'Office' workers walk the line
NBC was the first network to lose a big one because of its actors. Its top-rated comedy “The Office” shut down today after several of its actors, led by star Steve Carell, refused to work as soon as the strike was called.
The single-camera comedy is in an unusual position because several of the actors, including Carell, B.J. Novak and Rainn Wilson, are also writers on the show. Shot as a mockumentary, “The Office” relies heavily on improvisation and rewriting, the two factors that led show runner Greg Daniels to close Dunder-Mifflin for the duration.
“It was a rational decision,” Daniels said, while joining dozens of other show runners on the picket line at Disney today. “Our show is very collaborative. For them to do an episode without the writers, it is not how our show is done. Steve Carell is a writer and producer. He wouldn’t cross the picket line.”
Not only is “The Office” NBC’s No. 1 comedy, it also is a big asset on NBC.COM, Daniels noted.
“The Office has had a glimpse of what the future is because it’s the biggest draw on NBC.com. About four months ago, they had 7 million iTunes downloads. It’s a great new business for the network. The fact that they want to excuse the unions from participating is not fair.”
-- Lynn Smith
