NBC Renews The Office for 22 More Episodes  1/22/06

NBC WORKS IN 'THE OFFICE' FOR FULL-SEASON ORDER OF 22 EPISODES FOR 2006-07

Increasingly Popular "The Office" Stars Recent Golden Globe Winner Steve Carell

BURBANK - January 22, 2006 - NBC has supplied "The Office" (Thursdays, 9:30-10 p.m. ET) with a full-season order of 22 episodes through the 2006-07 season, it was announced today by Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment.

"The strength of the ratings and performance and the quality of the show make this a very easy decision," said Reilly. "We are confident that the show will only continue to increase in popularity."

Since shifting to the Thursday lineup on January 5, "The Office" has delivered its three highest regular-slot ratings ever in adults 18-49 and its three best retentions ever of its 18-49 lead-in from "My Name Is Earl." "The Office" is also one of primetime's most upscale comedies, ranking #2 in terms of the concentration of homes with incomes of $100,000 or more in its adult 18-49 audience. Through January 15, "The Office" is averaging a 3.9 rating, 9 share in adults 18-49 and 8.0 million viewers overall.

From Reveille and NBC Universal Television Studio, "The Office" is a unique comedy series offering a smart, tongue-in-cheek documentary-style look at the humorous, and sometimes poignant, banality of the 9-to-5 white-collar work world. After airing its initial 16 episodes over two seasons, the series received three Writers Guild of America Award nominations, including Outstanding Achievement in Writing for a New Series and Outstanding Achievement in Writing for a Comedy Series.

"The Office" takes a painfully funny look at the interactions of the desk jockeys at Dunder Mifflin paper-supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Recent Golden Globe winner Steve Carell ("The 40-Year Old Virgin") stars as unctuous regional manager Michael Scott who hosts the documentary crew on a tour of the workplace. Jenna Fischer ("Miss Match"), John Krasinski ("Jarhead," "Kinsey"), Rainn Wilson ("Six Feet Under"), and B.J. Novak ("Punk'd") star as the employees who tolerate Michael's inappropriate behavior only because he signs their paychecks.

With unshaken enthusiasm, Michael believes he is the office funnyman and a fountain of business wisdom. Unaware of how he is perceived by his employees, Michael comes off alternately absurd and pathetic, but always hilarious.

Executive producer Greg Daniels developed "The Office" for American television. The series' other executive producers are Ben Silverman, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant and Howard Klein.

Source: NBC Press Release