8 Behind The Scenes Facts from "The Office" You Probably Don't Know

Alright, so you're an expert on all things The Office, right? We know this because of our bitter memories of your correction comments from over the years.  And by the way, it is "What kind of bear is best?" not "Which kind of bear is best?" thankyouverymuch.

Admin plight aside, we know The Office pretty damn well ourselves.  And even we didn't know most of this stuff.  So check it out, and leave your corrections additions in the comments below!


8) In Greg Daniels' mind (The Office U.S. creator and executive producer), Jim and Pam would have been an interracial couple.  In this alternative showniverse, Craig Robinson would have played Roy instead of Darryl, and Justine, Darryl's ex-wife, would have played Pam.

It would have been tough to hate Craig.

7) Remember that episode in Season 9 where Pam interviews with Bizarro-Michael for a job? (In actuality, Mark played by Bob Odenkirk) That scene was a throwback to the little known fact that Bob Odenkirk nearly got the role of Michael Scott, when Steve Carell almost had to bow out due to another pilot commitment.

6) The opening credit images were shot by John Krasinski.  After he landed the role of Jim, he and some friends took off to Scranton for a road-trip to get a feel for the place.  The title editors later used his shots for the opening sequences.

5) Oscar's being gay was decided because the writers saw Oscar Nunez wearing a pink shirt during a table read.

4) Does the name Tom Peets mean anything to you? Probably not.  But it meant a lot to the show we all came to love.  To refresh your memory, think back to Season 2's "Performance Review" in which Michael opens the forgotten suggestion box and finds a note saying "We need better outreach for employees suffering from depression." We find out that the note was written by a former employee of Dunder Mifflin, who had committed suicide before the crew began filming.  In a 2007 Q&A, the writers suggested that the documentary crew originally came to Scranton to film the aftermath of a workplace dealing with the sudden suicide of a co-worker, but stayed because they thought filming day-to-day Office happenings made for a more interesting documentary idea.  In fact, they went as far as to say that Ryan's temp position was created to fill the empty desk the deceased left behind. And his first day quickly followed the man's suicide. That man's name was Tom Peets.

RIP Tom.  We owe it all to you.

3) Dwight's being a beet farmer was inspired by the fact that Greg Daniels' grandparents were beet farmers in Poland.  And Mose's character was inspired by the reality show "Amish in the City."

2) You might know that B.J. Novak and John Krasinski went to the same High School (Both Class of '97 at Newton South High School in Massachusetts), but did you know the same is true for Ed Helms and Brian Baumgartner? They were one year apart at The Westminster Schools in Georgia, classes of '91 & '92.

1) Poor Richard's is a real bar in Scranton, that you can actually visit.  It's inside a Scranton bowling alley and is called "The South Side Lanes Bar" by locals. Here's its website.

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