Steve Carell is long-gone (but still without an Emmy!), James Spader is the new CEO of Sabre, which means there's just one tiny question for The Office to answer when the NBC comedy returns for Season 8. For those who missed the job listing, the branch manager position at Dunder Mifflin is open once again after Robert California (Spader) won the gig and managed to work his way up from branch manager to CEO in just a few months time. But who will it be? We weigh the pros and cons for the most likely in-house candidates:
Jim Halpert (John Krasinski)
Why He'll Get the Job: Jim is a great salesman, he's been the No. 2 in Scranton for several years and, lest we forget, he's one of the only sane people employed at Dunder Mifflin. Viewers have rooted for Jim since the beginning so why not put him in the hot seat and see what happens?
Why He Won't: First off, doesn't Jim's presence on the search committee automatically exclude him from consideration? More...
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Every week, editors Adam Bryant and Natalie Abrams satisfy your need for TV scoop. Please send all questions to mega_scoop@tvguide.com.
How will Jim and Pam handle the new baby on The Office? — Marisa
NATALIE: With Pam's hormones in overdrive, she won't know who to trust, causing her to seek out an unlikely ally. "She's clearly in a position where everyone is lying to her to make her feel better, except for Dwight, and she starts to think he's the only person she can trust," executive producer Paul Lieberstein says. After she gives birth, though, it'll be Jim who has problems. "Usually, he wants to get out of work, but it might be a little easier for him at work than at home."
Any news on Calleigh and Eric getting back together on CSI: Miami? — Lizzie, via Twitter
ADAM: There will be definite movement on that front in the Season 10 premiere. "Right away in the first episode, we...
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With Michael Scott out of The Office's paper company, Season 8 will see two new men take charge of Dunder Mifflin.
When the NBC comedy returns, we'll learn that James Spader's eccentric Robert California has quickly moved up the ranks of Dunder Mifflin — now he's CEO. But don't expect the series to lose its awkward and endearing charm. "Spader has so much of a similar energy to Steve Carell," co-executive producer Mindy Kaling tells TVGuide.com. "Everything he says is funny"...
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The Office has hired James Spader as the new CEO of Dunder Mifflin's parent company, Sabre, NBC announced on Wednesday.
"James will reprise his role as Robert California, this uber-salesman that has a power to convince and manipulate, like a high-class weirdo Jedi warrior," executive producer and series regular Paul Lieberstein said in a statement.
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Say it isn't so. After seven seasons of ruling the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch with an iron fist — well, more like an aluminum fist — misfiring manager Michael Scott walks out of his beloved office for the last time.
The trick, admits executive producer Paul Lieberstein, who also stars as Toby, was balancing the sentimental nature of Steve Carell's final episode with the requisite humor. "We try to play it pretty real, pretty simple," he says. "But it's not easy for a guy like Michael, who has such a low grasp on reality, to have a normal goodbye. That's where a lot of the comedy comes from."
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