch a Rising Star. His performance ended up catching the eye of future comedy legend Eddie Murphy, who had been watching his act. Murphy would become a huge presence in Rock's life and served as a mentor, giving him his first break with a role in Beverly Hills Cop II.

Ron Perlman

Known for very courageous roles such as Clay Morrow on the FX show Sons Of Anarchy, Ron Perlman said his ventures as a stand-up comedian ended after a heckling exchange in the Bronx escalated and he retreated out of the venue through the back door, which seems like a strange move for such an intimidating man. 

Robin Williams

Arguably one of the best comedians of all-time, Robin Williams studied acting at the Juilliard School, which he later dropped out of to devote himself entirely to stand-up comedy before making the leap to television and movies. Known for his high energy and skillful impressions, he himself has inspired other actors to reenact some of his most dramatic real-life moments in honor of the late comedian. 

Patton Oswalt

The Prince of Queens, Patton Oswalt went from struggling in the comedy world to writing for the sketch comedy show MADtv and earning his own comedy special on HBO. He continued to impress critics and fans alike, with roles such as the voice of the lead character Remy the Rat in the Pixar film, Ratatouille. 

Richard Pryor

Unfortunately, tragedy and comedy often go hand-in-hand. Such is the case with arguably one of the genre's biggest icons, the late, great, Richard Pryor. The legend had a tough life growing up and eventually joined the military before playing nightclubs as both a musician and comedian at age 23. His comedy career was populated with milestones and achievements, as well as struggles and substance abuse before passing away in 2005 due to complications from M.S..  

Bette Midler

Bette Midler landed her first Broadway role in Fiddler on the Roof by 1966, four years before trying her hand at stand-up comedy. In 1972, she released the album The Divine Miss M, which earned her a Grammy Award, and she started making frequent appearances on late-night television shows and eventually a huge acting career. Along the way, she performed live comedy and even released an album.

Norm Macdonald

Norm Macdonald's first job was writing for The Dennis Miller Show and then Roseanne. While writing on the show, he was noticed by Lorne Michaels, who liked Norm's stand up so much that he offered the young comedian a job on Saturday Night Live in 1993.

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey, who is easily considered one of the greats, was himself taken under the wing of another comedy legend, Rodney Dangerfield, who spotted the young comic in a Toronto nightclub. Carrey eventually made it to The Tonight Show which led to his role on In Living Color and parts in many comedy classics that we know and love today, such as Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, and Ace Ventura. 

Tim Allen

Tim Allen started his career as a comedian in 1975 in a pretty peculiar way. On a dare from one of his friends, he participated in a comedy night at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle in Royal Oak, outside of Detroit. Following his release from prison in 1981 for a drug-related crime, he returned to comedy and went on to lead the hit show Home Improvement on ABC. 

Steve Martin

From community theater, to Disneyland, to the big screen, Steve Martin began his showbiz career as a teenager. After writing his own comedy routines, plays, and music, he went on to study philosophy and poetry before winning his first Emmy Award for comedy writing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour at the young age of 23.

Lily Tomlin

Initially studying biology at Wayne State University, Lily Tomlin decided to audition for a play which led to her changing her major to theatre and diving into stand-up comedy. Her stand-up was so impressive that it attracted the attention of the producers of Laugh-In, the notorious 1960s sketch comedy show. Tomlin went on to snag an Oscar nomination for her acting work.

Dana Carvey

One of SNL's most talented and beloved alumni, Dana Carvey absolutely dominated during his six seasons on Saturday Night Live, creating some of the show's most memorable characters. He never drifted far from stand-up though and has continued to take the stage and release specials.

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks took the weirdest route to stand-up of anyone on this list. He was already in Hollywood and establishing a nice career when he decided to audition for a movie about stand-up comedy called Punchline. As part of that process, he developed his own stand-up routine and performed in clubs. There's even footage of it that trends every now and again.

Bob Odenkirk

Starting out as a D.J. in Illinois, Bob Odenkirk got his start in local improv workshops in Chicago, where he also did open-mic stand-up comedy for several years. In Chicago, he became friends with Robert Smigel, who would later help him become a writer for Saturday Night Live.

Larry David

Starting out in stand-up comedy, Larry David befriended Jerry Seinfeld and later went on to co-create Seinfeld. He also wrote for Friday's and Saturday Night Live and famously went on to create the all-time ridiculous show Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

Ed Helms

Ed Helms was studying improv with the Upright Citizens Brigade when he got his big break as a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He later moved on to the hit NBC show The Office where he played Andy Bernard. From there, Helms went on to star in The Hangover trilogy. More importantly, he also acted in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.

Mel Brooks

There aren't many names in the world of comedy that stand larger than Mel Brooks. The legend started his career in stand-up before working as a writer for Sid Caesar's variety show Your Show of Shows from 1950 to 1954. After that, he, of course, took over Hollywood, winning an EGOT and directing classics like Blazing Saddles, The Producers and Robin Hood: Men In Tights.

Simon Pegg

A comedic force to be reckoned with in the U.K. before dropping smash hits like Sean of the Dead in the U.S., Pegg once told The Hollywood Reporter “I went into stand-up because comedy was something I enjoyed but also because it offered me a certain autonomy that I wouldn’t have if I was sitting and waiting for the phone to ring as an actor.”

Dan Aykroyd

Dan Aykroyd started performing comedy at 17 and later joined the main casts of Second City in Toronto and Chicago. Later, it was his work in the sketch comedy powerhouse Saturday Night Live that turned him into a huge name and opened the door for him to start in classics like The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters.

And those are some of the actors who also took the stage to perform stand-up or sketch comedy at some point during their careers!

Rainn Wilson and John Krasinski captured the hearts of many as their characters Dwight and Jim on The Office. While the two characters had a hilariously combative relationship, it was all love behind the scenes. The two actors have been adorably supportive of each other over the years and their endeavors following their stints on the beloved workplace comedy. The love continued this week, when the duo shared a sweet exchange over Krasinski’s latest project, Jack Ryan. 

In a recent Instagram post, Rainn Wilson posted a picture of a billboard he passed while driving. The poster was a massive ad for the fourth and final season of Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan series, in which his Office co-star plays the titular character. The comedic actor couldn’t help but share this with his fans, shouting out his former scene partner with a sweet joke. You can see the post below:

The Meg actor also provided a cute caption, tagging his pal and making a reference to the size of the massive billboard. He wrote:

This is so adorable, and I’m sure a number of Office fans are excited to see that these two are still friends, even years after their NBC show ended. The popularity of the sitcom has transcended its 2005 to 2013 run -- and so has this friendship. With that, the Jack Ryan star responded to the sweet post, commenting:

Could these two be any cuter? This isn’t the first time The Office cast have shown their public support for each other. B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling continue to be the closest of pals, participating in each other's projects like when Novak played a role on The Mindy Project. Steve Carrell is also supporting John Krasinski’s directorial efforts by starring in his next movie, IF. They've also reunited many times over the years since the show wrapped, always showing their love for one another. Fans have been campaigning for an official Office reunion for years, and it’s about time they make it happen. 

It’s so sweet for Rainn Wilson to shout out Jack Ryan as it approaches its final season. John Krasinski has been playing the lead role in the Amazon adaptation since 2018, bringing his own charm and charisma to the Tom Clancy character. News that the fourth season would be its last saddened many fans but, hopefully, it'll be a fitting send off. The Office alum has stated he’ll miss the character, and the experiences he’s had with the rest of the cast and crew. The 13 Hours star has been lucky enough to be a part of not one but two great shows with awesome ensembles, and I can’t wait to see what he does next. I'd also bet that Wilson is just as excited about that prospect as many of us are, too.

Fans can catch both Rainn Wilson and John Krasinski in The Office, which has all nine of its seasons available with a Peacock subscription. In addition, the final season of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan will be available to stream for Amazon Prime subscribers when it premieres on June 30. For more information on other shows heading to the small screen later this year, make sure to consult our 2023 TV schedule.

More so than ever before, there are a ton of great travel shows streaming and on TV, as well as incredible series like Ted Lasso that do a tremendous job of discussing mental health. But the list of programs that focus on both of those aspects in a great and organic way is incredibly short. That’s where Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss comes in, as I have found out by watching the Peacock original series the past few weeks.

After starting the docuseries following The Office alum as he crosses the globe, I quickly realized that not only was this a wonderful travel documentary series but also something that goes much deeper than “man explores various cultures” and becomes an exploration of what makes people happy and sad, and what we can learn about ourselves from diving into these different communities and customs.

That being said, I just had to share some thoughts on the show that will definitely become something I revisit from time to time in the future.

The Geography Of Bliss Is A Tremendously In-Depth Travel Doc 

If you’re familiar with shows like Netflix’s Somebody Feed Phil that follow a hilarious host as they dive head-first into new cultures, customs, and even exotic cuisines, then you’ll feel right at home with Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss. The Weird: The Al Yankovic Story star spends the show’s five episodes exploring the terrain and cultures in places like Iceland, Bulgaria, Ghana, Thailand, and even in Los Angeles before it wraps up.

The viewer, like Wilson, learns a tremendous amount about the people and customs of those five locations in a fun yet informative way. Basically, this is a long way of saying the series isn’t like those old travel docs typical narration (though Wilson’s voice-over work adds a lot to the show), and instead something fresh, unique, and a little punk rock, if that makes sense.

No Surprise, But The Geography Of Bliss Is Incredibly Uplifting

This shouldn’t come as a surprise since it’s in the name of the show, but Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss is an incredibly uplifting show; like one of the most positive docuseries I’ve seen in a long time. The first episode, titled “Happiness is a Bottle of Cod Liver Oil,” follows the actor as he travels to Iceland and learns about how the locals have found bliss, happiness, and joy despite living in such an unforgiving and isolated part of the world, one that is shrouded in darkness for large chunks of the year.

And that theme pretty much carries on throughout the remaining four chapters, which see Wilson go to places like Bulgaria, which is apparently considered by some to be one of the unhappiest places on the planet . Even in the toughest of settings with people who aren’t all that welcoming to strangers (or conversation), the eager traveler finds people who are not only surviving, but happy and thriving.

But This Doesn't Mean The Show Is Too Cheery

Though Rainn Wilson is in the pursuit of happiness and the meaning of it through the series, it’s not an overly cheery show. It’s friendly and optimistic but also pragmatic and not sugar coated. The daily problems, issues with society, and mental health (more on that later) of the various strangers who welcome him into their lives and homes are a major part of each episode. This approach, which sees both the good and bad of each situation, provides for an incredible experience that makes you go through the whole gamut of emotions.

Rainn Wilson Opens Up The Conversation About Mental Health

If you want to see how Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss is different from other travel shows, just watch the first few minutes of the premiere episode. In his opening narration, Wilson opens up about his mental health struggles and all the ways he’s tried to address them in the past. Meeting multiple therapists, reading several self-help books, and even journaling all couldn’t help the actor overcome feelings of depression, feeling less than, and being lost in it all.

And so, what does someone do when the experts, best-selling books, and other standard solutions don’t work? They set out to find happiness out there in the world, “hiding in some of the places you’d least expect.” And Wilson does just that by setting off to explore happiness and get a grip on his own mental health by asking those questions and getting the answers in a way he’d least expect.

Wilson’s openness and honesty is one of the things that makes The Geography of Bliss such a fun show to watch. 

The Office Alum Is Hilarious Throughout The Series

Even though Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss touches on some heavy topics like depression, anxiety, and isolation, that doesn’t mean the show isn’t absolutely hilarious, because it is. This should come as no surprise considering the show’s host brought one of the funniest characters on The Office to life with his portrayal of Dwight Schrute all those years. And while he doesn’t fall for any Jim Halpert-level pranks, Wilson shows off his distinct sense of humor throughout the show.

It’s impressive how Wilson can make light of his struggles with mental health while not disregarding them. This could honestly further open the door for more conversations about depression, in showing that it's something many people deal with. And the comedic yet earnest way he goes about this is both funny and impactful.

It's A Show About Self-Discovery

The best trips are those where you know more about yourself and new cultures at the end than you did at the start, and that’s very much the case for Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss. At the start of the series, the Star Trek Discovery actor says he’s always struggled with anxiety and depression (like so many of us) and that he started the journey to figure out what makes people happy. And in doing so, the actor, and self-described mope, does just that.

This is not to say he figures everything out and no longer deals with mental health matters, but he does have a shift in perspective after spending all this time speaking with all these different people and the various ways they find bliss, joy, and happiness in their own unique way. He also comes out of the experience with a greater sense of gratitude, which is something we could all use these days.

Overall, Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss was an incredible, thoughtful, and enjoyable experience, one that can be watched in full with a Peacock Premium subscription. If you want to know what other new and returning shows are coming to the streaming platform (and others like it), check out our 2023 TV schedule.

Stream Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss on Peacock.

A show as timeless as The Office makes it easy for fans to forget just how long it’s been since the beloved comedy first hit NBC. Former co-stars and current podcast co-hosts Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer are here to remind everyone just how old we’re all getting, however, by celebrating the 10-year anniversary of The Office’s series finale, which centered in part on Angela and Dwight’s hay-filled nuptials. But while Kinsey focused her throwback post on her past gig, Rainn Wilson’s out here trying to get audiences interested in watching his newest TV series.  

Angela Kinsey And Jenna Fischer Celebrate 10 Years Since The Office Finale

It’s somehow been a full decade since The Office wrapped up its faux documentary with a winning return from Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott. The show’s popularity has exploded during that time frame, thanks to streaming crowds, to the point where Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer (among other former stars) can celebrate the success of series-based side projects such as their podcast Office Ladies. So it was no surprise to see Kinsey posting about the finale’s anniversary on Instagram, with a shout out to Phyllis Smith’s person-carrying abilities. 

Jenna Fischer also took part in sharing some throwback love, though not so much to Angela and Dwight's happiness, and more about Pam. So selfish, amirite? No, that's not right at all, and her performance modesty is spot-on with her choice of image.

The fan comments on both posts are pretty great, with a lot of people sharing touching and heartfelt stories about how the finale, and The Office in general, played into their lives in important ways. Which, admittedly, is the case for a lot of the two actresses' posts about the hit comedy, but still. Emotional finales do tend to bring out the more elaborate and unflinching reactions from people.

Meanwhile, Rainn Wilson Wants People To Watch His New Show

But while Rainn Wilson did celebrate the ten-year anniversary of The Office's final day of filming back in March, he's been on a wholly different kind of promotional push recently. Not only does the actor and name-adjusting climate-change activist have a current New York Times bestseller with his latest book Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution, but he's also has the new streaming docu-series Rainn Wilson and the Geography of Bliss, which will be available to stream with a Peacock subscription on May 18. 

On the same day that his co-stars were reminiscing about the Little Paper Company That Could, Wilson was out here raising awareness for a show that took him completely out of any office-y, cubicle-ridden settings to travel the world in search of true happiness.

I feel like tons of fans could speak to the idea that seeing Office co-star reunions goes a long way towards sparking happiness, even if it may be at the expense of one of Meredith's pixelated boobs. So while I don't actually think anyone from the show will be popping up in The Geography of Bliss, I'm still holding out hope. (Maybe Wilson could meet up with Kevin portrayer Brian Baumgartner in Chile.)

Luckily for streaming audiences, both The Office's nine-season run and Rainn Wilson's new TV show can be found in the same spot, on Peacock, with extended supercuts still getting sporadic releases for the NBC comedy's past eps. 

Some television characters are so iconic they will continue to live in viewers’ general consciousness long after their series has come to an end. Dwight Schrute from The Office is one of those. And while Rainn Wilson has at times gone to lengths to prevent awkward fan interactions, he recently found himself sitting next to a man on a plane who was watching The Office, completely unaware that the actor behind the beet farmer was right there. Wilson went viral with a video of his strange situation, and he has since provided an update to confirm that the story had a happy ending.

Rainn Wilson’s face was partially obscured by a mask and headphones as he sat next to The Office fan, so the guy can’t really be blamed for not giving his seatmate a more probing look before starting his in-flight binge. Nobody likes a looky loo, especially on a long flight! The actor did eventually address the elephant-sized Dundie in the room, he told fans on Instagram: 

Clearly Rainn Wilson wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity to troll this fan a little bit, goading him into giving light criticisms about the classic workplace mockumentary. Obviously anybody who watches The Office for multiple hours — and this guy seemed super focused on the show — isn’t really going to have a whole lot of negative opinions, even about its first season, when it was trying to figure out how Michael Scott’s Dunder Mifflin fit into the world established by David Brent’s Wernham Hogg in the original British series.

The Dwight Schrute portrayer seemed to just be milking the moment, and he continued:

It’s great that the two men were able to share a laugh over the crazy coincidence, but I have to imagine the fan was pretty mortified over saying anything even remotely critical about the show. You can see the viral video and Rainn Wilson’s full explanation of what happened below: 

At least he didn’t say anything negative about Dwight — one of The Office’s best characters — and hopefully he didn’t make things worse by quoting the popular “Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica,” line that’s often misattributed to Rainn Wilson’s character.

If you want to indulge in a binge of The Office like this guy, you can stream all nine seasons with a Peacock subscription. You might just want to make sure there are none of The Office cast members around when you do! Also stay up to date on all of the upcoming premieres with our 2023 TV schedule. 

When we look back at the greatest TV shows that have graced our screens over the years, The Office is often in the conversation and most certainly way up there when it comes to comedy shows. There are just so many jokes in the NBC show that famous in pop culture, along with many members of The Office cast going on to more hit projects. Now, as the series finale soon meets a major milestone, Dwight Schrute actor, Rainn Wilson, is getting nostalgic with throwback social media posts. 

Wilson took to Instagram to share a series of videos from the final day of shooting The Office back in spring of 2013. Check it out: 

The actor shared five videos on social media that give fans a peek at what it was like during the last two days shooting the beloved TV show. The first video features Creed Bratton singing his song “All The Faces” in the office alongside the entire cast. The second video has the core cast watching Pam actress Jenna Fischer shooting her final “talking head” of the show and the third video features Rainn Wilson himself sharing that the same fake plant has been on the set of The Office for a decade. The fourth video has the cast exiting Dunder Mifflin for the last time and the final one has a ton of loyal fans hanging outside the set. 

It’s an emotional series of videos that came following an initial post where Rainn Wilson shared some more behind the scenes of The Office. Take a look: 

Rainn Wilson shared that it was a decade ago this week that the cast of The Office said goodbye to the show that has shaped so many of their lives and careers. The actor said he is “grateful” for the nine years he starred in the show and thanked his cast and fans for being a part of it. Angela Kinsey, who played Angela, commented this: 

How sweet is this! The Office cast will of course always be known for their roles in the series and many of them have not shied away from the pride of being part of the all-time great comedy show. Kinsey and Jenna Fischer even started a podcast called Office Ladies back in 2019, which they continue to do, where they’ve rewatched and shared commentary on the show. 

Rainn Wilson is currently getting ready to publish a book called Soul Boom, Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution, set to come out on April 25, after making news for changing his name for climate action, dodging fans at the dentist or throwing out a great idea/joke for a Don’t Worry Darling followup. Even though The Office is very much over, you can stream the whole series with a Peacock subscription. 

Dwight Schrute once said, “Identity theft is not a joke, Jim,” after one of Jim’s best pranks. Now the actor behind the iconic The Office character is making a joke of his own name to prove to us all that climate change is also not a joke. In a new initiative to raise awareness for Artic Basecamp, Rainn Wilson posted a funny video announcing his new, over-the-top, and memorable unofficial name change in an effort to fight climate change.

Due to the actor’s weather adjacent name, he came up with many hilarious new alternatives for Rainn Wilson to help raise awareness and promote action around the climate crisis. Both Arctic Basecamp and Wilson posted a video of the actor explaining why this silly action is important. The reason for the name change is so world leaders at COP27 will take notice and take action against the evergrowing issue in the Arctic. Wilson started the video saying:

Wilson said “as a cheap little stunt” to help save Earth he would be changing his name on social media, and on his “fancy writing paper.” He lived up to what he said too, on Instagram, he changed his name to Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson, as you can see here: 

This initiative is something anyone can participate in, Wilson told viewers they can go to the Arctic Risk Name Generator and change their names too, as you can see in his video: 

The goal of this initiative is to raise awareness of the “global risks of Arctic weather change.” He then asked people to go to the site, and change their names to let world leaders and influencers know they need to enact change. On top of changing his own name, he also provided new names for various celebrities, which included: 

•  Cardi The Arctic B Melting 
•  Jack Black Carbon Is Killing Us 
•  Ty-Phoons Are Increasing Burrell 
•  Amy Poehler Bears Are Endangered 
•  Harrison Why Not Drive An Electric? Ford 
•  Samuel Earth’s Getting Hot As L. Jackson 
•  Leonardo Di-Polar Ice Caprio-s Are Melting  

Wilson has been an activist for a long time. On election day he posted an Earth graphic that said “Vote as if your future depends on it.”  He has also been raising awareness for the Lide Foundation, which helps “at-risk adolescent Haitian girls” by way of education, art, and health. Those are only the two most recent things he’s advocated for, as well. It’s amazing to see him using his one-of-a-kind sense of humor to raise awareness for important issues like climate change, women’s rights and voting. 

Along with changing his name for change this year, Wilson also starred alongside Daniel Radcliffe in the wacky, and well-reviewed biopic about Weird Al, which was one of the weirder, for lack of a better term, entries on the 2022 movie schedule. 

After you change your name, you can go check out Wilson’s work in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story on the Roku Channel, and you can always go back and watch Dwight and Angelas’ best moments in some of the best episodes of The Office, which can be streamed with a Peacock subscription. 

The Office’s Dwight Schrute: he’s just your average paper salesman, right?

False. Dwight is actually an above-average paper salesman. But he also leads a very unusual life outside of the walls of Dunder Mifflin.

Most people who've seen The Office surely know that he’s a beet farmer and the best damn assistant to the regional manager in all of Dunder Mifflin. But what makes Dwight, Dwight? Here are a couple things you might not have known about Dwight Kurt Schrute unless you watch The Office on repeat.

He Has Many Eccentric Family Members

Dwight (played by actor Rainn Wilson) is an eccentric character—but his quirks seem pretty tame compared to some of his less socialized relatives.

Dwight’s cousin Mose is probably the most feral of the Schrutes. He lives with Dwight on Schrute Farms, but he doesn’t seem to have a lot of experience interacting with people other than Dwight. Dwight is always having to stop Mose from throwing manure or doing something else socially unacceptable like leaving the outhouse door wide open.

Another of Dwight’s unusual relatives is his Aunt Shirley, a vulgar and off-putting woman who Dwight needs to “hose down” rather than give a normal bath.

We probably would have seen more of Dwight’s unusual family members in the “Dwight” spinoff that was supposed to follow The Office, but the concept was ultimately scrapped.

Nothing Beets Schrute Farms And Everything That Goes On There

We’ve established that a lot of unusual characters frequent Schrute Farms, but there’s a lot more that goes on behind the scenes at this unconventional beet farm.

Known for serving as an “artistic” camp for pacifist -- and as it's implied, homosexual -- soldiers during the Civil War, Schrute Farms is a 60-acre plot of land in rural Pennsylvania. Nowadays, the farm provides beets to local shops and welcomes guests to its rustic Bed & Breakfast (I call dibs on the Irrigation Room).

Schrute Farms also contains a slaughterhouse, 200-year old mattresses, and nine bedrooms, but unfortunately only one outhouse. Careful when you’re digging—there are horse graves everywhere.

Dwight Takes Fire Safety Very Seriously

As we learn in Season 2, Dwight serves as a volunteer Sheriff’s deputy in Scranton. But did you know he ALSO has a passion for fire safety?

In the famous Season 5 episode “Stress Relief,” Dwight puts his coworkers to the test by staging an impromptu fire drill. In true Dunder Mifflin fashion, the drill is a huge fiasco and nobody knows any of the fire safety information Dwight had taught them. 

He Hides Weapons Everywhere

A weaponry aficionado, Dwight has an arsenal of unconventional weapons to use in the event of an attack. Many of these weapons are actually hidden around the office.

Dwight’s secret office weapons are first revealed when he uses pepper spray to stop Roy from attacking Jim—but we later find out he’s also stashed away knives, swords, blow darts, duct tape, and a litany of other protective tools around Dunder Mifflin Scranton.

He Loves Harry Potter

Dwight is a certified Harry Potter superfan, something that frequently comes up throughout the series. Dwight is infuriated when Jim decides to name his Beach Day team “Voldemort” (Dwight’s own team was named Gryffindor). But his love for the boy wizard also manifests in more wholesome ways, like when he reads Jim and Pam to sleep at his bed and breakfast with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Later in the series, it’s still clear that Dwight’s love of Harry Potter hasn’t waned. When Jim and Dwight scheme to convince Todd Packer to relocate to Florida, Dwight repeatedly cites Harry Potter World as one of the main reasons he should consider moving.

He Remembers His Own Birth

Dwight has excellent control of his body—he can retract his veins into his arms and claims he can go from soft to erect at the drop of a hat—but he also apparently has stellar control over his memory.

Dwight recounts the story of his most special birthday: It was dark and warm, until a bright burst of sunlight and intense pressure welcomed him into the world. His mother then bit the umbilical cord.

He Was Raised With Pennsylvania Dutch Traditions

Dwight isn’t technically Amish, but he was raised in rural Pennsylvania to a family that followed many Pennsylvania Dutch traditions. One of the most memorable of these traditions is Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas, which he helps his coworkers experience by dressing up as Belsnickel and putting on a traditional Schrute Family Christmas at the office.

Belsnickel brings traditional German food (including a pig rib) and plays a game of “Impish or Admirable” with the office. 

There Are A Lot Of Schrute Family Rules

The Schrutes follow many specific rules. Dwight shares that all Schrutes must learn these rules by the time they are five, but there’s a helpful tune you can sing to stay on track:

Some of the rules make sense—Schrutes are loyal, uncircumcised, and use all parts of the goose. But many of the rules are a lot more cutthroat. For example, any Schrute who fails at something must be shunned by the family for three years (which happened to Dwight from ages four to six when he forgot to save the oil from a can of tuna). Schrutes must also marry standing in their own graves and haven’t celebrated birthdays since the Great Depression.

He Has A Soft Spot For Pam

Dwight often acts like he doesn’t care for any of his coworkers, but we know that’s not true. He actually has an especially soft spot for Pam.

Pam and Dwight’s friendship first blossoms when Dwight gets a concussion. While loopy and delirious, Dwight’s walls come down and the two bond.

While Dwight’s concussion doesn’t last forever, he frequently shows that he cares about Pam throughout the series. He comforts her when Jim and Karen are dating, and later helps her investigate if Jim has feelings for Kathy.

When Jim and Pam ultimately quit their jobs at Dunder Mifflin in the final season, Dwight fires them—but explains that he only did it so they could get a severance package. That’s best friend behavior.

He Has A Lot Of Special Skills

Okay, so we know Dwight can sell paper faster than a computer and can wield nunchucks like nobody’s business. But the man also has a lot of secret skills that don’t come up as often in the series.

Dwight can play the recorder, which he does at a bird funeral in the parking lot. He’s also a master ping-ponger, which he demonstrates when helping Jim prepare for a ping-pong match against Darryl. Need any home renovations done? Great, Dwight can do those too, like he did with Jim and Pam’s kitchen during Cece’s birth.

Speaking of Cece, Dwight also has a knack for taking care of babies. At Erin and Gabe’s Glee viewing party, Dwight is the only one who can get Cece to stop crying.

He’s Actually A Ladies Man

But there’s just something about Dwight that makes him irresistible to the ladies. Remember Michael and Dwight’s trip to the club in New York? Dwight essentially pulls an entire college basketball team.

Dwight also has a lot of luck with Isabel, a bridesmaid in Pam’s wedding party. The beautiful Isabel is captivated by Dwight’s animal magnetism, and the two rekindle their spark nearly every time they meet.

He’s Very Loyal To Michael… But He Has His Limits

Dwight is a fiercely loyal employee to Michael, often helping him in ways no one else in the office would be willing to. If Michael needs someone to spread peanut butter over his entire head or practice birthing a watermelon, Dwight is his guy. Remember, Schrutes are extremely loyal.

But even Dwight has his limits. At The Roast of Michael Scott, Dwight jumps onstage to ridicule his coworkers for speaking ill of Michael. When Michael interrupts to call Dwight an idiot, he goes off on him:

Dwight will also go behind Michael’s back for the sake of the company—in the Season 3 episode “The Coup,” Dwight tells Jan that he could run the company better than Michael can. As penance for his betrayal, Dwight has to do Michael’s laundry for a year.

Still need more Dwight? Episodes of The Office are available to stream on Peacock.

Weird: The Al Yankovic Story starring Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood and Rainn Wilson took the Toronto International Film Festival by storm this week, and our very own Mike Reyes is here to give his full, spoiler-free review.

Video Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

00:56 - An Incredible, Quirky Cast of Characters

03:37 - All-Star Cameos

04:54 - An Instant Midnight Classic

06:37 - Star Rating & Outro

The drama surrounding the Olivia Wilde-directed film Don’t Worry Darling has sent Twitter into an absolute firestorm. There was already lots of talk about the alleged feud between Wilde and Florence Pugh as well as other cast relations ahead of the Venice Film Festival, where it premiered just a few days ago. However, after that premiere, the discourse seems to have skyrocketed. Even Hollywood stars like Rainn Wilson have taken an interest in the online discussions around the film. Wilson thinks there needs to be a movie about the making of Don’t Worry Darling, and he has already volunteered to play Chris Pine. 

The Office star decided to put in his two cents on everything going on with Don't Worry Darling, and it's hysterical. Not only has Wilson come up with a title for a hypothetical movie about the behind-the-scenes drama, but thinks he should be a part of the film. Wilson doesn’t see himself as the main star, but rather in a supporting role as actor Chris Pine, who has taken a back seat in terms of the controversy. See Wilson’s funny tweet below:

For those blissfully unfamiliar, the making of Don’t Worry Darling has been anything but “darling,” and all the drama has seemingly come out after the film’s completion. Don’t Worry Darling is a psychological thriller starring Harry Styles and Florence Pugh, with supporting performances by Nick Kroll Chris Pine, and Gemma Chan. The film initially attracted widespread attention due to Styles’ involvement and the alleged romance that started between Styles and Wilde during filming. A quick rundown of the events following the wrapped production includes Wilde being served with custody papers publicly while promoting Don't Worry Darling, Pugh pulling out of a promotional tour, Shia LeBeouf debunking a claim by Wilde that he was fired from Styles’ role and, somehow, "Spit-Gate" involving Styles and Pine. I am still working out the details of the last one.

As a result, the film can not stop attracting attention in the forms of memes, TikToks videos and tweets joking about the fiasco. It doesn’t help that early reviews for Don’t Worry Darling are a bit worrisome. According to Rainn Wilson, however, the discourse it’s almost… cinematic? Maybe he's right that the making of Don’t Worry Darling needs an on screen adaptation immediately. 

Wilson may be on to something. Stories following the making of Hollywood films are incredibly popular right now. For example, the Paramount+ show The Offer is about the making of The Godfather, and the Oscar-nominated Netflix film Mank follows the development of Citizen Kane. While I’m not sure Don’t Worry Darling will live up to the likes of these incredible masterpieces in American cinema, a movie about what went down behind the scenes certainly would be entertaining.

Before we can see Rainn Wilson as Chris Pine in this hypothetical Worry Darling movie (which definitely needs to happen, by the way), we can catch him starring alongside Daniel Radcliffe in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. The film is an untraditional biopic premiering September 8 on The Roku Channel. If you want to see for yourself what Don’t Worry Darling has in store, the film will hit theaters September 23. For other information about movies coming out later this year, check out our 2022 movie release schedule. 

Dwight Schrute has got to be one of the greatest television characters of all time. At the very least, he’s got plenty of quotable lines, as actor Rainn Wilson acknowledged in a hilarious rant about fans quoting his Dwight-isms to him, even eight years since The Office came to an end. Apparently people are still very willing to approach him with bear-related questions, jokes about beets or to start a conversation with him by saying, “Fact.” However, there’s one classic “Dwight Schrute” line that Wilson always gets asked about, and he said he doesn’t have the heart to tell fans they’ve got it wrong.

Rainn Wilson recalled to his former colleague Brian Baumgartner on The Office Deep Dive podcast that the infamous, “Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica,” quote is never said by his character, but rather by John Krasinski’s Jim Halpert. Here’s what the actor had to say:

It’s true that Jim pulled off some pretty epic pranks on Dwight over the course of The Office’s nine seasons, and his impersonation of Rainn Wilson’s character in the Season 3 episode “Product Recall” was definitely one of them. In fact, John Krasinski’s performance in that scene might well be the inspiration for all of those awkward fan interactions Wilson tries to avoid. So how does the actor respond to fans asking him to repeat another actor’s line? Does he burst the bubble and set the record straight? Wilson continued:

Rainn Wilson might not be that asshole, but why do I feel like Dwight Schrute wouldn’t have hesitated to insist that people get their facts straight? In case you need further proof that the line came from Jim and not Dwight, check out the classic scene below:

Jim’s line may be one of “Dwight’s” most famous, but it’s not like there aren’t myriad other great Dwight moments from the series. Dwight and Angela (Angela Kinsey) had some of The Office’s most loveable and laughable moments, and that’s saying something in a show that also boasted perennial fan favorite couple Jim and Pam (Jenna Fischer). 

The ensemble cast of the NBC workplace mockumentary will always be remembered for those characters, but the show really launched a number of the actors’ careers, and there are plenty of options available on streaming if you like the cast of The Office. For those who would rather relive the Dunder Mifflin magic, that’s fine too. All nine seasons can be streamed on Peacock, but Seasons 6-9 require a subscription to Peacock Premium.

The Office may have ended years ago, but who knows which of today’s series will be your next favorite? Check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see when all of the new and returning shows are premiering.

Being famous has its perks to be sure, but there are also some hardships that come with being widely recognizable. I’d imagine that’s especially true for actors who are well-known for a specific role or who have a catchphrase of some kind (just ask Schitt’s Creek’s Dan Levy about catchphrases). These are the people who likely are the target of fan interaction (welcomed or otherwise) when engaged in even the most mundane of tasks, such as grocery shopping or — as The Office’s Rainn Wilson recently experienced — getting ready for a root canal. America’s favorite beet farmer portrayer shared that he narrowly dodged a potentially awkward fan encounter in a way that wouldn't have happened pre-COVID.

Despite The Office being off the air for nine years, Steve Carell and his amazing co-stars will live in infamy as the employees of the Dunder Mifflin paper company. Amongst the most memorable of the characters was the self-assured but constant prank victim Dwight Schrute, whose eccentric mindset and lifestyle have been memed to death over time. So when Rainn Wilson realized he was at risk of encountering a woman at the dentist's office who was wearing a Dunder Mifflin shirt,  he took evasive action to ensure his identity went undetected. Check out the actor’s post on Twitter:

Okay, first of all, I need to know: Was the dentist’s name Crentist? Second of all, I still want to know the first thing.

It’s so very Dwight to want to stay incognito at all costs. I’m sure Rainn Wilson is hardly the first celebrity to use a face mask for a little extra anonymity around fans, and hey, it seems like a perfectly reasonable way to avoid what he thought might turn into an awkward encounter for both of them. There are certain times and places where expressions of fandom are practical and expected, but any kind of a medical waiting room should be universally recognized as "not the right place."

Can you imagine being the woman in this photo, though? Assuming she’s a fan of the show to some degree — and didn't just steal that Dunder Mifflin T-shirt from a friend — what would she say if she knew she was sitting right near the Rainn Wilson while waiting to see the dentist? Would she be miffed that she missed an opportunity to meet the actor? Embarrassed at the inadvertent fangirling? Creeped out that someone in the dentist’s office posted a photo of her to social media? (Cue the “Dwight wearing the CPR mask” gif!) 

She shouldn't "beet" herself up about it, though. Rainn Wilson has spoken out about his inability to escape the eccentric character before regarding fan encounters. A few years ago he went off on an epic rant as part of a podcast game in which he jokingly complained (quite realistically) “I’m Not Dwight” in regard to fans who continued to make beet jokes, ask bear-related questions, or say “Fact,” to him years and years after the show ended.

Rainn Wilson has been excellent in a number of projects other than The Office. His recurring role as Arthur on Six Feet Under was as memorable as Dwight in a much more limited capacity, and he’s also appeared on Star Trek: Discovery and Mom, as well as in movies including Galaxy Quest, The Meg, Almost Famous and Full Frontal. He’s also got a bunch of projects in the works, including an appearance in Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, which will no doubt be magical in spades. However, he’ll never not be Dwight, so he'd probably be best to keep those face masks at the ready.

If you want to relive the mockumentary shenanigans, The Office is available for streaming with a Peacock Premium subscription, and it’s also one of several comedy series whose Blu-rays and DVDs are available at a huge discount on Amazon. Be sure to check out our 2022 TV Schedule to see what new and returning shows are premiering soon.

When it comes to some of the funniest sitcoms ever, The Office will always be one that tops the list, in my opinion. From the jokes Jim did on Dwight, to the heartwarming moments, and of course, the ridiculousness of Michael Scott, will always have me coming back to this classic TV series. But one thing I loved about The Office were its character relationships, and how well the creators wrote them.

While I could go off for hours talking about Jim and Pam, I decided to take a look at the second most-known couple of this series - Dwight Schrute and Angela Martin, played by the wonderful Rainn Wilson and Angela Kinsey. For nine seasons these two went back and forth, debating their feelings for one another. Today, we’re going to take a look back on some of their best moments.

When Angela Gives Dwight His Own Bobblehead (Season 2, Episode 16)

The Office was filled with plenty of interesting episodes, but this one is one of my favorites in the whole series. It was arguably one of the very first romantic moments between Dwight and Angela, and it’s on this list for a good reason - because it’s so freaking adorable. In “Valentines Day,” during Season 2, Episode 16, Angela gifts Dwight a little mini-bobblehead figurine of himself to keep on his desk.

Not only is this a very heartfelt gift from her, considering Dwight had been wanting one of them, it would stay on Dwight’s desk for the rest of the series. You can even buy a bobblehead of him in real life now because of how popular it got. And all of that would have been for nothing if Angela hadn’t gifted it to him. It’s amazing how one moment started this whole relationship.

When Pam Is Suspicious Of Dwight And Angela - And It’s Confirmed At The End Of The Episode (Season 2, Episode 9)

Before Angela gave Dwight that bobblehead, Pam was already a little suspicious of the two of them being together, and this begins in Season 2, Episode 9, “Email Surveillance.” Pam sees that Angela bought two Baby Ruths from the vending machine, and ends up seeing Dwight eating the other one.

Even so, by the end of the episode, she decides that maybe its not her business and she could just be misinterpreting something. However, it’s confirmed at the very end of the episode that Pam’s suspicions were right, and in the background at Jim’s barbecue, we can see Angela and Dwight doing something together, while off on their own. It was the perfect way to show that these two are finally together, and that Pam is indeed not crazy for thinking so.

And When Dwight Assists Her In Singing Little Drummer Boy (Season 3, Episode 11)

Christmas episodes on The Office are always fun. In “A Benihana Christmas - Part 2,” during The Office Season 3, Episode 11, it’s a battle for who has the best Christmas party between Angela’s nutcracker Christmas party to Pam and Karen’s more lively margarita karaoke Christmas party. When her day doesn’t go as planned, Angela is upset and Dwight comes to comfort her.

By the end of the episode, the Christmas parties had finally merged together, and they had begun to sing karaoke together. Angela decides to sing one of her favorites, “Little Drummer Boy,” while Dwight holds the mic and helps her do it. It’s a small moment between the two of them compared to what comes after, but it’s incredibly sweet all the same. And seeing the way Dwight looks at Angela will make anyone, even with a Grinch’s heart, smile.

When Dwight And Angela Share A Private Dance After Phyllis’ Wedding (Season 3, Episode 16)

I feel like every wedding episode in The Office is always full of surprises, but this one was a quiet, private moment between the two of them. When Phyllis gets married in Season 3, Episode 16, “Phyllis’s Wedding,” the whole entire The Office cast is there to celebrate, but near the end, Dwight and Angela sneak off to have their own private dance together.

At this moment in the series, at least for me, their relationship had always seemed a little crazy and had so many wacky moments, but this one was one of those instances where you really see how intimate their strange relationship is, and how much they do truly care for each other.

When Dwight Attempts To Give Angela A Replacement Cat (Season 4, Episode 3 & 4)

Oh, Angela’s cat on The Office is the biggest reason as to why everything fell apart. Dwight, while he was at Angela’s home, kills her cat because it was suffering and that it was a normal thing to do on his farm. Angela is rightfully upset - not only for him killing Sprinkles but that now that it was euthanized, it won’t get to go to “cat heaven.” Even so, this ends with them having a falling out.

In Season 4 of The Office, Episodes 3 and 4, titled “Dunder Mifflin Infinity,” Dwight attempts to give a new cat to Angela, trying to replace Sprinkles. Angela doesn't accept this new cat, leading them to have another fight, but at the same time, it’s still good to see Dwight at the very least attempt to make up for his mistake - even if the cat he got could never replace Sprinkles.

When Dwight And Angela Are Caught Having Sex (Season 4, Episode 19)

Despite everything that happened between Dwight and Angela on The Office, especially after her cat, Dwight and Angela still end up having a secret affair because these two just can’t stay away from each other. In Season 4, Episode 19, in “Goodbye, Toby,” Andy, who had just started dating Angela, proposes to her during the festivities in the parking lot.

While she does accept at the time, that doesn’t mean that her heart is completely in it. Later that night, Phyllis if wrapping up her party committee responsibilities and ends up discovering that Dwight and Angela are having sex in the abandoned office, further showing that these two still have feelings for one another.

When Dwight And Angela Decide To Engage In A Child-Bearing Contract (Season 6, Episodes 17 & 18)

This whole entire episode, titled “The Delivery,” is iconic in its own right. We get to see the beginning of Jim and Pam having a beautiful family. But I need to point out the better moment of this episode - Dwight saying that he feels the urge to have a child.

Because of this, in Season 6, Dwight decides to ask Angela to participate in a child-bearing contract with him. Does this sound absolutely bonkers and ridiculous to any sane-minded person? Of course. But this is Dwight and Angela we’re talking about, and she says yes. Once this occurs, it’s basically just an excuse for them to have sex together for the sake of “child-bearing purposes,” not just because they want to be together.

When Dwight And Angela Agree That Jazz Is Stupid (Season 9, Episode 8)

At this point in The Office, Dwight and Angela had been through so much together. They’d gotten together, broken up, had affairs, stepped apart - but through it all, they still did care for each other and had similar interests. And that’s why this moment, both hysterical and heartwarming, had to pop on this list. In Season 9, Episode 9, “The Target,” when Angela suspects that her new husband is having an affair with Oscar, she hires a hitman to take Oscar down because she believes he turned her husband gay.

However, when this plan falls to pieces and Oscar says that her husband was always gay, she is upset and sits down, so confused about thing. Dwight, who had been helping her through this as her friend, comforts her when she says she thinks she’s stupid. He says that she isn’t stupid - jazz is stupid, and she agrees, saying they should just “play the right notes.”

It’s a “blink and you miss it” kind of moment between them, but funny and sweet nonetheless. It’s the perfect Dwight way to comfort someone, and its gets the job done with Angela.

When Dwight Proposes To Angela And Finds Out He’s A Father (Season 9, Episode 23)

For fans of Dwight and Angela, the Season 9 episode of The Office, titled “A.A.R.M.” is your dream. In this episode, Dwight is still convinced that Phillip, Angela’s son, is his child, and that he still loves Angela, but is having trouble deciding who to marry between her and Esther. Jim reveals that if Dwight still feels that way about Angela, he needs to go after her. Dwight then makes up his mind not long after that.

He runs Angela off the road - a strange way to begin a proposal, but this is Dwight we’re talking about - and gets down on one knee, finally doing what Angela had wanted all along. He proposes to her, asking her to be his wife, and she says yes. Not that long after, she also reveals to him that Phillip is indeed Dwight’s son, making Dwight incredibly happy. Not only did he get the girl, he has a family now too.

Their Whole Wedding (Season 9, Episodes 24 & 25)

The finale of The Office felt like the perfect way to close it out, with the wonderful wedding of Dwight and Angela in Season 9, Episodes 24 & 25. There were so many amazing moments, from Michael showing up again (played by the talented Steve Carell), to Angela and Dwight’s wedding dance, to everything else in-between.

It was the perfect way to cap off this relationship between them, one that started out pretty normally in the beginning, had plenty of messy moments, but ended with them happy, together, and having the family they always wanted, surrounded by friends and loved ones. I can’t think of a better way to watch all our favorite characters come together one last time - watching two people they care about solidify their love for one another.

Plus, Phyllis carrying Angela down the aisle will always make me laugh and cry in happiness - this episode truly can’t be beat.

With everything these two have gone through in this show, which moment is your favorite? Now all we need is a The Office reunion to see these two together again. Whatever the case, I miss my favorite inside jokes and cute couples. Maybe one day, we'll get to see all of them once more.

The Office was known for many things. For the heart-warming moments, the craziness of Michael Scott, for the cute relationship between Jim and Pam, for the inside jokes, but to me, one of my favorite things about this show that became a running gag, were the pranks that Jim Halpert would play on Dwight Schrute constantly.

Whether that be just simply hiding his things to changing his whole entire race, Jim Halpert, played by John Krasinski, made sure that no matter what, there was some sort of prank coming Dwight’s way. And from that, we as the viewers get amazing jokes and bits that would last a lifetime. But through so many episodes, what were his best pranks on The Office? Look no further for that answer.

Honorable Mention: When Jim Makes Dwight Believe It’s Friday (Season 2, Episode 8)

While I don’t think it should be considered one of the “best,” there’s no denying that “Performance Review” in The Office definitely has one of Jim’s best minor jokes. In this episode, Dwight believes that it is Friday instead of Thursday, and when Jim and Pam discover this, they decide to continue to feed into this misconception, acting as if it is Friday as well to mess with him.

Because of this, Dwight goes home thinking that it’s the end of the week - only to find out the next day that it’s not and coming into work the next day later, frazzled, and panicking. He had never missed a day of work up until that point, but because Jim and Pam decided to not correct him, there goes his perfect record.

When Jim Puts Dwight’s Things In The Vending Machine (Season 2, Episode 11)

“Booze Cruise” gave plenty of fun moments throughout this episode of The Office, but one of the best is in the opening minutes. Dwight is confused as to where all of his stuff has gone from his desk, like his pens, his stapler, everything he could possibly need. He soon discovers that Jim worked with the vending machine guy to load each of Dwight's possessions into a slot in the machine.

And now he has to use money to somehow get everything back. Though his wallet is one of the items in the vending machine, Jim helpfully provides him with a bag of nickels to buy his stuff back.

It’s a prank that probably required a lot of work on Jim’s part, considering he had to literally move everything into there, but still a hilarious pay-off.

When Jim Sends Dwight Warnings From “Future Dwight” (Season 3, Episode 7)

In “Branch Closing,” Jim reveals that he tends to occasionally send faxes to Dwight, from Future Dwight, so he can mess with him. In this sequence, we see Dwight get a fax that says that the coffee was poisoned and to not drink it. As Stanley is about to sip his coffee, Dwight yells out and knocks it out of his hands, saying “you’ll thank me later.”

The look on Stanley’s face says it all. He looks angry but shocked and confused all the same. While it was a great prank on Dwight in general, the real victim here is Stanley.

When Jim Moves Dwight’s Desk To The Bathroom (Season 2, Episode 6)

Another great Season 2 prank of The Office is another instance where we are dealing with Dwight and all his stuff - except this time, Jim literally includes all of it and not just items that can fit into a vending machine.

In “The Fight,” Dwight shows up to the office in Scranton looking understandably confused when his entire workspace is gone, including his desk, his computer, and even his chair. When he confronts Jim, he has no idea what’s going on, but soon, Dwight finds the desk - along with all his stuff - in the bathroom, right next to the urinal.

What makes this moment even funnier is that somehow, everything is working and meticulously placed. It wasn’t even like Jim just placed everything there just for fun - he set up Dwight’s whole office in the bathroom. It’s hysterical.

When Jim (And Pam) Convinces Dwight That Jim Has Telekinetic Powers (Season 2, Episode 22)

“Casino Night” is filled with several big moments in the series, but one of my favorite parts is this quick yet efficient prank that Jim pulls on Dwight. During the company’s efforts to start a casino night, Pam says that she is a roulette expert, but Dwight says that roulette is not a game of skill, it’s a game of chance.

Jim goes along with that and says that he has no problem with chance, because he knows mind-control. Dwight, at first, doesn’t believe him, but after Jim tells him a story of his youth, and he’s somehow able to move a coat rack without touching it (thanks to the help of Pam with an umbrella’s handle), Dwight is stunned and believes him.

It’s hilarious to see the look on Dwight’s face, paired with viewers knowing both Jim and Pam are in on this quick little trick. So simple yet so effective.

When Jim Impersonates Dwight (Season 3, Episode 2)

“Bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.”

I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that quote everywhere at this point. In The Office, during “Product Recall,” Jim comes into the office in full Dwight-attire, with the same outfit, hair and glasses, sits down, and then does the same mannerisms that Dwight does to his face, asking him what kind of bear is best - and not waiting for an answer - and continues to confuse the heck out of him throughout the bit.

Seeing Dwight’s annoyed yet concerned face, snapping when he says “Identity theft is not a joke, Jim!” gets me every time. Plus, it only cost Jim eleven dollars. How could he not do the prank?

When Jim Mails Dwight A “Gaydar” Device (Season 3, Episode 1)

In “Gay Witch Hunt,” after the accidental outing of Oscar in The Office, Dwight called Jim -- who was working in Stamford at the time -- to ask him about the device called "gaydar," which Jim had apparently told him was a thing you could buy online. Jim, in response, decides to send Dwight the device, which was likely just a metal detector. 

This one singular moment where Dwight is running the device over Oscar and it beeps (because it goes over his metal belt) but he believes it’s telling him that Oscar is gay - again, the moment is almost a “blink-and-you-miss-it” sort of deal, but it’s such a clever prank on Jim’s part.

When Jim Puts Dwight’s Stapler In Jell-O (Season 1, Episode 1)

Usually, the first episode of any show is meant to establish the characters, storyline, and motivations, but for The Office, they started off Jim’s pranks with Dwight as soon as possible as well.

In “Pilot,” it’s a simple prank - all Jim does is somehow get Dwight’s stapler into a mound of Jell-O, which is obviously not fun and no one wants that - but it’s the simplicity of this first prank - mixed in with all the other pranks that come after that, which makes this one of the best.

What makes it even more fun is that this prank was actually a call-back to the original British series that The Office was based on, starring Ricky Gervais. It's pretty cool to see the spin-off pay homage to the original show in a way that's so subtle only original fans would understand.

When Jim Gift-Wraps Dwight's Entire Desk (Season 5, Episode 11)

There have been so amazingly memorable Christmas episodes in The Office, but one of my favorites by far is “Moroccan Christmas,” if not for the craziness that happens within the first ten minutes of this episode. Regardless, in this Christmas special, Jim goes all out with presents to Dwight.

Well, not really presents. Instead, he seemingly wraps up every single one of Dwight’s things - including his desk, his computer, and his chair - in Christmas wrapping paper. And when Dwight comes in to see it, he says he’ll be able to unwrap everything quickly, but as soon as he puts his briefcase down and attempts to sit, everything falls apart, revealing that it was all cardboard beneath the paper.

I mean, come on. Someone who goes through that kind of serious dedication is an amazing prankster. You can’t even be mad at someone who’s able to do that.

When Jim Connects A 500-Foot Red Wire To Dwight’s Computer (Season 5, Episode 13)

During The Office, in “Prince Family Paper,” Dwight, while he is working at his desk, notices a strange red wire that was never there before. Jim seems dismissive of it, until Dwight begins to pull the red wire up, revealing that it was taped to the ground, under the chairs and desks of fellow co-workers, through the building, and outside up the telephone pole.

Jim later reveals he got 500 feet worth of red wire at the Flea Market. In the background, we see Dwight climbing up the telephone pole to disconnect the wire, not knowing its origins. Jim simply says that Dwight will be okay because he was up there too. It’s a funny exchange and a super simple prank that stands out amongst the rest.

When Jim Replaces Himself With His Asian Actor Friend (Season 9, Episode 3)

This is definitely my favorite prank of Jim’s, hands-down. In the third episode of Season 9, titled “Andy’s Ancestry,” Jim decides to enlist the help of his actor friend to pull the ultimate prank - faking his own identity. The actor friend, playing Jim, comes into work like it’s any normal morning, except now he is of Asian descent. Dwight, thinking it’s a prank, automatically calls him out, asking the imposter-Jim about a sale only Jim would know about.

The supposed Jim answers back perfectly what Dwight expected to hear, enters in the correct password for his phone, and then Pam comes over and gives him a kiss This is further continued when Dwight is still in denial and holds up a picture of Jim with his kids, but is instead replaced by the Asian man.

It turns out, according to Pam, the Jim that was in the office that day was an acting friend of theirs, named Steve, while the real Jim was actually at the dentist.

Dwight’s slow breakdown into confusion and dismay is made all the more funnier when you know the context of the scene. Truly, for all the work Jim did to get this to work, it was amazing. It's even funnier knowing that Randall Park, who played Steve, doesn't even remember doing this legendary prank.

When Jim Surprises Dwight At His Wedding With Michael (Season 9, Episode 24)

Alright, so this isn’t necessarily what you would think a “prank” is, but it’s a great moment in The Office that shows how far both Jim and Dwight have come in their relationship. During Dwight’s wedding, Jim, who was supposed to be the bestish mensch (otherwise known as the best man), tells Dwight that in order to be that, you have to be older than the groom.

While Dwight does seem visibly upset that Jim can’t be his best man anymore, Jim says that there’s nothing he can do, but then his eyes move towards the entrance to the room they were in, and Dwight turns around to see Michael, their former boss, standing there, surprising Dwight.

It’s a sweet and hysterical moment, where Michael even gets to say “That’s what she said” once more, but afterwards once Dwight and Michael have hugged, Jim says to the camera, “Best prank ever.”

Again, seeing the two of them, who had been at each other for so long with these pranks and rivalries, come so far in The Office, makes this scene even better. It was a great way to close out their long-winded frenemy-ship. And a great way to bring Steve Carell back to the show one last time as the series wrapped up.

Which one of these pranks were your favorite? Do you miss the constant gags we would get during The Office between these two? I know that I do. I suppose I’ll just have to watch whatever The Office cast is doing now to get my fix. Speaking of that, when’s the next season of John Krasinski’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan? Ugh, we need an The Office reunion.

As the NBC comedy The Office continues to build its popularity through behind-the-scenes podcasts and its streaming expansion on Peacock (complete with extended "Superfan" episodes), some sad news hit the fandom this week. Actor Mark York, who recurred across multiple seasons as property manager Billy Merchant, passed away recently at the age of 55. To be expected, his death was mourned by fans and friends alike, and several stars from The Office also took to social media to share their condolences.

Mark York passed away on May 19 at Miami Valley Hospital, and though a cause of death wasn't specified, it was reported that he succumbed to brief and unexpected illness. After the news of his death started making the rounds, many took time to remember York's work as Billy Merchant, such as Rainn "Dwight Schrute" Wilson, who shared the following message on Twitter:

First introduced in Season 2 for the episode "The Injury," Mark York's Billy Merchant was paraplegic, just as the actor had been since 1988. And though his wheelchair-bound nature was indeed poked fun at by Steve Carell's Michael Scott, as was his non-nurse girlfriend, Billy was one of the few Office characters that could dismiss Michael without letting things go too far. Everyone should be so lucky.

It sounds like Mark York had the same kind of good vibes that his character had, with Jenna Elfman sharing this on Twitter:

Mark York went on to appear in person across four episodes of The Office, while his voice could be heard in Season 3's memorable Pretzel Day episode, "Initiation." His final episode was Season 5's "Dream Team."

The Office star and Jenna Fischer's Office Ladies co-host Angela Kinsey shared the following message on her Twitter page:

For anybody who wanted a quick reminder of what made Billy Merchant a memorable Office side character, co-star Creed Bratton has you covered with his R.I.P. message.

We here at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to the family and friends of Mark York during their time of mourning.

By now, Bear Grylls is well known as someone who is always eager to take his adventurous, survivalist tendencies to unbelievable heights, and to bring others along for the ride as much as possible. Grylls has been showing celebrities how he does what he does and lives through it for several years now, and former The Office cast member Rainn Wilson just joined him on Running Wild with Bear Grylls for an outdoor escapade which involved both men going completely nude.

Running Wild with Bear Grylls is currently in its sixth season on National Geographic, and we've already seen Anthony Mackie in the mountains of Italy, Terry Crews brave the Icelandic highlands, and Danica Patrick in the Moab Desert. But, almost nothing they did compares to what Grylls put Rainn Wilson through, as he had them go fishing in the forest mountains of Utah...totally naked. And, you know, Mr. Wilson wasn't thrilled by the experience. Take a look!

Ummmmm. No. OK? I'm just going to go ahead and say that even if I'd already agreed to have some wild survivalist time in a mountainous forest, I would not then also agree to doing any roaming about or swimming while nude, alright? We all have our lines which cannot be crossed, and that is mine. However, it does not appear that this is the case with Rainn Wilson, who decided to brave this challenge anyway. He might be a stronger, tougher individual for it, but he certainly didn't enjoy it while it was happening.

Luckily, the recent episode, which was filmed in the La Sal mountains, wasn't simply a Bear Grylls-filled version of Naked and Afraid, as the ever intrepid host and Rainn Wilson did get up to mostly-clothed shenanigans while traversing the harsh landscape. This included the duo stepping off a mountain ledge and crossing a canyon while hanging from a rope (Wilson got stuck half way and had to pull himself across using his tether), and I'm going to guess right now that Wilson was at least glad he was fully clothed for that experience.

To be honest, I hate the simple idea of being barefoot, especially outside, so even walking through those tall, apparently dead grasses without shoes / socks would have given me pause and might have made me call for immediate access to my trailer as Rainn Wilson did after attempting to swim in the very cold water. And, I think that Wilson's Dwight Schrute would have done a lot of bragging about being able to do all of this easily, but would have, hilariously, fallen way short of what his portrayer managed.

Grylls, obviously, takes a lot of pleasure in these kinds of exploits, which is great for him. But, I think he might sometimes forget that the people he's with, even if they are somewhat of the thrill-seeking sort, aren't always as completely enthusiastic about these undertakings as he is. Who, in their right mind, would dare take someone new along for a nude feat of outdoorsmanship, and randomly think it was cool to pick up a bunch of mud / grass / probably some slightly dormant angry snakes and just throw the whole mess at said individual and hit them in the face?

Where I come from, there's a 99% chance that such an action would lead to him quickly being abandoned in the wilderness to be set upon by hungry animals, but this is probably why I'll never be asked to partake of an adventure with Bear Grylls. So, kudos to Rainn Wilson for coming through it all like a champ able to make a shrunken penis joke at the end.

Running Wild with Bear Grylls airs Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on National Geographic.

Spoilers below for the latest episode of The Rookie, titled "True Crime."

The newest episode of ABC’s The Rookie followed a format unique to the Nathan Fillion drama, if not all of TV. The LAPD officers were being interviewed for a true crime docuseries after a case involving a former child star, Corey Harris, who was the leader of a cult that was later murdered. Frankie Muniz, everyone’s childhood crush from Malcolm In the Middle and Agent Cody Banks, played the actor-turned-wacko cult leader, and it was quite the believable performance from Muniz.

Many fans were delighted to see the return of Frankie Muniz on their TV screens, and CinemaBlend’s own Mick Joest tweeted that it was the best episode of The Rookie he’s seen yet! (No bias, no bias.)

Between the documentary vibe, the surprise guest stars and more fun elements, this episode of The Rookie was different from any previous episode within the show’s three seasons so far! One user thought the episode was 100% perfect, with part of that reason being how great it was seeing Frankie Muniz back on TV.

Some fans were excited to see what Frankie Muniz’s next role would be, as one user made a reference to Muniz’s Malcolm days and envisioned the crossover potential from this latest Rookie role.

Frankie Muniz, whose Malcolm in the Middle work factored into a recent WandaVision episode, was not the only guest star on this week’s The Rookie, either. Rainn Wilson, who many know as Dwight Schrute from The Office, made a surprise appearance being interviewed for the docuseries, playing none other than...himself! The coupling of comedic guest stars made many fans very happy, as one user pointed out:

Fans who grew up watching Frankie Muniz on TV were just excited to see him on their screens yet again, as one fan said:

Others were just as pumped to see Frankie Muniz on The Rookie, and were also quick to champion the actor's skills.

Some fans, however, are finding it a bit too on-the-nose that Frankie Muniz, a former child star himself, played a lifelong actor-turned-cult leader, which goes to show just how amazing his performance was.

Frankie Muniz first got his acting start in 1997, playing mostly minor roles until he landed the titular lead role in Fox’s Malcolm In the Middle, which ran for seven seasons. Arguably his other most noteworthy projects and roles were Big Fat Liar with Amanda Bynes in 2002, the titular role in Agent Cody Banks in 2003, and its sequel in 2004. Muniz also competed in Season 25 of Dancing With the Stars, where it became more widely publicized just how little he remembers about filming Malcolm in the Middle after having suffered health issues in 2012 and 2013.

The Rookie marks Frankie Muniz’s first acting role since 2018 where he didn’t portray himself, and it seems like it was a success, even though it didn’t end too well for his character. The Rookie airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on ABC.

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When it was announced The Office would leave Netflix, I bet the hit comedy’s biggest fans were at least happy to learn a subscription to Peacock, on which it is now exclusively available, was free. Yet, after an insurmountable number of times binging Michael Scott’s (Steve Carell) managerial bumbling, Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam’s (Jenna Fischer) blossoming romance, and other workplace misadventures, it might be time to find something else to watch. However, if you still cannot get enough of The Office cast, there is plenty more from them available to stream.

In fact, the stars of the NBC hit, itself inspired by Ricky Gervais’ acclaimed British mockumentary style sitcom, have since gone on to lead some incredibly impressive careers in front of and behind the camera. For instance, Steve Carell is a respected Academy Award-nominated actor, John Krasinski is a successful filmmaker and action star, and Mindy Kaling is the brains behind some of the most groundbreaking comedy series in recent memory, just to name a few. The amount of exciting big and small screen projects that involve the cast of The Office outside their Dunder Mifflin tenure is almost too big a number to compile.

However, we are going to try anyway by focusing primarily on just 12 of the series’ biggest names and the most noteworthy titles of their respective filmographies. The following are the best movies and TV shows a fan of The Office can also spend their time with right now, starting with the man who gave you a reason to admire someone you would be ashamed to call your boss otherwise.

Steve Carell (Michael Scott)

Following his stint as Scranton’s inept Dunder Mifflin manager, Steve Carell recently played an Army general whose job challenges are less his fault on the satirical Space Force (which he co-created with Greg Daniels) and a TV host whose career mistakes are far more despicable (but to Emmy-nominated acclaim) on The Morning Show for Apple TV+. The former Office lead has also exhibited wonderful acting range in films like the clever rom-com Crazy Stupid Love, Adam McKay’s bold, Oscar-nominated political biopic Vice, heartbreaking family drama Beautiful Boy opposite Timothee Chalamet, and even the animated Dr. Seuss adaptation Horton Hears a Who! - his second collaboration with Jim Carrey.

Stream Space Force on Netflix here.

Stream The Morning Show on Apple TV+ here.

Stream Crazy Stupid Love on Hulu here.

Stream Vice on Hulu here.

Stream Beautiful Boy on Amazon Prime here.

Stream Horton Hears a Who! on Disney+ here.

Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute)

Outside of creating the website SoulPancake, Rainn Wilson has done well to outgrow his otherwise best known role of the ridiculously self-serious Dwight Schrute by playing a widow upended by Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s mysterious derelict in Hesher, a gym teacher battling zombie children in Cooties, the voice of Lex Luthor in The Death of Superman, and, most recently, on Utopia as one of several people who believe they must save the world. Plus, to see the actor in something crazy before he landed The Office, Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses easily does the trick.

Stream Hesher on Amazon Prime here or on Tubi here.

Stream Cooties on Peacock here.

Stream The Death of Superman on HBO Max here.

Stream House of 1000 Corpses on Shudder here or on Tubi here.

Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly)

Even if receptionist-turned-saleswoman Pam Beesly is destined to remain Jenna Fischer’s defining role, it is still always a treat to see her in big comedy movies like Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story as the second wife of John C. Reilly’s titular musician and in Hall Pass as the fed-up wife of a horny Owen Wilson. The St. Louis-born The Office alum has also known for impressive turns in indie films, such as the quirky 2012 rom-com The Giant Mechanical Man or the mid-life crisis dramedy Brad’s Status, in which she plays Ben Stiller’s wife.

Stream Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story on IMDb TV here.

Stream Hall Pass on Cinemax here.

Stream The Giant Mechanical Man on Peacock here, on Tubi here, or on IMDb TV here.

Stream Brad’s Status on Amazon Prime here.

John Krasinski (Jim Halpert)

When you are not checking on Some Good News in the world with John Krasinski, you can also watch him save the world in the title role of Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan series - a massive leap from Jim Halpert. Of course, we can easily call everything the A Quiet Place director and husband of Emily Blunt has done since The Office (or even during) a massive leap, including Sam Mendes’ delightful Away We Go, Kathryn Bigelow’s harrowing Detroit, and Disney’s nature documentary Born in China, in which he serves as the narrator of.

Stream Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime here.

Stream Away We Go on Peacock here.

Stream Detroit on Hulu here.

Stream Born in China on Disney+ here.

Mindy Kaling (Kelly Kapoor)

After ending her stint as Kelly Kapoor in 2012, Mindy Kaling starred in the acclaimed comedy The Mindy Project - the first TV series of her own invention before co-creating the semi-autobiographical coming-of-age sitcom Never Have I Ever for Netflix and co-developing a series reimagining of Four Weddings and a Funeral for Hulu. The multi-talented comedian, who wrote and directed several episodes of The Office, too, also penned and starred in Amazon Prime’s Late Night with Emma Thompson, but stuck purely to acting duties for the heist comedy Ocean’s Eight and when providing her voice to Wreck-It Ralph and Inside Out for Disney.

Stream The Mindy Project on Hulu here.

Stream Never Have I Ever on Netflix here.

Stream Four Weddings and a Funeral on Hulu here.

Stream Late Night on Amazon Prime here.

Stream Ocean’s Eight on HBO Max here.

Stream Wreck-It Ralph on Disney+ here.

Stream Inside Out on Disney+ here.

B.J. Novak (Ryan Howard)

Also pulling triple-duty as a star, writer, and director on The Office was B.J Novak, who played Ryan Howard - Dunder Mifflin's temp turned mainstay and love interest of Kelly Kapoor (and, supposedly, Michael Scott, too). While his, arguably, best known big screen role in Inglourious Basterds is currently unavailable to stream, you can catch him in other period pieces like The Founder, also starring Michael Keaton as McDonald’s franchise developer Ray Croc, and Saving Mr. Banks, in which Novak’s Robert B. Sherman tries to convince P.L. Travers to allow his cheery songs into Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins adaptation.

Stream The Founder on Netflix here.

Stream Saving Mr. Banks on Netflix here or on Disney+ here.

Ellie Kemper (Erin Hannon)

Ellie Kemper made a smooth transition from The Office after landing the title role of Netflix comedy Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which would lead to further big screen roles, like as dog owner Katie in The Secret Life of Pets and its sequel from 2019. Before hitting it big as eccentric Dunder Mifflin secretary Erin Hannon, the actress starred alongside a young Donald Glover in the film Mystery Team, which he also wrote with his old troupe Derrick Comedy.

Stream Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix here.

Stream The Secret Life of Pets 2 on Netflix here.

Stream Mystery Team on Tubi here.

Ed Helms (Andy Bernard)

Joining the cast of The Office as Andy Bernard immediately made Ed Helms an exciting comedic talents, which increased with The Hangover and its two sequels (the first being the most successful). In addition to playing prolific TV personality Tom Snyder in A Futile and Stupid Gesture and producing (and appearing) on Australian comedy trio Aunty Donna’s American debut sketch series Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun on Netflix, Helms has also found success with more dramatic roles, such as in the tragic Joe Kennedy biopic Chappaquiddick.

Stream The Hangover Part II on HBO Max here.

Stream A Futile and Stupid Gesture on Netflix here.

Stream Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun on Netflix here.

Stream Chappaquiddick on Netflix here.

Angela Kinsey (Angela Martin)

It is hard to separate Angela Kinsey from her uptight character on The Office, partially because they have the same first name. To help better disassociate the two, check out the actress in Hulu’s reality TV parody The Hot Wives of Orlando, her supporting role in Netflix’s Miranda Sings series Haters Back Off!, or playing opposite the late Fred Willard in the 2014 sports comedy All Stars.

Stream The Hot Wives of Orlando on Hulu here.

Stream Haters Back Off! on Netflix here.

Stream All Stars on Peacock here.

Oscar Nuñez (Oscar Martinez)

The actor behind fellow Dunder Mifflin accountant Oscar Martinez has also been hard at work outgrowing his Office days. Oscar Nuñez plays one of many Chilean coal miners trapped underground in The 33, which is based on a true incident, and can also be seen on Mr. Iglesias, a the Netflix original sitcom led by comedian Gabriel Iglesias.

Stream The 33 on Hulu here.

Stream Mr. Iglesias on Netlflix here.

Phyllis Smith (Phyllis Vance)

Phyllis Smith was able to to reunite with one her fellow The Office alums in the beloved Pixar film Inside Out, in which she provided the voice of “Sadness” alongside Mindy Kaling’s “Disgust.” She also played a flight attendance in the third Alvin and the Chipmunks movie (which was cheekily subtitled Chipwrecked) in 2011 and later scored a starring role as high school teacher Betty Broderick-Allen on The OA - a unique sci-fi series on Netflix.

Stream Inside Out on Disney+ here.

Stream The OA on Netflix here.

Stream Alvin and The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked on HBO Max here.

Craig Robinson (Darryl Philbin)

It was Craig Robinson’s success outside The Office (in movies like Pineapple Express, for instance) that earned him (and his character, Darryl Philbin) a promotion on the show and his own short-lived series, Mr. Robinson, on NBC after the 2013 finale. The comedian has not slowed down since, appearing in unique comedies like the Rudy Ray Moore biopic Dolemite Is My Name alongside Eddie Murphy or An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn with Parks and Recreation alum Aubrey Plaza.

Stream Pineapple Express on Netflix here.

Stream Mr. Robinson on Peacock here.

Stream Dolemite Is My Name on Netflix here.

Stream An Evening with Beverly Luff Linn on Netflix here.

What do you think? Which The Office alum has the most successful career following the series’ end? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on this beloved sitcom, as well as even more of our own recommendations for movies and TV shows you can stream right now, here on CinemaBlend.

It is not rare to see a successful television show get a spinoff of some sort at the tail end of its run or right after the series concludes, which is what makes the fact that The Office never received a spinoff of its own such a strange phenomenon. Everything from Breaking Bad to Big Bang Theory have all received new shows based on popular characters over the years, so why didn’t anyone from Dunder Mifflin Scranton get more time in the spotlight? Well, there was an attempt to continue the story of Rainn Wilson’s signature character Dwight Schrute with a series that would have been called The Farm, but things simply didn’t pan out.

But why didn’t things work out and what happened to what those involved with both The Office and The Farm thought would be NBC’s next hit? Below we will break down what Dwight Schrute's spinoff was about, how the show’s producers salvaged the material, and even what Rainn Wilson, who would have headlined a cast of comedy up-and-comers had to say about the backdoor pilot to bring the assistant to the assistant to the regional manager from the office to the farm.

Some Basic Things To Know About The Farm

More than a year before The Office was brought to a close with its ninth and final season, talk began to circulate that Dwight Schrute would be getting a series of his own with Deadline reporting that the show, which would later become known as The Farm, was reportedly going to have a midseason premiere in Spring 2013. At the time of the January 2012 announcement, it was revealed that The Office executive producer (who also played Toby) Paul Lieberstein and Rainn Wilson were the ones spearheading the project that would revolve around Dwight and his family beet farm. Lieberstein would later take time off from the hit NBC comedy to prepare for what would become The Farm’s pilot.

The backdoor pilot, which later became an episode of The Office Season 9, centered on Dwight Schrute as his siblings returned to the family farm for a very “Scrute funeral.” Introducing characters like Majandra Delfino’s Fannie, Thomas Middleditch’s Jeb, Matt Jones’ Zeke, and several others, the pilot aimed to expand the Schrute family and take Rainn Wilson’s most famous character into the post-Office world.

But NBC Didn’t Order The Series

By late 2012, however, the idea of The Farm being more than a pilot and becoming its own show was dead in the water after potential star Rainn Wilson sent out a tweet confirming that NBC would not be picking it up to succeed The Office.

The reason as to why NBC failed to pick up The Farm for a full series largely remains a mystery all these years later, but some of the footage from the pilot ended up being incorporated into an episode of The Office near the end of its run in 2013.

The Farm Ended Up Airing In The Office’s Final Season

The Farm was originally produced to be a backdoor pilot for the potential series, but the episode that made it into the ninth season of The Office was altered, with additional footage shot to tie it in with the rest of the characters back at Dunder Mifflin. Greg Daniels, executive producer of The Office, told TVLine in December 2012 that “The Farm” would be a “very good episode” that just needed to be tweaked a bit, stating:

The critical response to the episode, however, was mostly negative with outlets like IGN and HitFix pointing out issues like the "Frankensteining" of footage from the pilot with scenes with the rest of the cast and how what was left of the original ideas and characters from The Farm were "barely sketches" in the finished product.

The Farm Was Going To Be More Far Out And Weirder Than The Office

But what would have The Farm looked like if NBC decided to pick it up instead of halting the project and what kind of show would have it been? Going back to January 2012 when the backdoor pilot was first announced, star Rainn Wilson told E! at the 2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards (via THR) that the spinoff would have been much different compared to The Office, stating:

It remains a mystery if we’ll ever get to see what Rainn Wilson and Paul Lieberrstein had in store for Dwight Schrute and the rest of his insane family (at least the footage not seen on The Office), but it isn’t all bad news for the TV star.

Rainn Wilson Wanted The Farm To Go To Series But Was Ready To Hang Up His Hat

With NBC failing to pick up The Farm and continue on with the life of Dwight Schrute, it meant that Rainn Wilson’s time playing the annoyingly absurd character would come to an end along with the rest of the cast of The Office in May 2013. A few months before the Season 9 finale, Wilson appeared on Larry King Now where the legendary interviewer asked the actor if wanted The Farm to blossom into something more, with Wilson responding:

And it was a great run. Over the course of The Office’s nine seasons, Rainn Wilson was part of a cast that received two consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (plus five additional nominations) and was nominated for three Primetime Emmy nominations for best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in as many years between 2007 and 2009.

Who knows, maybe we’ll finally get to see more of The Farm when The Office begins streaming on Peacock in January 2021, especially considering all of the bonus materials the streamer will be hosting related to the hit comedy series in the months to come.

Utopia is one of Amazon Prime Video’s latest original series. It follows a group of people in search of the comic book Utopia. For some, the comic book is just that, a comic book with an interesting story and unique characters, but for others, it’s the key to unlocking some of the earth’s biggest mysteries, such as the next deadly disease to hit the world. The Utopia cast includes a mixture of well-known actors, like John Cusack and Rainn Wilson, and a few newcomers.

Though you may not recognize some of the cast by name alone, many of this Amazon series’ cast have been on major movies and TV series like Euphoria, Scandal, and La La Land. If you need a refresher on where you’ve seen these familiar faces, well let us tell you.

Sasha Lane (Jessica Hyde)

Jessica Hyde is the main character in the Utopia comics. All the fans of it believe that she’s just a fictional character, but some soon discover that she's very much real, maybe even too real. Sasha Lane has been working consistently since 2016, appearing in various indie movies. A few movies that you may recognize her from are American Honey, The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Hearts Beat Loud, and the 2019 Hellboy.

Lane’s TV credits aren’t that long, but she recently appeared in the “Signs of Life” episode of the Amazing Stories reboot, and she will appear in the upcoming Loki series on Disney+.

Ashleigh LaThrop (Becky Todd)

Becky is a fan of the Utopia comics. She also has a rare disease and hopes that the comic may contain the key to curing her. She’s one of the original five characters who plan to meet at a San Diego Comic-Con style convention. She is also the love interest of Ian (Dan Byrd) and dubbed the nice one of the group. Ashleigh LaThrop has appeared in multiple episodes of many hit series. You may have seen her on The Kominsky Method, The 100, and The Handmaid’s Tale.

LaThrop also appeared on episodes of Bones, The Rookie, and Chicago P.D. Her most well-known movie credit is as Hannah in the Fifty Shades of Grey movies, specifically Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.

Dan Byrd (Ian Ackerman)

Ian is one of the original five characters who agree to meet and try to bid on Utopia. He doesn’t quite believe that it’s really the key to saving humanity. He basically comes to the Comic-Con event to hang out with his online friends and finally meet the girl he loves, Becky. Dan Byrd is one of the more veteran actors in Utopia as he has a long list of screen credits. Byrd is one of the actors that you definitely probably seen in something at one point.

He appeared in the Sanda Bullock dramedy 28 Days, the Hilary Duff-Chad Michael Murray A Cinderella Story, and in Emma Stone’s Easy A. Dan Byrd was a series regular on Cougar Town, and Any Day Now. He appeared on episodes of popular series like Boston Legal, Heroes, Community, Mad Men, Scandal, The Good Doctor, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.

John Cusack (Dr. Kevin Christie)

Dr. Kevin Christie is a scientist trying to create genetic meat to help the world. He owns a big corporation that does things like create vaccinations. Utopia opens with Christie being accused of making meat that may be the source of children becoming sick. John Cusack has been acting since the 1980s, so he’s been in a ton of movies.

Some of Cusack’s most famous movies are Sixteen Candles, Better Off Dead, Stand by Me, Say Anything, Grosse Pointe Blank, and Con Air. He has also appeared in Anastasia, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Adaptation, Love & Mercy, Hot Tub Time Machine and so many movies. Utopia is his first TV series that he’s appeared in as a series regular. He also appeared in an episode of Frasier and an episode of Doll & Em, but he hasn’t appeared on many other TV shows.

Desmin Borges (Wilson Wison)

Wilson is a conspiracy theorist who takes extra precaution to stay off the grid and away from the government. He’s one of the people that believes most in the power of The Utopia comic. Many will recognize Desmin Borges the most for his underrated role on You’re The Worst as Edgar.

Borges has also appeared in the movies Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Compliance, and Carrie Pilby. He’s also had guest appearances in the series Madam Secretary, Bull, Preacher, The Good Wife, Castle, and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.

Javon Walton (Grant Bishop)

Grant is an original member of the group that agrees to meet at a Comic-Con. He’s a child but pretends to be an adult while online. He’s also the one who steals the Utopia comic. Javon Walton is only 14-years old, so he’s new to the world of acting. However, he had a recurring role on Euphoria. He played Ashtray, a child drug dealer.

He is also a boxing prodigy and a spokesperson for Under Armour. He’s a five-time Georgia state champion and a four-time USA Boxing SouthEast regional champion. Walton will also soon be voicing Pugsley Addams in The Addams Family 2.

Christopher Denham (Arby)

Arby is a hired hit-man. He’s a psychopath that lacks emotions and a basic understanding of them. He’s sent on a mission to retrieve Utopia and Jessica Hyde. He’s also trying to kill everyone who saw the Utopia comic. You may have seen Christopher Denham in Charlie Wilson’s War. He played Mike Vickers. He also appeared in popular and critically acclaimed movies Shutter Island, Argo, and Fast Color.

Denham has also appeared in the series Law & Order, Person Of Interest, The Following, The Good Wife, and Billions.

Jessica Rothe (Samantha)

Samantha is the leader of the original five. She organizes their meeting and seems to be a driving force in keeping them focused on their mission to obtain a copy of Utopia. Jessica Rothe is the lead in the Happy Death Day movie and its sequel. She also appeared in the movies Forever My Girl and La La Land.

Rothe also appeared in the TV series Happy Endings, Gossip Girl, Blue Blood, Chicago P.D, and she was a main character on MTV’s short-lived series Mary + Jane.

Rainn Wilson (Michael Stearns)

Michael Stearns is a man who believes that he may have the cure to save the children infected by this mysterious and deadly disease. If you’re a The Office fan, then you immediately recognize Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute. Wilson’s famous movie credits include Galaxy Quest, Almost Famous, Juno, The Boy, and voicing Lex Luthor in Batman: Hush and Justice League Dark: Apokolips War.

Wilson has also had TV roles on Six Feet Under, Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job, Adventure Time, Star Trek: Discovery, and Mom. He also appeared in episodes of Room 104, Reno 9!!, Entourage, Charmed, and Monk.

Cory Michael Smith (Thomas Christie)

Thomas Christie is the only biological son of Kevin Christie and his eldest child. He’s being groomed to run things if Kevin retires. Cory Michael Smith appeared in the 2013 Broadway show of Breakfast at Tiffany’s starring Emilia Clarke.

TV fans will most recognize Smith from his role as The Riddler in Gotham. He also appeared in the Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara romance-drama Carol. He portrayed astronaut Roger B. Chaffee in First Man. Smith also appeared in an episode of Olive Kitteridge. His Broadway credits also include Bright Star and Assassins. In Assassins, he played Lee Harvey Oswald.

Jeanine Serralles (Colleen Stearns)

Colleen is the very supportive wife of Michael. She often encourages him to try to get more people to take him seriously. Jeanine Serralles appeared in The Beatles-Vietnam War musical Across The Universe. She also played Joy in the Coen brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis.

Serralles has also appeared in episodes of Bull, Person of Interest, and The Good Wife. She will appear in the much anticipated The Woman in the Window starring Amy Adams.

Calum Worthy (Ethan)

Ethan and his girlfriend Olivia (Maya Kazan) discover the Utopia comic book, and then they try to sell it to the highest bidder. Calum Worthy played Nick Godejohn in Hulu’s The Act. He’s also known for appearing in the battle rap comedy Bodied, and Corporate Animals. He also voiced a character in the series Solar Opposites, and he played Alex on American Vandal.

Worthy also was a series regular on Austin & Aly and appeared on episodes of Good Luck Charlie, Aquarius, Longmire, Smallville, and Psych.

Camryn Manheim (Artemis)

Artemis is someone from Jessica Hyde’s past and a character in the Utopia comics. Artemis is played by veteran actress Camryn Manheim, who many may remember for her role as Elenor Frutt in The Practice. She has appeared in Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion as Toby, Scary Movie 3, and The F**k it List.

Manheim has also appeared in Stumptown, The Magicians, Waco, Younger, and Harry’s Law. Her acting credits also include a lead role on Ghost Whisperer, and guest roles on Hannah Montana, How I Met Your Mother, The L Word, and Will & Grace.

The entire first season of Utopia is available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. Stream it here.

By all accounts, the good people who starred on the mega hit NBC sitcom The Office had a great time working together. They all seen to still genuinely like each other and regularly come out to support one another or make appearances in each others social media feeds. It's extremely rare to hear about any troubles behind the scenes on the long-running show, but it turns out that Rainn Wilson made quite the mistake while filming one scene with Craig Robinson, and he still feels so bad about it that he took the time to apologize publicly for the incident.

Craig Robinson, who played warehouse foreman turned office worker Darryl Philbin on The Office, recently stopped by Rainn Wilson's Soul Pancake podcast on Instagram, Hey There, Human. After a warm welcome from Wilson for taking the time out to speak with him, he relayed a story about how bad he still feels for the "horrible thing" he accidentally did to Robinson when they filmed a scene for the Season 8 episode "Mrs. California."

Part of the episode features a storyline where Dwight opens a gym (appropriately known as The Dwight Schrute Gym for Muscles) in the building and agrees to train Darryl so that he can impress a new female warehouse employee. Apparently, though, during a conversation between the two characters at one point in the episode, Wilson decided to play around with a small weight on Darryl's desk, and it led to an accident that he still feels terrible about. Here's what he had to say:

Egad! Can you imagine just trying to spice a funny scene up a little with a bit of prop business and then conking your scene partner in the head with a weight? I'm sure most of us would still feel as terrible about it as Rainn Wilson clearly does to this day. Wilson was sure to let everyone know that Craig Robinson was incredibly gracious about the accident when it happened, especially since Robinson pointed out that the small weight wasn't actually as light as Wilson originally thought it to be.

While not by any means one of the largest weights that could sit on someone's desk, according to Craig Robinson it did weight more than the one pound that Rainn Wilson thought it did. I can certainly see where Robinson would be more aware of the heft of the object in question, since it was on his character's desk, but I can also imagine that Wilson didn't have any idea that tossing it around would go horribly wrong.

You can take a look at the full interview, which starts at the 13:29 mark (and does include some lovely, non-apology conversation), right here:

Luckily, not only was Craig Robinson eventually totally fine, but he continues to be cool about the accident and harbor no ill will toward Rainn Wilson, which is fantastic, because otherwise, we might not have gotten this wonderful interview.

For now, you can still stream The Office on Netflix until it heads over to Peacock next year. While you wait for word on whether or not we'll get some kind of reunion special or revival of the beloved workplace comedy, feel free to check out what's new on Netflix this year and see what's coming to the small screen this summer!

During its nine season run on NBC, The Office became one of the most biggest, most culturally adored sitcoms of the early 21st century. Through its relatable brand of everyday characters, accompanied by warm performances, inspired plotlines, and engrossing emotional stakes, it's easy to see why so many viewers loved it (and continue to love it). 

Based on the excellent UK series of the same name, The Office became one of the most endearing, quotable American sitcoms of the modern era. But now that The Office has closed its doors, what is the cast up to now? Looking at stars like Steve Carell, John Krasinski, and Mindy Kaling, to name a few, the popular sitcom has launched some of our biggest comedy stars. Several other cast members have also seen their profiles soar thanks to the show's continued success. Let's take a look at where The Office cast has relocated.

Steve Carell (Michael Scott)

As the clueless, socially awkward (if not heartless) regional manager of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch, Steve Carell served as the central figure on NBC's The Office for the majority of its run. The one-two punch of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and The Office's success turned Carell into a comedy A-lister, resulting in an expanding movie/TV career. These days, Carell is seen in Apple's The Morning Show, which got renewed for a second season. He's also starring in Irresistible, a new political comedy written and directed by Jon Stewart. And he once again lent his voice to the role of Gru in the upcoming Minions: The Rise of Gru, which has now been delayed to the summer of 2021. Additionally, Carell stars in the Netflix comedy series, Space Force, which he co-created alongside The Office's Greg Daniels. It's expected to premiere in May.

John Krasinski (Jim Halpert)

As a good-natured prankster salesman with a heart, John Krasinski's Jim Halpert often served as the one half of the emotional core of The Office, particularly with the ongoing "will they, won't they" relationship between him and his co-star, Pam (Jenna Fischer). Since The Office's final half-hour, Krasinski has continued to expand himself as both an actor and filmmaker. That was certainly seen with his surprise hit horror movie, A Quiet Place, which he directed and co-wrote in addition to starring in. Last month, audiences would've seen the much-anticipated sequel, A Quiet Place: Part II, which he once again wrote and directed, but the film was unfortunately delayed indefinitely due to the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to this burgeoning horror movie franchise, Krasinski has also found a great deal of success playing the title role in Amazon's hit streaming series, Jack Ryan.

Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute)

As Dwight Schrute, the "assistant to the regional manager" and the constant source of Jim's pranks, Rainn Wilson played a memorable presence on The Office. While he didn't quite reach the same career heights as a few of his Office co-workers, he continues to have an active career in both movies and on television. Most recently, he was seen in the series finale of Transparent and a few recent episodes of Mom. Up next, he'll star in Gillian Flynn's new series, Utopia, and he's set to appear in the drama series, The Power. He'll also be seen in the thriller Don't Tell A Soul and he provided this voice to the animated movie Robodog, both of which are expected to come out at some point later this year. He also founded the website SoulPancake.

Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly)

As Pam Beesly, the receptionist of Dunder Mifflin who forms a "will they, won't they" co-worker relationship with Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), Jenna Fischer was the other half of The Office's emotional arc. The dryly funny actress who has primarily worked in TV since The Office ended, including Splitting Up Together, Drunk History, and You, Me, And the Apocalypse after her time on The Office. Fischer also wrote a book, The Actor's Life: A Survival Guide, which was published in 2017. She currently hosts the podcast Office Ladies alongside her friend and former co-star, Angela Kinsey.

BJ Novak (Ryan Howard)

As Ryan Howard, a low-level employee who became an active member of the office, B.J. Novak played a prevalent role both in front of and behind the camera on The Office. Serving as a writer and director on the popular series, Novak used his popularity from the series to continue working as both an actor and creative in the business. As an actor, Novak has been seen in The Mindy Project (which he also helped direct), Saving Mr. Banks, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Community, and The Founder since The Office came to a close. Up next, B.J. Novak will make his feature directorial debut with the horror-mystery-thriller Vengeance, which he also wrote and will star in. He appears to be following John Krasinski's steps by getting into the horror game.

Ed Helms (Andy Bernard)

A Dunder Mifflin salesman who found himself promoted to Regional Manager shortly after Michael Scott left Scranton, Ed Helms went from supporting star to the head of The Office over the course of the show's run. Promoted in part due to his rising popularity thanks to The Hangover movies, among other projects, Helms remains active following his tenure on The Office. He's appeared in movies both big and small, including Vacation, The Clapper, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, Chappaquiddick, Father Figures, Tag, and more. Up next, Helms will star in the new Netflix action-comedy, Coffee & Kareem, which hits the streaming service on April 3rd. Helms is also soon set to be seen in another new comedy, Togetherish, later this year.

Mindy Kaling (Kelly Kapoor)

As a customer service representative for Dunder Mifflin, Mindy Kaling's Kelly Kapoor grew in prominence throughout the course of the show's run. The actress, who was also a writer for the NBC sitcom, has also continued to rise in prominence since the show's finale, notably with her own TV series, The Mindy Project, as well as acting parts in A Wrinkle in Time, Ocean's 8, and a voice role in Pixar's Inside Out. Most recently, Kaling wrote and starred in Late Night, and she appeared in a few episodes of The Morning Show. She also created the Hulu series, Four Weddings and a Funeral, based on the 1994 movie of the same name, and she is the creator of the new Netflix sitcom, Never Have I Ever, which will premiere later this month.

Angela Kinsey (Angela Martin)

As the head of accounting at Dunder Mifflin, Angela Martin, played by Angela Kinsey, could often be a cold and careless person around the office. But as an actress, Kinsey has continued to brighten the screen through different film and television roles in Tall Girl, Fresh Off The Boat, Haters Back Off, and more. Up next, Kinsey stars in Mindy Kaling's Netflix series, Never Have I Ever. Also, she co-hosts the podcast Office Ladies with Jenna Fischer.

Oscar Nunez (Oscar Martinez)

As an accountant for Dunder Mifflin, Oscar Martinez, played by Oscar Nunez, is another character who has seen their role expanded on the show as it grew in popularity. Most recently Nunez has been since in shows like Life in Pieces, Mr. Iglesias, NCIS: Los Angeles, and more. Most recently, Nunez lent his voice to 3Below: Tales of Arcadia and Where's Waldo? He was also seen in a series of State Farm Insurance commercials.

Phyllis Smith (Phyllis Vance)

As the sweet-natured Phyllis Vance, Phyllis Smith's role on The Office grew over the source of the series. As an actress, Smith has since been seen or heard in The Middle, the Netflix series The OA, and she took on the voice of the adorably gloomy Sadness in Pixar's Inside Out.

Leslie David Baker (Stanley Hudson)

As a long-time Dunder Mifflin employee who is quick to scoff or roll his eyes at anything happening around the Dunder Mifflin offices, Leslie David Baker's Stanley Hudson always had a wonderful reaction to the goofiness of his work environment, particularly with his dry, witty, loaded retorts. As an actor, Baker has continued to work primarily in television since The Office's series finale. Most recently, he has been lending his voice to the animated series, Puppy Dog Pals. He also recently appeared in an episode of the CBS sitcom, Fam.

Brian Baumgartner (Kevin Malone)

Playing the part of the lovable Kevin Malone, a good-hearted — if not the brightest — accountant for Dunder Mifflin, Brian Baumgartner provided us with one of the most endearing characters on The Office. The actor continues to bounce between film and TV since The Office came to a close. He's been seen in shows like Melissa & Joey, Chicago Fire, The Goldbergs, and Good Behavior, to name only a few. He will next be seen in Electric Jesus.

Kate Flannery (Meredith Palmer)

As Meredith Palmer, Kate Flannery constantly found herself in some of The Office's most outrageous moments. Since her time on The Office, Flannery has continued to work primarily in television, notably doing voice work for shows like Steven Universe and OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes. She'll next be seen in the comedy Golden Arm. Also, last year, Flannery appeared on the recent season of the competitive dancing series, Dancing with the Stars.

Paul Lieberstein (Toby Flenderson)

As Toby Flenderson, the long-suffering Human Resources Representatives who was often the bane of Michael Scott's existence (while earning the wrath of a few other Dunder Mifflin employees as well), Paul Lieberstein played a memorable punching bag on The Office, though Lieberstein also had an extensive influence on the program as a writer and director. Since The Office came to a close, Lieberstein has continued to work in front and behind the camera, directing and starring in episodes of The Mindy Project and The Newsroom while also appearing in the TBS series People of Earth. Most recently, in 2018, Lieberstein made his feature debut by starring, writing, producing, and directing the dark comedy, Song of Back and Neck.

Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton)

Playing a fictional version of himself, Creed Bratton was one of the oldest members of Dunder Mifflin and he was certainly among the most spirited. Although he is primarily a musician, his memorable role in this popular sitcom is what he might now be best known for. Bratton was an actor before the show became a hit, though the series definitely helped him find more roles. He was most recently seen in The Sisters Brothers and an episode of Into the Dark. He'll next be seen in the comedies Maybe There's a Tree and Mayfield's Game.

Craig Robinson (Darryl Philbin)

Although Craig Robinson didn't have a sizable role at the beginning of The Office as Darryl Philbin, his character was brought closer to the forefront in later seasons, and the actor's profile has continued to soar throughout the years. Most recently, Robinson has been seen in Dolemite Is My Name, Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, and Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made. He also was heard in Dolittle and Big Mouth. He also has a reoccurring part on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Up next, he lends his voice to The Ark and the Aardvark. Robinson will also appear in the fantasy film, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon.

Ellie Kemper (Erin Hannon)

As Erin Hannon, the new receptionist at Dunder Mifflin, Ellie Kemper played a lively role in the later seasons of The Office. Since her time on the show, Kemper has continued to rise in prominence. Most notably with the title role in Netflix's Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. She has also done voice work for The Secret Life of Pets movies, Sofia the First, We Bare Bears, and more. She'll next be seen in the comedy The Stand-In, and she's set to star in the upcoming Home Alone reboot. Also, in 2018, she published her first book, My Squirrel Days.

Who is your favorite Office actor? Let us know in the comment section.

The U.S. version of The Office has far exceeded the popularity of its predecessor, yet the original U.K. version is the one that gloriously gifted its fans with a two-part holiday special. (Not to mention the Red Nose Day special and the feature film David Brent: Life on the Road.) Anybody who wants to see a reunion, revival or one-off special from Steve Carrell's Michael Scott, Jenna Fischer's Pam Beesley/Halpert or Mindy Kaling's Kelly Kapoor, though, is currently out of luck, with zero follow-up plans in place.

The big question, however, is "Why in the hell(o ladies) hasn't The Office found a way to return to its adoring fanbase yet?" Granted, it's only been six years since The Office ended its nine-season run on NBC, which arguably happened two years after it should have, but fans have been clamoring for its return during each of those six years, and it only gets more intense when the stars randomly reunite. The interest is clear and present, and as we'll go over below, quite a few stars are interested in returning. So what gives?

Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey And Ellie Kemper Are Down To Return

The most recent wave of Office revival craziness has been heavily influenced by former co-stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey's podcast Office Ladies, where installments are focused on individual Office episodes. The stories they've told so far have been as hilarious as the NBC hit itself, which is stoking the hunger for at least one new installment to tide everyone over.

The two actresses appeared on Ellen on Monday, which was guest-hosted by Office vet Ellie Kemper, so you know there was a point when the topic of "more Office" came up. Here's the positive way that dialogue played out.

Honestly, if Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey and Ellie Kemper started up an Office spinoff that followed the female stars taking on other workplace foibles, either at Dunder Mifflin or a different company, I would tune in without a second's hesitation. Sure, I'd want to see Jim and Dwight and Phyllis and all the rest, but I also take what I can get without getting greedy.

John Krasinski Wants To Work With His Hollywood Family Again

In strict opposition to the slacker character of Jim Halpert, John Krasinski has been a whirlwind of activity in the years since The Office ended. His biggest successes having been winning over horror audiences with A Quiet Pace, and winning over general audiences as the lead in Amazon's Jack Ryan. As far as comedy goes, though, the most prevalent thing he's done since The Office was directing and starring in 2016's somewhat heavy dramedy The Hollars.

With A Quiet Place 2 currently in the works, along with Season 3 of Jack Ryan, John Krasinski likely doesn't have the time to devote to any longform Office continuations. That said, the actor has a deep respect for how the show brought all of the lesser-known talents together and gave them a makeshift family. Though he seemed more down for a one-off special in years past, Kraskinski told EW earlier this year that he would return to the show specifically to work again with that group. In his words:

I have to assume that John Krasinski is talking more about a revival than a reboot proper that doesn't necessarily tie back to the original Office's run. But regardless of what he wants to do, let's just remember that he does want to do it.

Creator Greg Daniels Did Have An Idea For More Office

Every single star from The Office could sign the most ironclad contracts confirming their return to The Office, but it's likely that nothing would happen without the guiding words of the U.S. iteration's creator Greg Daniels, who has also dealt with constant questions about revivals for King of the Hill and Parks and Rec. He's been mostly neutral with positive hints when asked about bringing The Office back, presumably as not to piss anyone off or make potentially empty promises.

Former NBC chief Bob Greenblatt, who currently oversees HBO and more as chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment, recently revealed in an interview that Greg Daniels had a reboot idea in the running years ago. In Greenblatt's words:

Bob Greenblatt is in some ways like the King Midas of television, having brought in major successes for Fox in the 1990s and for Showtimes during the 2000s. From 2011 until 2019, Greenblatt spearheaded NBC's rise to the top of the ratings game with big hits such as The Voice, This Is Us and the trio of Chicago dramas. It's unfortunately that he wasn't around to continue pushing for more from Dunder Mifflin's elite.

To be fair, Greg Daniels spoke in October about the possibility of returning, and had a slightly less positive take.

He's basically saying that the show would need to only return as a special or a limited series, right? That's what I'm choosing to believe, anyway.

Others Are Also Interested In Seeing The Office Return

Understandably, just about every time someone from The Office gets interviewed about various projects, questions come up about bringing audiences back to Scranton for more. And for the most part, the responses are pretty positive.

For instance, Mindy Kaling told Variety that she would be down to assist Greg Daniels in anything he needed her for.

I guess it's a good thing B.J. Novak was even busier behind the scenes on The Office, or else his character Ryan might be in for some hellacious on-screen situations.

Rainn Wilson, whose Dwight Schrute was a walking meme generator, has also expressed interest in a limited Office return, having told CinemaBlend this:

Considering The Office's final two and a half seasons went without Steve Carrell's Michael Scott, the actor's presence wouldn't be entirely necessary for a reunion special, although it would be desperately wanted by fans. Carrell has been one of the most pessimistic Office vets about trying to bring it back, saying in the past that Michael Scott's inappropriateness wouldn't work as well in today's social climate, and that a story about an inappropriate boss also wouldn't work as well today.

That said, he did give Ellen DeGeneres a delightfully wonky pitch for a way to bring The Office characters back to TV in an unpredictable way.

Hey, if the only way we're going to get more The Office is to have it become a weird single-episode Cheers hybrid, so be it. Alternatively, if NBC wanted to keep putting up videos like the extended Threat Level Midnight video I've definitely seen worse things on TV this year.

So can everyone agree now that the time is right for The Office's creative side to start putting the pieces back in place for a limited-time reunion? (Or a never-ending reunion, if that sounds better to all involved.) Let us know in the comments if you agree or disagree, and remember The Office will be leaving its popularity-exploding home at Netflix in 2021, when it will flip over to NBC's Peacock streaming service.

At 2018's San Diego Comic-Con, Star Trek: Discovery's new showrunner thrilled Trekkies with the news that the show's universe would be expanding by way of a new episodic anthology. The series, entitled Star Trek: Short Treks, will feature Rainn Wilson's Harry Mudd in the run of episodes. Now, Wilson is teasing his return to the franchise with a behind-the-scenes image from the set on Twitter. And the caption of his tweet is primed to get your theory energy up and running. Check it out for yourself below:

Be sure to stay tuned for CBS' big Star Trek announcement on Thursday! Of which, the internet will undoubtedly be busy trying to figure out ahead of time. Whether or not it relates to Harry Mudd's Star Trek future will be an interesting thing to stay tuned to find out. Given that Mudd's portrayer, Rainn Wilson, is the one teasing the announcement, it certainly raises eyebrows in that direction. While that is all conjecture, what is not is that Wilson's Harry Mudd will be making his return.

It is an installment that Rainn Wilson will direct himself. For those who missed the original memo, Star Trek: Short Treks will stay true to its title with episodes that run for ten to fifteen minutes in length. Wilson's Harry Mudd episode will further explore the character, last seen on Star Trek: Discovery's first season. Also along for the Star Trek: Discovery universe ride is none other than Rick and Morty writer Mike McMahan. Check out his tweet below:

Nice! And talk about a thrill for Mike McMahan! The writer is a huge Trekkie, who runs the TNG_S8 account on Twitter, which features "unaired" plots from Star Trek: The Next Generation's eighth season. Tweets from the feed ultimately became the basis for McMahan's book Warped: An Engaging Guide to the Never-Aired 8th Season (Star Trek: The Next Generation). So, he is a huge fan of the franchise and a wonderful pick to have "beamed up" to participate in it.

Fans should not have much longer to wait on the new anthology series. An official premiere date has yet to be announced though, so that may explain the "big announcement" that Rainn Wilson was teasing on Twitter. Star Trek: Short Treks is set to quench Trekkies thirst for all things Star Trek, while they await the premiere of Star Trek: Discovery's second season, and that upcoming series centered on Jean-Luc Picard's next chapter.

Star Trek: Short Treks will premiere this fall on CBS All Access. The second season of Star Trek: Discovery is expected to arrive sometime in 2019 on the streaming service. Star Trek: Short Treks will be joined by a plethora of other new series set to arrive in the fall.

Patrick Stewart may be making a grand return to the Star Trek franchise but that doesn't mean Star Trek: Discovery is suddenly chopped liver. The streaming series gained a fair share of franchise fans in its inaugural season, and its run played a big part in drawing a lot of eyes to CBS All Access. No doubt the series will do the same in Season 2, as the drama gears up for another inventive story, the return of a few classic characters, and probably some swearing. With that said, here's all we know about Season 2 and what fans can expect.

When Will Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Debut?

The exact premiere date for Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 is unknown, although we've been told to expect the show to arrive on CBS All Access in the early half of 2019. Executive producer and now showrunner Alex Kurtzman has been consistent with that date since Season 1 was still airing, and no news has come out to indicate we should expect it any sooner. Additionally, production seems to be chugging along in spite of behind the scenes drama, so, provided no other massive roadblocks come up, Star Trek: Discovery should arrive when expected.

What Will Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 Be About?

Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 ended with the USS Discovery face-to-face with the USS Enterprise, and while it's been confirmed that the Enterprise and its crew won't be around all season, there will be some connection. Former co-showrunner Aaron Harberts said a theme of Season 2 revolves around the family one chooses versus the family one is born into, and with Michael Burnham's adopted brother Spock on board the Enterprise, he'll no doubt have a part to play in this theme. That much was confirmed in the Season 2 trailer anyway, which hinted that Spock is somehow linked to seven mysterious red bursts spread out light years apart. The Discovery will team up with Captain Christopher Pike and his Enterprise crew, in what sounds to be a rescue mission to find the Vulcan.

Another theme teased for Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery involves spirituality, and the struggle between logic and faith. It's an issue Michael Burnham somewhat struggled with in Season 1, as the human raised by Vulcans slowly became more accustomed to her more human desires. No doubt she'll continue to struggle with this balance in Season 2, and it's possible the rest of the Discovery crew might go along for the ride as well. Beyond that, the Discovery is slated to get a new permanent captain, and appearances from Mirror-Georgiou, Voq/Ash, or even Harry Mudd are always on the table. One thing that seems certain, though, is that the adventure is only beginning.

What Have We Seen From Star Trek: Discovery Season 2?

A first-look trailer for Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 was released at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, and with it came the arrival of Anson Mount's Captain Christopher Pike. As previously mentioned, the trailer seemed to revolve around mysterious red bursts and the revelation that Burnham's brother Spock might be in trouble. Given what is known about the Enterprise's role in Season 2, it's possible this is just an arc of Season 2 and not the entire big picture of what's happening in the upcoming season. That said, even the small stories in Season 1 seemed to come full circle by the finale, so it's possible the trailer contains more about Season 2 than we know for now.

The Star Trek: Discovery first look also contains the high-intensity space flying and explosions that appear to indicate the action will be as constant as ever in Season 2. It's doubtful the Klingons are ready to take on the Federation so soon after their conflict in Season 1, but a silhouette spotted in Burnham's helmet at the start of the trailer appears to indicate some alien race could be behind all this drama. Who that might be, however, is anyone's guess, as Star Trek: Discovery has not been shy about redesigning some of the series' most iconic species.

Michael Burnham

Burnham might've lost whatever budding romance she had with Ash Tyler when he awoke as Voq, but Star Trek: Discovery's main character at least got the consolation of being pardoned and reinstated in Starfleet for her role in ending the war with the Klingons. Burnham's heroics have undoubtedly earned her the respect of the majority of the Discovery crew, which means she'll probably get a lot more friendly interactions with crew members who aren't Tilly. Burnham will definitely appreciate the regained acceptance of her peers, even if she won't readily admit it.

Burnham may not have a ton of time to appreciate that kindness, however, as the Season 1 finale threw her right into another complicated situation. Star Trek: Discovery is ready to show some more family drama, as Burnham appears to be on a collision course with her brother Spock. Fans will just have to wait and see what transpires if that encounter happens, as Vulcans aren't typically known for emotional interactions. That said, with Spock half-human and Burnham a human raised by Vulcans, one shouldn't be surprised if their exchange gets a bit more heated than the conversations that took place between Burnham and Sarek. Spock might help Burnham in her quest to balance the Vulcan and human aspects of her life, and, perhaps, together the two can touch on the season's overarching theme of logic vs. spirituality.

Stamets

Paul Stamets had a rougher season of Star Trek: Discovery than most and walked away lucky to be alive after merging with the Spore Drive. Unfortunately, his partner, Lt. Hugh Culber, wasn't so lucky, and we're sure Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery will show Stamets continue to mourn for his lost other half. We're also sure we'll see him work up some other brilliant tech to aide the Discovery and its crew, although it's worth noting the Season 2 trailer only showed him briefly. Perhaps without the Mycelial network on the Discovery, his role in the current season won't be as large as it was in Season 1?

Tilly

Things were looking up for Sylvia Tilly at the end of Star Trek: Discovery, as the quirky crewmember was awarded admission to Starfleet's officer training school. Her mirror counterpart proved she's capable of handling command, although it's safe to say Tilly won't be handling things as her mirror self did if she ever gets the chance to lead. We're not sure how the surprise arrival of the Enterprise will impact Tilly's new development in Season 2, but we're assuming she'll be dropping another f-bomb if it causes a significant delay to her future goals.

Saru

Saru ended Season 1 as the first Kelpian to ever receive the Starfleet Medal of Honor, and as acting Commanding Officer of the USS Discovery. The moment meant a lot to Saru, who had been pining for command of his own ship for a long time. Unfortunately, the moment appears short-lived as the trailer showed Captain Christopher Pike will eventually take command of the vessel not long after their encounter. Saru also managed to bond with Burnham before the season's end, which means Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery will almost certainly see the two on much better terms.

Christopher Pike

Star Trek fans are already familiar with Captain Christopher Pike, as the iconic franchise captain is largely known for being in command of the USS Enterprise prior to James T. Kirk. Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 looks to show more of Pike at his peak, and will show far more of what the Enterprise was like before Kirk's arrival. We'll also, presumably, get to see how Pike interacts with Spock, which is interesting, due to the Vulcan being one of the thin links between the two captains.

Spock and Captain Kirk had a pretty good bromance, but it's hard to say whether or not that'll be true with Spock and Pike. The Enterprise captain appears concerned for his crew member, but that may be the amount of concern he'd show towards any missing crew member from his ship. If fans don't get to see much interaction between Pike and Spock, at least they'll get to see more of the captain in action, which is something the original series didn't show much of outside the pilot.

Spock

The story of Spock in Star Trek: Discovery is interesting, and not just because his adopted sister is playing the lead character. The show has cast Ethan Peck to play a younger version of the Vulcan, despite a rather rampant insistence early on in production that the show would not be casting a new Spock. Originally, it was strongly implied that the series would use past Spock voice work and footage to re-create the character, but, apparently, some things have changed.

That said, perhaps that's still partly true as Jonathan Frakes revealed that Young Spock will, for sure, be around in a couple Season 2 flashbacks. Alex Kurtzman didn't reveal if the Spock Frakes referred to was Ethan Peck or a younger actor brought in to play a more child-like Spock, although he has confessed this will be a different Vulcan than the one portrayed by Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto. Essentially, Peck's version may not quite be the level-headed clear thinking Vulcan he's largely been portrayed as, which might be why he's missing, and possibly in danger.

Sarek

Michael Burnham isn't the only relative of Spock's who is involved in Star Trek: Discovery, as Star Trek fans know his father, Sarek, has a long and strained history with his son. It's been known for a long time that Sarek wasn't the biggest fan of Spock joining Starfleet over the Vulcan Science Academy, but Star Trek: Discovery revealed why the sleight was so significant. Now, we'll get to see if Sarek forgives his son for throwing away an opportunity that Burnham so desperately wanted, but was denied, after the Vulcans gave their father an ultimatum where only one of his children could join. Judging from their relationship in later years, we're assuming whatever interaction happens between the two won't go well, but we could be surprised.

Harry Mudd

Rainn Wilson's Harry Mudd hasn't been confirmed for Season 2 of Star Trek: Discovery, although Star Trek fans are guaranteed to see him before the new season begins. Mudd will return in Short Treks, which will give the character a fresh short adventure, as well as further flesh out the Star Trek universe. Mudd's big attack on the Discovery was one of the highlights of Season 1, and while it's exciting to hear he'll get another stand-alone adventure, some fans are hoping he still makes an appearance in the new season.

What's Going On Behind The Scenes?

Star Trek: Discovery Season 2 got thrown a curveball not long into production when it was revealed that Season 1 showrunners Aaron Harberts and Gretchen Berg were being replaced. The duo, who originally took over for Bryan Fuller, were both removed after the budget for the Season 2 premiere was so out of control that all remaining episodes had to have a chunk of their budgets removed to compensate for it. Additionally, it was reported that Berg and Harberts had created a toxic work environment for the writing staff, and were, reportedly, cursing and making threats towards a few people. Executive producer Alex Kurtzman is now in control of the series for at least Season 2, and it is unknown if he will replace himself should the series return for Season 3.

As mentioned, Star Trek: Discovery will return to CBS All Access sometime in early 2019. For a look at what television shows will be arriving before that, be sure to visit and bookmark our handy summer and fall premiere guides. For other things coming to streaming, head on over to our Netflix and Amazon premiere guides.

If you've been paying attention to the world of TV and film production, you'll notice one trend is ruling the day: nostalgia. We've seen as TV revivals for Will & Grace, Roseanne, and Gilmore Girls recently hit the small screen, and there will no doubt be plenty more in the coming years. HBO hasn't done one of these big reboots yet, despite having a multitude of fantastic shows to chose from, including the acclaimed drama Six Feet Under. Two of the show's actors recently said they'd love to return to their roles: Justina Machado and Rainn Wilson.

I recently spoke to Rainn Wilson about his streaming play Thom Painn. And while other subjects like The Office were discussed during our conversation, I eventually brought up his tenure as Arthur on Six Feet Under. When asked if he'd like to return to the role in a possible revival, he said:

It looks like Rainn Wilson is definitely down to once again play mortician Arthur Martin if Six Feet Under is given new life. Wilson popped up in 13 episodes throughout the show's tenure, with his most significant arc happening during the show's second season. He'd perhaps best remembered for his unique friendship with matriarch Ruth, before eventually departing both the business and the residency.

Of course, Rainn Wilson's comments also prove that he's not sure exactly how a revival could happen. The series finale saw the entire starring cast being killed off, so it would take some creative writing to continue the narrative of Six Feet Under. This is the same concern that series regular Justina Macahdo has about possibly returning to her role as Vanessa.

Justina Machado might currently be starring in Netflix's One Day at a Time, but many TV fans first fell in love with the actress when she was playing Vanessa Diaz during Six Feet Under's run. I recently spoke to her about both projects while at Netflix's press junket in New York City, where she positively addressed returning to the series. Warning: there's a massive spoiler about the series finale in this quote.

Well, that's two actors who are down to come back for more episodes of Six Feet Under. Of course, that's not to say that the show would ever truly return. HBO President Casey Bloys recently listed Six Feet Under and The Sopranos as shows that the network would likely never revisit, as their endings were absolute. While The Sopranos' final moments remain controversial, Six Feet Under's ending is known as one of the most perfect series finales of all time. For this reason, Six Feet Under does seem like an unlikely candidate to be given a new set of episodes. That, and how often the fantastic ensemble of actors is working. Just look at Justina Machado and Rainn Wilson for example.

All two season of One Day At a Time are currently streaming on Netflix, and you can catch Rainn Wilson in Thom Pain on BroadwayHD. Be sure to check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch, and our cancellation list to see if your favorite show got the chop last year.

It's no secret that streaming services have changed the world of television. In addition to producing new and exciting content, streaming service have also introduced the idea of binge watching into the pop culture lexicon. This extremely popular fad sees cinephiles and TV fans mass consuming an entire series of television, ingesting years worth of content in a relatively short amount of time. But there is a downside to this, according to The Office's Rainn Wilson. I recently had the chance to speak with Willson about his streaming play Thom Pain on BroadwayHD, as well as how The Office has remained immortal through its availability of Netflix. And while he's happy the show has reached new audiences, he does think binge watching can get unhealthy. He told me,

Although Rainn Wilson does seem to understand how he personally benefits from streaming services like Netflix, he thinks there is a line to be drawn. Perhaps binge watch The Office once or twice, rather than doing it annually and giving up so much of your time. So says Dwight Schrute.

And Rainn Wilson isn't wrong. The Office is one of those shows that is extremely bingeable, due to its short episode lengths and fantastic pacing and performances. Just how easy it is to binge-watch and rewatch has even become a meme in the past few years, like the one below.

Indeed, Netflix also seems aware of just how easy The Office is to binge watch. It reportedly even checked up on one subscriber after he had watched the entire series in around two weeks. The reason for this is reportedly the user's insomnia, and he recently told the story about Netflix's check up via Reddit.

Netflix's streaming catalogue of The Office, as well as its constant airing on syndication, is why the series has remained to beloved in the years since its finale. In fact, NBC is even making steps to bring the series back, although Rainn Wilson told us that he and the other actor's hadn't been approached by the network yet.

You can catch Rainn Wilson in his one man play Thom Pain on BroadwayHD, and can catch his run as Dwight Schrute on Netflix. In the meantime, check out our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Rainn Wilson's guest star spots as classic character Harry Mudd on Star Trek: Discovery were some of the series' best episodes to date. Wilson watched the original actor Roger Carmel portray Mudd on Star Trek as a child, it clearly meant alot. He recently spoke to CinemaBlend's Corey Chichizola about his streaming play Thom Pain on BroadwayHD, when the conversation turned to Star Trek Beyond. Wilson also talked about the difficulty in playing a part first made iconic by Carmel, and how he went about tweaking the role, and making it his own:

Rainn Wilson dove into the core of what made Harry Mudd an interesting character in the Star Trek universe, and turned that into something new that still felt true to the character through Star Trek: Discovery. While Wilson was somewhat "Mudd-ified," in his first appearance in the episode "Choose Your Pain," his role in "Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad," was really where he got a chance to showcase his take on the character. Wilson's Mudd invaded the U.S.S. Discovery and took his best shot at hijacking the ship in what was the most humorous episode of the series to date.

The episode was funny, but at the same time kept in line with the high-stakes tone Star Trek: Discovery has become known for in Season 1. Had Rainn Wilson abandoned his instincts and attempted to play the role closer to how Roger Carmel did back in the original Star Trek, his presence might have felt out of place. Thankfully, Wilson stuck to his gut, and now Star Trek: Discovery has a classic Trek character in its lineup that they'll hopefully bring back for Season 2, if not again in Season 1. While we have no reason to suspect Wilson will appear again in the currently airing season of Star Trek: Discovery, who knows what mysteries await the crew as it dives deeper into the Mirror Universe?

Star Trek: Discovery uploads new episodes of the series to CBS All Access on Sundays at 8:30 p.m. ET. The streaming version of Rainn Wilson's play Thom Pain is currently available to stream via BroadwayHD. For more about Star Trek: Discovery and streaming on CBS All Access in general, be sure to check out CinemaBlend's episode of The Cord Cutter Podcast to get a full breakdown of the service. For a look at what else is coming to television in the coming weeks, head over to our midseason premiere guide.

While there's plenty of fantastic TV being produced lately, there are certain shows that transcend to a different level of popularity. For the comedy world, this includes shows like Cheers, Friends, and The Office. The latter workplace comedy ran for a whopping nine season on NBC, and has been playing consistently on syndication since its concluded. And because of the popularity of Netflix and the trend of binge watching, younger audiences are devouring the show's long catalogue and keeping the spirit of Dundler Mifflin alive. I recently had the chance to speak with series star Rainn Wilson about his streaming play Thom Pain on BroadwayHD, and how The Office's streaming audience has kept the show alive. He told me,

It looks like Rainn Wilson really does appreciate how Netflix has given another generation of TV buffs the opportunity to fall in love with Scranton, Pennsylvania. That, combined with its run in syndication on cable, has allowed The Office to stay in the pop culture lexicon. Plenty of "that's what she said"'s are still being used, and the entire cast is still working today.

Netflix's catalogue of TV shows is largely what put it on its map, as subscribers were able to binge watch shows they hadn't necessarily caught live on the air. The Office is one of the most popular shows for this, with one subscriber bingeing so much that the service reportedly checked up on him.

The Office is a great candidate for binge watching because of its short length and quick paced dialogue. Audiences spend twenty something minutes laughing, and are easily ready to let your Netflix autoplay the following one. Additionally, there was always a fair amount of heart in The Office, tugging at fans' heartstrings. There's usually at least one tender moment per episode, which results with fans basically falling in love with every zany member of Dundler Mifflin.

Fans of The Office new and old should be excited, as NBC recently announced its plans to revive the series. As Rainn Wilson told us, there haven't been any offers or calls made, but he seems open to reprising his role as Dwight Schrute. Wilson has kept very busy through the years, recently seen in both his play Thom Pain, films, and even a few episodes of Star Trek: Discovery.

You can catch Rainn Wilson in Thom Pain on BroadwayHD, and have access to the entire Office catalogue over on Netflix.

It's no secret that nostalgia has quickly become the most popular trend in Hollywood. NBC isn't one to be left out, and the network recently revealed its plans to bring the beloved and acclaimed series The Office back from the dead. While this was exciting for the droves of fans who have been binge watching since the series concluded in 2013, the main question was whether or not the original cast would be returning. I recently had the chance to speak with Rainn Wilson about his new streaming play Thom Pain on BroadwayHD, when I asked about the possibility of The Office returning. He revealed that apparently no calls have been made, and noted how busy most of the cast is in their respective careers.

It looks like trying to get the entire ensemble cast in one room will be a bit of a scheduling nightmare. After all, they've all got a variety of projects, and have maintained strong careers since the series concluded. Wilson was specifically referencing the shows the shows of co-stars Jenna Fischer (Splitting Up Together), John Krasinski (Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan), as well as Greg Daniels' work on People of Earth. Of course, they're not the only Office alums who have been working, as supporting cast members like Phyllis Smith have made their own name for themselves.

Rainn Wilson does seem open to playing Dwight alongside the rest of the large ensemble cast, although he does have a few stipulations. He told me,

The Office bringing back the original cast is likely the only way a new series of episodes could happen, given the massive popularity the series has maintained. This is mostly due to its availability on Netflix, and the growing trend of binge watching. Rainn Wilson seems ready to put that center part back in his hair, but the timing and story would just have to be right. Now we just have to wait and see how NBC continues developing the series, following its initial announcement of a revival.

You can catch Rainn Wilson in Thom Pain, streaming exclusively on BroadwayHD.

It's no secret that streaming services have changed the world of TV forever. Places like Netflix and Hulu are producing new and exciting content, and networks have been challenged to step up their game as a result. But the inception of streaming services has also extended into the world of theater and Broadway. The new website BroadwayHD is doing just that, filming and streaming live theater productions from Broadway and other major theaters. The latest release is a fascinating one man play Thom Pain, starring The Office's Rainn Wilson (aka Dwight Schrute). But rather than a live stream, the performance was filmed in advance and edited into a finished film product. So why did Wilson chose to go this route?

I recently had the chance to speak with Rainn Wilson about Thom Pain on BroadwayHD, where I asked him why he decided to bring this unconventional play into people's living rooms. He told me,

It looks like Rainn Wilson has been eager to do this particular play for well over a decade. But given his busy schedule with the final few seasons of The Office, as well as his recent appearances in shows like Star Trek: Discovery had kept him too busy. But once his schedule had the appropriate opening, he made sure to finally get that bucket list role checked off.

Luckily for him, Rainn Wilson's go in Thom Pain will now be immortalized forever. While most plays (including Broadway) come and go without being recorded for distribution, Wilson will forever have this particular dream role saved in a stunning film form.

Rainn Wilson also revealed how the thought of filming Thom Pain came to be. While BroadwayHD typically specializes in streaming live performances, Wilson wanted to do something unique with his play. He told me,

It looks like Rainn Wilson wasn't just content playing a dream role and having it filmed for prosperity. The Office and Six Feet Under alum also wanted to try something different with streaming. So he filmed the Thom Pain over and over again, allowing savvy editors to piece together a wholly original experience. And the results are pretty remarkable.

You can catch Rainn Wilson in Thom Pain on BroadwayHD, after either a monthly or yearly payment to the service. Additionally, you can always binge watch his iconic tenure as Dwight Schrute in The Office over on Netflix.

Star Trek: Discovery will be breaking some new ground when it debuts near the end of September. We already know that the show will feature a new take on the Klingon race, more complex interpersonal relationships between crew members and the first openly gay character in the history of the series. And, unlike most of the previous Star Trek series, this show will be heavily serialized, as opposed to relying largely on episodic storytelling. Now, we have a good idea why that is. Co-executive producer Heather Kadin spoke out recently about the change.

Heather Kadin spoke about this new direction for Star Trek: Discovery during a panel at San Diego Comic-Con in mid-July, which our own Conner Schwerdtfeger attended. It sounds like the desire to have deeper and more personal stories for those in the crew of the Discovery helped everyone behind the show decide to step away from episodic stories and commit to a serialized story structure for the latest entry in Trek's TV history. The emotional nature of the stories they plan to tell will simply be better served with serialized storytelling.

Star Trek: Discovery will focus on First Officer Michael Burnham (Sonequa Martin-Green) as the show delves into an event in Trek lore that's been mentioned before but never shown on screen. The cast also features, among others, Michelle Yeoh, Jason Isaacs, Anthony Rapp, Doug Jones, James Frain and Rainn Wilson. There will also be several Klingons on the show, as Starfleet and the Federation will be in the middle of a bit of a cold war with the alien warrior race. During a press conference at SDCC, where CinemaBlend's own Dirk Libbey was present, Wilson spoke about how tensions with the Klingons will impact the storytelling.

Seeing as how this war will up the stakes considerably as far as conflicts go on Discovery, it's likely that this darker tone is another reason that serialized stories felt like a better fit for the show. After all, for the audience to take this struggle seriously, we'll need to see how everyone deals with the results on a regular basis. And, as Rainn Wilson said, it wouldn't seem right for there to be a lot of stand-alone episodes that are more loosey goosey than the situation at hand should really warrant.

Well, after a few years of waiting, we can finally check out Star Trek: Discovery for ourselves when it hits CBS All Access on September 24. To see what you can catch this summer, be sure to check out our guide, and be sure to bookmark our fall premiere guide to keep up with all your returning favorites and new shows.

If someone can confidently and impressively perform the same act hundreds of times, all within view of millions of people, then it's not out of the realm of understanding that those people will start making unbreakable associations between that person and the act. Just ask Rainn Wilson, whose time on NBC's hit comedy The Office provided him not just super-stardom, but also the extremely singular character Dwight Schrute, whose influence has clearly not run dry. Wilson went off on a hilarious tongue-in-cheek rant recently about fans who actually think he's just like Dwight.

Let's once again say that this was a tongue-in-cheek rant, as Rainn Wilson was a guest on the most recent episode of the podcast Lovett or Leave ItI, from former White House speech writer and current screenwriter Jon Lovett. For this part of the installment, Lovett had Wilson take part in the show's big Rant Wheel, which showcases a handful of topics and angles for the guest to use as a verbal springboard. And when Wilson's spin landed on "I'm Not Dwight," the actor was more than willing to settle in for a a minute or so to get real with it.

Well, real to a certain extent. Rainn Wilson was obviously having some fun there, as he wouldn't straight up tell an Office fan "Fuck you!" (Assumedly.) But I can't imagine his post-2005 life has been completely exclusive of wanting to tell that to someone. Or possibly a great many people, since TV fanatics aren't always the most normal and personable human specimens out there. Dwight's entire existence on The Office, from his workplace sycophancy to his home life with Mose, basically served as a meme generator, so Wilson probably doesn't have many fan encounters that serve as normal interactions in any sense. Everybody's gotta make a beet joke.

On the flip side, it's probably not all that hard to field Office references for John Krasinski, since people probably just give him the iconic Jim Stare or ask him about pranks to play on others. Perhaps Paul Lieberstein gets more than his share of uncomfortable fan recognition, considering how horribly Steve Carell's Michael Scott treated him. Still, though, there aren't any Office characters that have provided the variety of eccentric conversation starters than ol' wishy washy Dwight Schrute.

While The Office is no longer around giving people new reasons to inquire about Rainn Wilson's agricultural habits, you can catch all nine seasons currently streaming on Netflix, and be sure to look out for Wilson's entrance into the Star Trek universe for CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery, which premieres on Sunday, September 24. To see when all the other new and returning shows are hitting the small screen in the coming months, head to our summer premiere schedule.

While Star Trek: Discovery's streaming-only announcement has caused a point of contention amongst widespread fans eager for more Star Trek, the upcoming show has more than made up for it with consistently phenomenal casting decisions. Jason Issacs, Doug Jones, Michelle Yeoh are just a few of the headlining names for Star Trek: Discovery, and now The Office's Rainn Wilson is joining the fold for a role that fans of the classic series will certainly remember.

Rainn Wilson will join Star Trek: Discovery as the iconic Harry Mudd, first introduced in the original Star Trek series. His current iteration for the CBS All Access show is described as an "intergalactic criminal" and "charismatic conman," according to TVLine, which falls right in line with the original that we remember. Wilson will be stepping into a role formerly played by actor Roger C. Carmel, who frequently played the character in the show's original run. All encounters the Star Trek crew ever had with Mudd were interesting, to say the least.

While Harry Mudd is seen as a villain in the Star Trek universe, his antics are always comedic, as opposed to dramatic. Mudd often finds himself caught up in situations like being sentenced to death for his crimes, only to escape and become ruler of an Android universe. Star Trek writer Stephen Kandel has likened Mudd's character to somewhere between The Wizard from The Wizard Of Oz and a pimp. That is certainly a role I'd like to see Rainn Wilson bring to life!

Rainn Wilson will not be the only cast member of Star Trek: Discovery bringing back a character from the Star Trek lore either. Wilson will be joined by James Frain who will play the father of Spock, Sarek, who has appeared in several iterations of the series. Call backs to the past Star Trek shows in other shows are not uncommon in the franchise, but are welcome, especially now as each revelation draws clues as to the exact timeframe in which the series will take place in the series timeline.

Prior to this announcement, Bryan Singer teased to fans the timeline of the series could be found in correlation to the ship number in Star Trek: Discovery. Now that we know Harry Mudd (who is human) will be appearing, we can say with more certainty that the series takes place anywhere from a couple decades before, after, or during the original Star Trek. Sarek officially dies in Star Trek: TNG, and Mudd was sentenced to indefinite rehabilitation in his final encounter with the Star Trek crew. So the main question fans want to ask is will we be seeing Mudd's before his rehab or did he escape yet again?

Man, my inner geek is exploding with happiness right now. I can't say I expected the same guy who made Dwight Schrute a household name would be appearing in a Star Trek series, let alone a classic comedic villain. I love the casting, and the more news I'm seeing about Star Trek: Discovery, the more excited I get.

We still have no official release date for the new and consistently delayed series yet, but CBS officials have indicated a release of late summer early fall on CBS All Access, so keep checking our midseason premiere guide and summer premiere schedule to see if it pops up on the list here soon!

Some people are born to play heroes, while others are born to play villains. Rainn Wilson is the latter. After making a name for himself as the semi-deranged Dwight Schrute on NBC's The Office, Wilson will soon set his sights on another treasured villain (no, it is not a Bond villain) when Smurfs: The Lost Village finally hits theaters. Taking on a legendary bad guy like Gargamel comes with quite a bit of responsibility, but Wilson recently explained to CinemaBlend that he was regularly encouraged to go off-script and improvise, which he loved, because of his villain status. The actor explained:

The main point that Rainn Wilson seems to be making with this comment in our recent interview is the fact that a villain has far more room to explore his or her character than a hero. A hero primarily serves to propel a given story forward, while a bad guy has far more maneuverability in terms of scenery chewing and being more animated -- literally, in this case. We have even seen examples of this sort of dynamic play out in Wilson's own career. Why do you think Dwight Schrute stole more scenes than John Krasinski's Jim Halpert while The Office was on the air? It is because Dwight was (more often than not) framed as an antagonist. Those are simply the more fun roles to play if you want to cut loose as an actor.

Rainn Wilson was likely also helped by the fact that Smurfs: The Lost Village is playing with the continuity of the Smurfs universe and allowing him to make the role of Gargamel into its own beast. The Lost Village does not necessarily follow any existing plot threads from the recent live-action Smurfs movies, so Wilson has been given a notable blank slate to craft his own version of this iconic cartoon bad guy. Considering everything that we know Rainn Wilson is already capable of, it seems like that was the right decision.

Check out a trailer for Smurfs: The Lost Village below for a closer look at the upcoming animated adventure of these beloved, blue characters.

CinemaBlend will bring you more information related to Smurfs: The Lost Village as new updates are made available to us. The film will make its theatrical debut on April 7. For more information related to the rest of this year's major theatrical releases, make sure to take a look at our comprehensive movie premiere guide and fill out your moviegoing calendars accordingly!

Franchises currently dominate Hollywood, but some film series are more committed to continuity than others. With the upcoming Smurfs: The Lost Village bringing the series back to animation, it raises bizarre questions about where the film falls in the greater Smurfs narrative. I recently had a chat with Rainn Wilson (who portrays the villainous Gargamel in the movie) about where The Lost Village falls in the Smurfs continuity, and he admitted that it's a bit of a sequel and a bit of a reboot at the same time. Wilson explained:

So it more or less sounds like Smurfs: The Lost Village exists in a gray area of continuity. The new film isn't going to acknowledge the events of the recent live-action movies, and it's going to return to the original animated format of the series. That said, it's not simply going to retell the origin story of The Smurfs again; it's a new story that treats certain tenets of the Smurfs mythology as established facts as it moves into a new narrative territory. The Lost Village will actively acknowledge the well-worn idea that Smurfette (Demi Lovato) is a creation of Gargamel who feels isolated because she's the only female Smurf. From there, the story will follow her and the rest of her friends in a race against time to beat the chrome-domed villain to the newly discovered titular village. In that regard, it's a genuine standalone that could fit almost anywhere in the Smurfs lore.

This is a tactic that other franchises have started to employ, and it's worked to great effect. As more and more franchises become firmly ingrained in our collective consciousness as a culture, it becomes less necessary to link movies in any meaningful way. The X-Men series has become particularly skilled at this, as recent solo adventures like Deadpool and Logan have shown little willingness to tie into any overall sense of continuity. If anything, they intentionally steered away from continuity as a means of standing more firmly on their own.

Check out a trailer for Smurfs: The Lost Village below for a closer look at the upcoming animated adventure of everyone's favorite blue creatures:

CinemaBlend will bring you more information related to Smurfs: The Lost Village as new details become available to us. The film will hit theaters on April 7; you can learn more information concerning the rest of this year's most highly anticipated theatrical debuts by checking out our comprehensive movie premiere guide.

The Office has become absolutely iconic for its legendary run on NBC, and fans have clamored for some sort of reunion ever since it went off the air in 2013. John Krasinski has already said that he's onboard to bring back the Dunder Mifflin world at some point, but what about the rest of the cast? I recently had the opportunity to talk to Rainn Wilson about stepping into the beet-farming shoes of Dwight Schrute once again, and he admitted he's intrigued by the prospect of a reunion. Wilson said:

You obviously can't have Jim Halpert without Dwight Schrute by his side to annoy him every step of the way, and a reunion of some kind is becoming more and more possible as more cast members provide their seals of approval. No definitive plans for an Office reunion episode, special or movie have been established by the folks at NBC, but the fact that Rainn Wilson and John Krasinski are both interested should make it that much more attractive to the powers that be. We live in an age where fans tend to get what they want, so let's keep our fingers firmly crossed that this is one of those instances as well.

Fans of the original U.K. version of The Office know that this is a "franchise" that befriends continuations. Following the two-season run, creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant created a two-part Christmas special that wrapped up some of the looser ends. And Ricky Gervais brought his cringe-inducing boss back out in full for the spinoff film David Brent: Life on the Road, which hit Netflix just this month. Gervais also brought an Office sketch out for Red Nose Day a few years back, and considering Love Actually produced a small screen sequel for it this year, who's to say the Dunder Mifflin squad can't do something along any of those lines.

Beyond the possibility of a reunion episode proper, I also had the opportunity to ask Rainn Wilson if he has any interest in returning to the unrealized Schrute Farms spinoff at some point. Unfortunately, that idea seems a bit less likely. Wilson elaborated:

NBC has undergone some pretty substantial shifts since The Office went off the air. Although the network was known for primetime comedy for many years, it has changed its tune to focus more on its drama franchises. There was an opportunity for Schrute Farms (or any spinoff, for that matter) to thrive back when The Office was winding down, but that window of opportunity appears to have passed us by.That said, as long as we can still get a reunion episode at some point, fans of the legendary NBC sitcom stand to be perfectly content.

Although it's unclear as to whether or not we will ever see Rainn Wilson don the role of Dwight Schrute again, you can still check him out as Gargamel when Smurfs: The Lost Village hits theaters on April 7. For now, check out our summer TV premiere guide for more information concerning all of the most highly anticipated television debuts slated for later this year.

Bond villains come in all shapes and size. From badass Russian assassins like Xenia Onatopp to evil bankers like Le Chiffre and even giant, indestructible men like Jaws, there's no specific mold for the enemies of 007. With Bond 25 still a long way off, and Daniel Craig's potential involvement in the project unclear, we've started to wonder what future installments in the franchise may look like. I recently had the chance to talk to Rainn Wilson about his upcoming villainous turn as Gargamel in Smurfs: The Lost Village, and he admitted that he really wants to play a Bond bad guy. It's an idea so crazy that it just might work. Wilson said:

Imagine a villain who is cold, calculating and an expert in numerous forms of close quarters combat. He's smarter than he looks, and he gets off on having power over others. Does that sound like an awesome and formidable foe for James Bond to go up against? Well, I just described Dwight Schrute. While it's true that Rainn Wilson is known for portraying funny characters, the fact of the matter is that the traits he brought to his most iconic persona could easily be warped into a bizarre (and yet entirely interesting) villain.

Besides, Rainn Wilson already has experience in the spy genre. If your recall, he played Agent Michael Scarn's robot butler in The Office's in-universe short film Threat Level Midnight:

It's also certainly worth mentioning that bringing an actor like Rainn Wilson into the Bond franchise could allow the series to return to its campier roots after the somewhat darker Daniel Craig years. While we absolutely adore the dark direction that the last four films have gone in, Wilson's particular knack for scenery chewing could easily lend itself to a delightfully corny villain, unlike anything the James Bond series has seen in years. He could easily join the ranks Christopher Walken's Max Zorin from 1985's A View To A Kill or Herve Villechaize's Nick Nack from The Man With The Golden Gun. Recent Bond villains may have taken themselves very seriously, but Rainn Wilson's Bond villain could be a major return to form for the series.

Rainn Wilson may never play a Bond villain, but for now, you catch him as the villainous Gargamel when Smurfs: The Lost Village hits theater on April 7. Take a look at our movie premiere guide for more detailed information regarding the rest of 2017's major theatrical debuts.

When it comes to prehistoric beasts of unimaginable size and strength, there's a good chance that an eccentric billionaire is not going to be too far from the action. In the case of the new Jason Statham vehicle Meg, one such individual has accidentally unleashed a 40-ton Carcharodon megalodon, and he'll more than likely use some of that money to help kill and/or capture the titular beast as well. And as luck would have it, The Office's Rainn Wilson will be playing said role in the long in development film adaptation.

The good news comes from an item run on Deadline, in which Wilson has been pegged for the role of Jack Morris, the money man who accidentally releases Meg from her hiding place after his "undersea observation program" pokes around where it shouldn't. Warner Bros. has been trying to develop their adaptation of Steve Alten's sci-fi novel since the first installment was released in 1997. With the 20th anniversary of the book's release being marked next year, it's a hell of a time to finally get that first film off the ground.

Rainn Wilson is a pretty damned good choice to play Jack Morris, judging by the character description given above. One could imagine him playing a sort of goofy foil to Jason Statham's rough and tumble lead, whose money has put him out of touch with reality, and therefore requiring his ass to be saved by Statham's bad-ass time and time again. Of course, this is only valid if Morris' character isn't secretly the film's human villain, who may or may not be trying to capture the rare creature for monetary or personal gain. It could go either way with these eccentric moneyed types, so your guess is as good as ours.

Wilson's filmography is pretty varied, proving that he could easily play either a hero or a villain in Meg. Most notably, his roles in James Gunn's Super, as well as the more recent horror-comedy vehicle, Cooties, have both shown that Rainn Wilson can do the sympathetic, but misguided hero thing, as well as play the bad ass / loose canon who doesn't care much for your rules. Of course, if an all out villain is what the folks behind Meg want, they can certainly count on Wilson to deliver on that front as well, as he's played villains in Monsters vs. Aliens, as well as the upcoming film, Smurfs: The Lost Village.

It would be nice to see Rainn Wilson playing more of a goofy tech billionaire who turns into a solid resource for the hunting party that's in search of Meg, but we'll still take a darker, more serious Wilson, if it's what the film really wants to pursue. But don't expect us to completely shut out our secret desire for Dwight Schrute to rule the world, all thanks to a prehistoric beast in his possession.

Meg is penciled in for a March 2, 2018 release date.

Our favorite characters from The Office have been gone from our screens for three years, now, and while we may miss them, the actors who helped bring those characters to life have started to move on. Now, Rainn Wilson, who perfectly embodied the weirdness that was Dwight Schrute, finally has his next television role.

A report from Deadline states that Rainn Wilson will have a recurring role on the new, hour long Showtime comedy Roadies. The series comes from the mind of Cameron Crowe, the man behind Almost Famous and Jerry Maguire.

Since NBC’s The Office ended its run in 2013, Rainn Wilson has only appeared in little more than a handful of projects. He’s voiced characters in The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange and Adventure Time, and made appearances in small films like The Stream, Cooties, Uncanny and The Boy. Last year he led the police procedural Backstrom on FOX, but the series was not picked up for a second season. He currently has three films in post-production and is recording his part of Gargamel for Smurfs: The Lost Village.

For those who are uninitiated to the term “roadie,” this is someone who works for a band while they’re on tour to help set up and maintain all of the equipment needed for taking a band on the road and performing concerts. The Showtime comedy Roadies will give audiences an insider’s look into the world of a committed group of roadies who live for rock music and the family that they’ve made of one another along the way. The show will center on Bill (Luke Wilson) and Shelli (Carla Gugino), who are the manager and production manager, respectively, of the (imaginary) arena-rock band, The Staton-House Band. The show is told from the point of view of the behind-the-scenes personnel who help to make sure each show goes smoothly, without anyone in the crowd ever knowing who they are or how important their roles are to the concerts.

In the 10 episodes of Season 1, Rainn Wilson will be seen as an overly self-important, but famous, music journalist named Bryce Newman, who will likely be following the band’s progress during their concert tour. Wilson will join a cast that’s already filled with well-known names. Including Luke Wilson and Carla Gugino, the show has also added Imogen Poots, Rafe Spall, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Peter Cambor, Colson Baker (known as rapper Machine Gun Kelly) and comedian Ron White to the ensemble.

Cameron Crowe wrote the pilot and will be directing it as well. Showrunner Winnie Holzman (My So-Called Life) is executive producing alongside J.J. Abrams and some of his Bad Robot cohorts.

So, is Roadies already bringing back feel-good memories of Crowe’s Almost Famous for you? If so, you’ll want to tune in when the series debts on Showtime sometime later this year.