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'The Office': B.J. Novak's new contract hints at post-Carell plan
Steve Carell maintains season 7 of "The Office" will be his last. But that doesn't change the fact that plans are already hatching for season 8, and it looks like they involve B.J. Novak.
Novak, who plays the sneaky and frequently fired Ryan Howard, just renewed his contract with Universal Media Studios for another two seasons. Variety reports the deal promotes him from co-executive producer to executive producer status and maintains his current writing and acting credit on the series.
If Novak is a lock for season 8, it could see him rise to a leadership position in front of the camera as well. He was one of the first to join "The Office" when NBC committed to the U.S. remake, and, on the series, we already know that Ryan's capable of jumping ahead in the ranks -- until he's derailed by fraud and coke addiction, that is.
NBC, which probably hasn't emotionally accepted Carell's plans yet, won't comment on if Novak could be the boss, but they did have some nice things to say about him.
"B.J. has been an integral part of 'The Office' since the launch of the show," NBC president of primetime entertainment Angela Bromstad tells Variety. "Whether he's in the writing room or appearing on screen, we always get the smart, sophisticated, ridiculously funny humor from him that the fans have come to love."
Would you like to see Ryan run the Scranton branch of Sabre?
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Photo credit: NBC
Novak, who plays the sneaky and frequently fired Ryan Howard, just renewed his contract with Universal Media Studios for another two seasons. Variety reports the deal promotes him from co-executive producer to executive producer status and maintains his current writing and acting credit on the series.
If Novak is a lock for season 8, it could see him rise to a leadership position in front of the camera as well. He was one of the first to join "The Office" when NBC committed to the U.S. remake, and, on the series, we already know that Ryan's capable of jumping ahead in the ranks -- until he's derailed by fraud and coke addiction, that is.
NBC, which probably hasn't emotionally accepted Carell's plans yet, won't comment on if Novak could be the boss, but they did have some nice things to say about him.
"B.J. has been an integral part of 'The Office' since the launch of the show," NBC president of primetime entertainment Angela Bromstad tells Variety. "Whether he's in the writing room or appearing on screen, we always get the smart, sophisticated, ridiculously funny humor from him that the fans have come to love."
Would you like to see Ryan run the Scranton branch of Sabre?
Follow Zap2it and MikeyLikesTV on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest TV, movie and celebrity news.
Photo credit: NBC
Follow Zap2it on Twitter and Zap2it on Facebook for the latest news and buzz
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they have been there, done that. Simply put: NO.
Hire Ricky Gervais and have his character from the British Office come over and run the branch. Is it jumping the shark? Sure. Or end the series!
I don't know. I think BJ could make it work. The show really is way more than just the boss. I really think it's a fantastic ensemble cast and as long as the writing stays sharp, it can give some of the other characters a chance to shine.
Michael as a character has always been overpowering (by design, and it works) but others have always gotten their moments in.
Dwight, Kevin, Angela, Andy, Kelly, Toby, Jim, Pam, Erin, Creed... (and the rest)
They've all had amazing moments... now they can each have a few more.
Honestly, it has come to the point where I basically buzz through the Michael scenes and really only enjoy the Dwight, Angela, Andy, Creed, Ryan, Kelly, etc scenes (Pam and Jim kind of bore me know). Michael is just too awkward lately.
Kevin should be the one replacing Michael as Branch Manager. He would be hilarious!
This would be a big mistake. Recycling story lines is a sure way to make the fans think that you've run out of steam, regardless of whether or not the show is still good. It just gives a bad perception.
I think the staff is much too smart to try the "Ryan as boss" storyline all over again. Given how it ended the first time around, it wouldn't even seem plausible that they would give him a leadership role ever again.
I gotta agree with td24, except this show jumped the shark when Jim and Pam got married, then had a kid. Dwight is comedy gold though, and he will NEVER jump the shark. So, either him or Gervais, otherwise, end it with season 7.
If they promote from within, it has to be Dwight.
They could promote Pam to be the boss. That would be a bit awkward for all involved as Pam has moved from receptionist to boss. For Jim it could be hard working for his wife. There might even be rules which say he can't work for a spouse (many companies have such rules).
Just a thought ....
darrell as the new boss, that could fit in well with how last season played out, and i think he could make a good, but funny manager
Definitely not. It worked before, yes, but doing it again would be extremely cheesy and to use a Michael Scott word, LAME.
Honestly I doubt I'll even be interested in season 8. If Carell wasn't leaving after season 7 I probably wouldn't have much interest in it. Last season was 90% god awful.