If you’re a fan of The Office, this might be a delightful surprise.
Remember the cold open from Casual Friday from Season 5, in which Kevin Malone talks about his famous chili recipe that he makes once a year for the whole Dunder Mifflin branch in Scranton? The one that he drops all over the floor near reception?
Well, it turns out that Peacock had a little fun with it. The streaming service actually stuck the recipe into its terms of service, and fans on social media including TikTok discovered the Easter egg recently. It’s so great.
What the heck was that Super Bowl ad that had a QR code going around a black background that had most viewers saying, “Uh, why are you making me get out of my chair to use my phone to figure out what the heck this is?”?
The answer: It was a Coinbase commercial, as we found out seconds later.
The funny thing about it was that it reminded everyone of the same thing: In a season 4 episode of The Office — “Launch Party” to be exact — the cold open features a meeting in which Dunder Mifflin employees are paying attention to a bouncing DVD logo that just won’t hit the exact corner of the TV … until it finally does.
It was almost exactly a year ago that we got a New Year’s gift from The Office: A never-before-seen cold open in which Jim and Pam pranked Dwight by convincing him he was in The Matrix.
Now that it’s 2022? New year, new never-before-seen cold open!
This one features Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott dropping a whole bunch of stuff into the toilet, from his wallet to his keys (which he threw in out of anger) … which then leads him to invent a very gross and very funny idea for something he calls “the toilet guard.”
The Offices Andy Buckley posts Buffalo Bills-related video about Dunder-Mifflin Buffalo branch.
The Bills are back in the AFC Championship Game and Dunder-Mifflin might soon be back in Buffalo because of it.
Maybe… if Dunder Mifflin was real. But it is on NBC’s widely-popular series, “The Office.” The show, which actually hasn’t had a new episode since 2013 is back in the news recently because of streaming services.
Long a staple on Netflix, NBC moved it to their own new platform, Peacock. But regardless, it’s a show with a massive following still to this day. Evidently one of the actors from it, Andy Buckley, better known as “David Wallace” from the series, is a Bills fan.
Buckley took advantage of the Bills’ upcoming game this weekend vs. the Chiefs and combined it with show to create a perfect video for social media. His character in the series is the CFO of the company and at some points there’s reference to the company’s Buffalo branch.
Looks like Buckley is going to reopen the joint all because of the Bills. Fans of the show will love it.
Check out his video below:
NFL Championship Sunday a few days away! Dunder Mifflin has fans of all 4 teams. Wallace w/special message for the Bills & the City of Buffalo! (Office fans, don’t read into it too much – just having fun.) 😀@BuffaloBills@Chiefs@packers@Buccaneers@NFLpic.twitter.com/xgcq7ysIQY
And sure, some The Office fans weren’t happy to have to dish out more money for another streaming service. But Peacock did offer up quite the treat with a never-seen-before cold open.
Basically, the five-minute open featured Jim, Pam and Hank (played by the late Hugh Dane) as they teamed up to trick Dwight into recreating Neo’s recruitment in The Matrix movie. It was glorious and even had a twist.
🚨 This is not a drill. 🚨 Presenting a never-before-seen cold open from #TheOffice!
Bad news for Dunderheads — that’s what they call The Office fans, right? — who have enjoyed streaming the NBC comedy on Netflix: Michael Scott and Co. are no longer on the service as of New Year’s Day 2021. I’m sure your response is “NO! GOD, PLEASE, NO!”
The good news? They’re still streaming elsewhere. Peacock — NBCUniversal’s streaming service — now has the rights to the entire catalog.
We know you probably have some questions about how to watch the adventures of Michael, Pam, Jim, Dwight, Angela either over again or for the very first time. So let’s see if we answer your questions about everything (besides, obviously, which bear is best).
Where can I watch The Office?
Like we said, Peacock!
What’s their deal?
You can see the first two seasons completely for free.
And after that?
It’s going to cost you. You can subscribe to Peacock for $4.99 a month (that’s with ads) and the ad-free version for $9.99 for seasons three through nine. You can try it free for seven days.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvJUf6LHILk
Do I get anything else for that investment?
Sure, there are movies and NBC series, plus some originals like Saved By the Bell and Brave New World. But they’re also opening up a vault for The Office fans, showing deleted scenes and footage from behind the scenes. So there’s that.
Josh Allen had a Dwight Schrute joke fans of The Office will love.
For the second time this week, The Office character Dwight Schrute was referenced in the NFL.
The first instance was Sunday when the Cleveland Browns beat the Tennessee Titans, and quarterback Baker Mayfield was asked about his improvement this season after throwing four touchdowns against the Titans. He responded by quoting Dwight — played by Rainn Wilson — and said: “Whenever I’m about to do something, I think: ‘Would an idiot do that?’ And if they would, then I don’t do that.”
Then it was Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s turn.
Monday night against the San Francisco 49ers, Allen led his team to a 34-24 victory, going 32-for-40 for 375 yards and four touchdowns. It was an impressive performance, and it caught the attention of Wilson, who will forever be associated with Dwight Schrute.
He praised Allen, calling him his second favorite quarterback. (Wilson is a huge Seattle Seahawks fan, so presumably, Russell Wilson is his favorite quarterback.)
And, well, Allen found the perfect way to respond with a funny dig at Dwight – one that fans of The Office will love.
The long-running joke on The Office was that Dwight was always second to Michael Scott (Steve Carell) in the office’s hierarchy. But he wasn’t Assistant Regional Manager, as he liked to think. He was Assistant to the Regional Manager, as Michael and Jim regularly reminded him.
“What if I told you, the greatest Michael wasn’t Jordan?”
No one in the world can compare with Michael Scott when it comes to playing basketball. No one plays, celebrates, trash talks, shoots free throws and, yes, even makes an occasional mistake like the main character of the iconic sitcom, The Office.
So naturally, Michael deserves his own 30 for 30, and on Sunday, ESPN dropped the first-look trailer at it’s latest documentary series subject. Clearly, some of Michael Scott’s best, worst and most painful moments on the court were captured in it, and it looks captivating.
OK, OK, it’s a spoof, because of course it is. But this faux 30 for 30 trailer is too good not to celebrate.
As FTW’s Charles Curtis recently explained while ranking the best sports moments from The Office, here’s what makes the Basketball episode so fantastic:
It’s all perfect — Michael calling fouls, his long free-throw routine, Jim competing with his rival, Roy, over Pam’s affection, Dwight getting buckets and Michael not, and so much more.
And of course, Steve Carell loved the trailer too.
“Sometimes, I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.”
Well said, Michael Scott. That’s the perfect way to introduce For The Win’s tribute to The Office, the NBC comedy that celebrates the 15th anniversary of its premiere this week (March 24). For the show that’s still so embedded in American and internet culture, we’ll break down everything from the best sports moments to the best couples. Because, as Wayne Gretzky Michael Scott says, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
When we made a list of couples from The Office, we quickly realized how ridiculously incestuous that workplace is (although it’s pretty standard for long-running sitcoms). The list ranged from obvious contenders for the show’s best to ones we totally forgot about and are, therefore, pretty insignificant.
So we narrowed it down to the top-10 couples. This isn’t about the best or healthiest relationships or which ones are #RelationshipGoals. These are our favorite couples to watch, from the heartwarming to the totally dysfunctional and everything in between.
10. Oscar and The Senator
Oscar’s affair with Angela’s husband, the senator, adds some needed depth to his character. But it also, weirdly and unexpectedly, brings Oscar closer to Angela when they realize they’re both in a relationship with (and political props for) a terrible person who’s using them. But throughout, you know this relationship is going to end in catastrophe eventually, and catastrophic couples are fun to watch. So you couldn’t help but want to know what would happen here. And while both Oscar and Angela get hurt, they also become actual friends because of it, which is kind of sweet. — Michelle Martinelli
9. Jim and Karen
Jim and Karen were a good, not great, match. With solid chemistry, they had fun and seemed similarly ambitious about their futures. But Jim was never fully invested in Karen because he was still in love with Pam, and you knew that relationship was never going to work out. Jim and Pam were the primary will-they-or-won’t-they relationship in the beginning, and Karen just served as obstacle in that storyline that you weren’t really invested in. — MM
8. Andy and Angela
Look at it this way: we needed Andy and Angela to “date” while she had an illicit affair with Dwight (which packed so much comedic punch), who she would end up marrying. There’s value in that! There’s also value in “The Duel,” in which Dwight and Andy fight for her affections. — Charles Curtis
7. Darryl and Kelly
What a hilarious, twisted mess. Kelly is initially only with Darryl — and flaunts it to a ridiculous extent — to make Ryan jealous, so you might normally feel bad for him. But his total indifference to Kelly is comical, especially when she cranks up the intensity any time Ryan is around. And when she breaks up with Darryl for Ryan, his response is perfect: “It’s cool.” — MM
Note that we had to use Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration’s full name.
Anyway! Their love is pure and simple, with ZERO drama, and their wedding was so good although even if it borrowed liberally from what was supposed to be the nuptials between Pam and Roy. — CC
Michael got his heart broken multiple times, and suffered through Jan, but eventually found his soulmate. Holly is Michael’s perfect match in every way, and although their exceptionally dorky personalities can lead to some cringeworthy moments, it’s endearing to know that Michael ends up with his perfect match, which is eventually confirmed years later in the series finale. You’ve gotta love these two together. — MM
4. Michael and Jan
Okay, look. It was a disaster of a relationship, an absolute trainwreck. BUT! It was fascinating to watch Jan convince herself that it was something she wanted, amazing to see Michael as a romantic figure … and then you got to watch it crash and burn spectacularly. On top of that, it gave Michael a chance to see that Jan wasn’t right for him. — CC
3. Jim and Pam
So, here’s the thing about Jim and Pam. The will-they-or-won’t-they arc is fantastic, and Jim finally asking Pam out while she’s talking to the camera is one of the most perfectly crafted scenes. They’re funny and goofy and make a great team while pranking Dwight. But once they get together and have a baby, they become kind of bland and just sort of exist as a couple on the show. An easy fix to that would have been significant marriage problems earlier than the final season. They’re still great, but they’re not the best. — MM
Jim and Pam are in the pantheon of all-time sitcom couples. I want them SO BADLY to be higher up, because even in those “bland” years — as Michelle put it above — we saw them struggle in a very real way. It wasn’t just sunshine and rainbows for the couple that got engaged in the rain. But I get it. There are probably better couples. Sigh. — CC
2. Kelly and Ryan
Kelly and Ryan are an absolute disaster from the beginning — when Ryan instantly regrets hooking up with her on February 13 — to the very end when Ryan abandons his baby and Kelly leaves her husband so they can run off together. And their relationship creates some of the best scenes, one-liners and, subsequently, GIFs. They’re horrible, selfish, shallow and hilarious characters who are perfect for each other, creating a toxic, dumpster fire of a relationship we can’t get enough of. And, most importantly, they deserve each other and got an ending fit for two poisonous people, and I love them for it. — MM
1. Dwight and Angela
Their roller coaster was the wildest of them all. They kept their early relationship a secret. They had a breakup after Dwight killed her cat. They had an affair in the warehouse while Angela is dating Andy. They end up having a baby together before she marries a state senator. And the series ends not with any of the other couples getting married, but these two, when we could finally see them truly expressing their feelings about each other in public, with no walls between them.
Read that whole thing over and tell me that’s not a romantic comedy you’d watch over and over. That’s why they’re No. 1 — CC
From Jim dressing up like Dwight to moving his desk all over, here are our favorite pranks.
“Sometimes, I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.”
Well said, Michael Scott. That’s the perfect way to introduce For The Win’s tribute to The Office, the NBC comedy that celebrates the 15th anniversary of its premiere this week (March 24). For the show that’s still so embedded in American and internet culture, we’ll break down everything from the best sports moments to the best couples. Because, as Wayne Gretzky Michael Scott says, “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”
It’s the recurring joke that never got stale in nine seasons: Jim Halpert pulling off some all-time great pranks on his desk-mate, Dwight Schrute. And though sometimes they backfired — see: the snowball war — or were borderline mean, we eventually saw how their mutual respect for each other grew.
So here are 32 of those pranks, ranked.
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32. Posting Dwight’s resume online
We’ll start with one from Halloween: Jim and Pam uploaded Dwight’s faux resume to Monster.com and other sites, but the punchline is Dwight actually gets a call from a place called Cumberland Mills. It’s not Jim’s best work, and the result isn’t all that funny. Whatever! There are so many better ones below. — Charles Curtis
31. Jim tricks Dwight into thinking he murdered someone
This is a highlight of an otherwise forgettable plot line when the office goes to Tallahassee. Jim is used to getting up at 4:15 a.m. with his kids, so in Florida, he uses that extra time to turn his hotel room into a crime scene, including “It was Dwight” written on a door. Props to Jim for making the most of his early morning time. — Michelle Martinelli
30. Jim gets Dwight a gigantic new ID and labels him a security threat
I don’t know what’s better — the use of a humongous piece of lamination, the fact that Dwight’s labeled a “security threat” or turning his middle name into “Fart.” A triple crown of pranks in one shot. — CC
29. Jim and Pam make Dwight believe Jim has telekinetic powers
Jim obviously needed a partner to help him fool Dwight into believing Jim has telekinetic powers, and Pam helps pull this prank off perfectly. Dwight is not only mind blown, but he also attempts to develop his own powers. A prank with lasting effects. — MM
28. Jim convinces Dwight he’s turning into a vampire
This is really the only natural reaction a prankster would have after seeing a bat terrorize the office. Good for Jim for taking advantage of the obvious opportunity. — MM
27. The meatballs
“Are you ready for some meatballs?!”
And the fact that this prank turns out to be Dwight and Stanley scheming against Jim for more meatballs is actually a hilarious twist. Solid pranks from both sides, really. — MM
26. Dwight’s tear-away suit
Maybe this should be higher because of the effort it required. Jim figures out Dwight’s dry cleaner, gets a suit made with Velcro and replaces it. Then, you get a tear-away moment in the parking lot. — CC
25. The holy grail quest
Nothing like setting up an elaborate prank to fool Dwight into thinking the holy grail is hidden in the warehouse and then forgetting about it. Jim says he stayed late every night for a month to pull this one off. Wow. — MM
24. William M. Buttlicker
While putting this list together, I giggled so much at this one because of the fake name Jim puts on to teach Dwight how to be better with customers. But it’s the way Jim escalates the faux phone call that’s amazing. — CC
23. Jim moves Dwight’s desk an inch at a time
We don’t see this prank play out; we only hear about it while Michael is reading off Dwight’s list of complaints against Jim. But it’s still excellent hearing that Dwight’s desk, incrementally, ended up two feet closer to the copier.
“I just moved it an inch every time he went to the bathroom. And that’s how I spent my entire day that day.” — MM
22. Jim dupes Dwight into thinking it’s Friday, not Thursday
Another long con by Jim: he figures out that Dwight has the day wrong, so he uses a bunch of mini-pranks to convince Dwight it’s Friday. When Dwight doesn’t come in the next day, the reaction to when he figures it out is an all-timer. — CC
21. Jim forwards Dwight’s phones to his
Jim routes Dwight’s cell phone to his through bluetooth AND forwards his office phone, keeping one step ahead. “Oh hello, Mother. Good news, I have married. Tell Father.” HA! — CC
20. Jim convinces Dwight he was smoking a joint in the parking lot
We love this prank because, much like William M. Buttlicker, the whole thing happens right in front of Dwight. It took Jim only a couple sentences to flip the situation and trick Dwight into believing he was actually the one smoking and being interrogated. — MM
19. The self-aware computer
When Dunder Mifflin launches a website to make sales, Dwight challenges the idea that technology could outsell him. So Jim and Pam send Dwight messages pretending to be the computer that is not only smarter than Dwight, but has also become self-aware and tells Dwight that it’s its job to destroy him in sales. Really, the prank just gets him to do his job faster. But Dwight easily believes it’s real, and Jim and Pam tapping into that is what makes this so good. — MM
18. Jim and Pam learn morse code to silently talk about Dwight
Dwight absolutely deserves to be tortured by them talking about him to his face (and then convincing him Jim is clicking a detonator). Pam just wanted Dwight to stop tapping his foot on the desk, and when she asked him to stop, he responded: “I will when you lose the baby weight.” RUDE. — MM
17. How to throw a garden party
While Dwight attempts to push Schrute Farms toward more high-end events, Jim lends a hand by writing The Ultimate Guide to Throwing a Garden Party book under the pseudonym James Trickington. (Duh, Dwight.) Strictly following every word, Dwight ends up doing some ridiculous party rituals, culminating with a fire baton dance for the closing ceremonies. Jim always said he likes an audience for his pranks, and the garden party might be his largest. — MM
16. Jim puts all of Dwight’s stuff in the vending machine
Oh this is a GOOD one. No only does he put all of Dwight’s desk accessories in there INCLUDING HIS WALLET, but he gives him a bag of nickels — not quarters, not dimes! — to get them out, one by one. — CC
15. Jim gets Dwight to deliver a speech like Mussolini
Why on earth Dwight would trust Jim to give him public speaking tips is beyond us, but he did and ended up imitating mannerisms of Benito Mussolini. It’s actually fairly on-brand for Dwight, but the prank backfires for Jim when the speech captivates the crowd. — MM
14. Jim tricks Dwight into becoming his own assistant to the assistant to to the regional manager
Maybe a little higher than you think, but it’s pretty hilarious that Jim found tests that end up with Dwight finding out that Dwight is the most qualified to become the A.A.R.M. — CC
How did Jim do it? Whatever. Simple and brilliant, with a “hot or cold” game that leads Dwight to the men’s room. A phone call from Jim gets him in his chair and suddenly, Dwight is working at his desk in the bathroom. — CC
The OG of Jim pranks on Dwight from the pilot, but I think it deserves a spot this high because it’s so simple and effective. Look at how angry it makes Dwight! Vastly underrated. — CC
11. Jim tricks Dwight into fighting himself
Dwight tries to get someone in the office to attack him so he can demonstrate his martial arts skills, Jim convinces him he’s the only opponent worthy of himself, and Dwight beats himself up. Do we need more of an explanation for why this is amazing? — MM
10. Jim tells Dwight he can’t be his bestisch mensch
Just before Dwight’s wedding in the series finale, Jim tells Dwight he can’t be the bestisch mensch, or best man, because that role has to be filled by someone older than the groom. And it turns out to be a truly genuine and thoughtful prank because when Dwight turns around to see Michael standing behind him. A touching final prank. — MM
9. Dwight get recruited by the CIA
A sweet gift from Pam to Jim that once again prove they’re the best: Pam informs him at Christmas that she’s been sending fake CIA letters to Dwight and that it’s up to Jim to finish the job. Dwight ends up on the roof of Dunder Mifflin, waiting for a helicopter. — CC
8. Jim convinces Dwight he has magic beans
We initially wondered if this should be outside the top 10, but c’mon. At the office’s garage sale, Jim did an extremely convincing job — again, another long con — telling Dwight that he has magic beans and that he doesn’t want to sell them. Jim ends up with a telescope thanks to his effort, and Dwight actually waters the beans. The kicker: Jim wheels in some plants to show that they’re real. — CC
— The Office Clips (@TheOfficeShorts) May 12, 2019
Jim gets so much credit for the amount of time and effort this prank took — not to mention the danger level involved with connecting a 500-foot red wire from Dwight’s computer all the way up a telephone pole outside. — MM
6. Jim’s actor friend pretends to have been Jim the whole time
Randall Park plays Jim and Pam’s actor friend, Steve, and shows up to work in Jim’s place one day convincingly pretending to be Jim. Every time Dwight tries to challenge that, Steve has an answer. He even nails Jim’s quintessential glance at the camera. Steve/”Jim” also gives Dwight credit: “Hey, hats off to you for not seeing race.” Bravo. — MM
5. Jim puts nickels in Dwight’s phone to make it heavier
The whole sequence you see above is one of the best to-camera moments in a show full of them. We don’t get to see Jim’s pranks, but they’re funnier when you imagine them. And this one — Jim added nickels slowly to Dwight’s handset on his phone and then took them out so that Dwight whacked himself in the head with it — is the best of them all. — CC
4. Jim trains Dwight to salivate for an Altoid every time his computer dings
Jim trains Dwight like a Pavlovian, and it works perfectly. When we hear Jim’s computer chime for the final time, Dwight puts his hand out assuming there’s an Altoid on its way, and when Jim looks at him pretending to be confused, Dwight admits his mouth suddenly tastes terrible. It’s brilliant. — MM
3. Jim dresses up as Dwight
Identity theft is not a joke. But it is when it costs a total of (taps into watch calculator) $11. — CC
2. Jim sends Dwight faxes from himself in the future
Absolutely genius. When Jim took a box of Dwight’s stationary before left for Connecticut, maybe he knew how he’d use it. Maybe he didn’t. But having the foresight to take it allowed him to send Dwight faxes from himself in the future and mess with him from afar, and it’s just too good. It also makes you wonder what else Jim faxed Dwight… –MM
1. Jim wrapping Dwight’s desk in wrapping paper
We both concurred this was the greatest prank, and here’s why: It’s elaborate, and it’s a double payoff. Jim had to wrap EVERYTHING, from the tchotchkes on the desk to the chair and, on top of that, he had to balance the seat and the desk precariously to make it look like it was completely intact. We’re lured into thinking it’s a simple wrapping-paper prank, and then Dwight sits down. Brilliant and hilarious. — CC
