Office Spin-off Makes its First Hire

• Jun 13, 2008 01:16 PM ET
• by TV Guide News

The producers of NBC's The Office spin-off have made their first casting hire, and it's Aziz Ansari of MTV's Human Giant. "We met him pretty early on and thought he was very funny," exec producer Greg Daniels tells Variety. "[W]e have a good character for him."

The spin-off's premise has yet to be finalized, as producers still are sorting through several ideas. It's unlikely that any current Office staffer will get spun off; rather, one or more characters from the new series probably will be introduced this fall on the mothership, paving the way for the companion show's midseason launch.

"We're trying to come up with the best concept and hire the funniest writers," exec producer Michael Schur tells Variety. "In the next couple of weeks, we'll be making the final move to one specific idea."

As first reported by TVGuide.com, Ansari will be featured on the final season of Scrubs, which finishes filming this August and will air on ABC. - Matt Mitovich