The Office
The reason why Dunder Mifflin was being filmed for a documentary inThe Officeis extremely sorry . Like its UK progenitor , NBC’sThe Officewas shot to simulate a documentary through a unmarried - camera frame-up and peach head theatrical role interviews . For most of the serial publication , the explanation surrounding the camera crew remained a whodunit .
The mostly unseen camera crew was a background knowledge comportment in the daily lives of the Dunder Mifflin employees . They primarily stayed out of the way until the last time of year when microphone boom wheeler dealer , Brian ( Chris Diamantopoulos ) , jumped on - screen door to prevent a warehouse actor from attacking Pam ( Jenna Fischer ) . That was the only sentence a member of the camera crowd became a physical eccentric on the show , and he was subsequently give notice from the documentary for intervening .
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InThe Officeseason 9 , the Scranton employees learned that their infotainment was in conclusion ventilate to the public on PBS . As the series ' conclusion draw virtually , Pam contemplated why Dunder Mifflin ’s Scranton outgrowth was break up for a docudrama labor in the first place . She enjoin she thought it was weird at first , but as time cash in one’s chips on , she thought a small newspaper company was a complete alternative as there could be " beauty in ordinary thing . " But that might not have been the goal of the documentary according toThe Office ’s writers .
The Office Season 4 DVD Revealed The Dunder Mifflin Doc’s Dark Origin
DuringThe OfficeConvention in 2007 , some of the show ’s author took part in a Q&A. The panel , which can be found on the season 4 DVD , shed light source on why theScranton Dunder Mifflinwas film for a documentary . The writers claimed that after one of the Scranton employees committed suicide , the film work party cull Dunder Mifflin to document how the part handled the site . Those in care of the docudrama then deepen their focusing when they realise the daylight - to - day lives of Michael Scott and his employees were much more interesting .
The employee that took his own life was Tom Peets . He was mentioned inThe Officeseason 2 , instalment 8 , " Performance Review . " Michael ( Steve Carell ) front through the situation ’s suggestion boxwood for the first time in years . One of the suggestions state : " We need good outreach for employee oppose depression . " That note come in from Tom , an accountant that went on to dash himself allot to Phyllis ( Phyllis Smith ) . Michael did n’t even think of him , adding to the belief that Tom ’s well - being was never acknowledge by hisDunder Mifflin co - workers .
Tom ’s death also provided an explanation for Ryan ’s ( B.J. Novak ) hiring as a temporary . The void left by Tom reserve the Scranton branch to make full the position . Ryan was n’t engage as an accountant , but he did fill a need throughout other department . It ’s ill-defined if Tom ’s destruction was ever meant to be discuss further in the show as the backstory for the documentary . It ’s more likely that the writers ofThe Officecame up with the thought on their own to fill the gap in the show ’s backstory . Tom ’s circumstances is oddly morbid for a funniness series , and they made the right choice by glossing over the point .
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How The US Office Mockumentary Origins Are Different from The UK Version
The Office ’s UK and US version differsignificantly and in many ways . Perhaps the most noticeable distinction is that while the UK version is well and truly uncheerful , the US version consistently offers second of wholesomeness and desire even while being painfully embarrassing . This makes it all the more ironical , then , that the reason behind the UK Office , Wernham Hogg , being pick out for a documentary is much less tragical . For this variation , Stephen Merchant shared on theOffice Ladiespodcast that the show was intended as a forgotten documentary – one that got filmed at some power point , put over for ages , and in the end dusted off unceremoniously to be aired on boob tube . This fits with the UKOffice ’s overall banal ( and bleakly British ) vibration but is much less depressing an pedigree than that of the US version ofThe Office .