As Novak puts it, somewhat more delicately, ''It is a perfect creative environment.'' And a comfortable one: Ask Krasinski — who appears alongside no less than George Clooney in this fall's Leatherheads — if his burgeoning movie career is going to lead him to pull a Caruso. ''You mean like leave this show?'' he asks, familiarly wide-eyed. ''There is not even an inkling. It's given me everything. The fact that I could go do a movie and then 'come home' to this? That's the best of both worlds.'' Carell agrees. ''I'm not taking any of it for granted,'' he says, for clearly the umpteenth time. ''I never want to assume that anything will continue. That way, it's a constant surprise when it does.''
Of course, it helps to have the head of the network in your corner: Ben Silverman, the man who brought The Office Stateside via his production company, Reveille, was named co-chairman of NBC Entertainment this spring. From his perspective, the comedy is no longer struggling to find an audience, but defining what viewers want to watch. ''You look at the motion pictures this summer, and you see things like Superbad and Knocked Up deliver huge box office,'' he notes. ''The audience is growing up now, and alternative styles are becoming mainstream.'' The question is, How much farther into the mainstream can The Office climb, given that the series has to face off against Grey's Anatomy and CSI in its new Thursdays at 9 time slot (which Daniels calls '' the worst around'' )?
The cast seems none too concerned about sexy docs or forensic geeks. ''We just need to do what we do well, and do it weller-er,'' says Wilson. ''The great thing about Greg Daniels is he's always interested in subverting the humor. Twisting it, and going into darker, weirder, more off-kilter places.'' Ten minutes later, the actor is out on the set, sniffing the hand of the guy who wields the slate, and giggling maniacally right up until that slate comes down, the director says, ''Action,'' and — well, something happens. We'd tell you, but they'd kill us. Awkwardly, no doubt.
Want more of The Office? See Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski dish on what to expect as the Pam/Jim love story picks up this season, plus an exclusive Pam performance by Fischer when EW video goes to The Office. Then, read what the actors who play Michael, Dwight, Pam, Jim, and the rest of TV's craziest coworkers say about the Dunder Mifflin crew — and where they see the Office-mates going from here.
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