The Office (U.S. TV series) season 3
Encyclopedia
The third season of the American television
comedy
The Office premiered in the United States on NBC
on September 21, 2006, and concluded on May 17, 2007. The season had a total of 25 half-hours of material, divided into 17 half-hour episodes, four 40-minute "super-sized" episodes, and two one-hour episodes. The Office is an American adaptation of the British TV series of the same name
as a mockumentary
portraying the daily lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictitious Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It was stated that one of the main points of season three was to further the relationship between Pam and Jim.
The third season of The Office aired on Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. (ET
). The season was released on DVD in a box set containing four discs. While the DVD features all 25 episodes, the episodes "Traveling Salesmen" and "The Return" were condensed into one episode. The DVD was released by Universal Studios Home Entertainment
.
al work. Steve Carell
stars as Michael Scott
, Regional Manager of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton Branch. Loosely based on David Brent
, Gervais' character in the British version, Scott is a dim-witted and lonely man, who attempts to win friends as the office comedian, usually making himself look bad in the process. Rainn Wilson
portrays Dwight Schrute
, who, based upon Gareth Keenan
, is the Assistant to the Regional Manager, although the character frequently fails to include "to the" in his title. John Krasinski
portrays Jim Halpert
, a sales representative and prankster, who is based upon Tim Canterbury
, and is in love with Pam Beesly
, the receptionist. Jenna Fischer
portrays Pam, who is based on Dawn Tinsley
, is shy, but in many cases a cohort with Jim in his pranks on Dwight. B. J. Novak
portrays Ryan Howard
, who for the first two seasons is a temporary worker, but is promoted to sales representative.
The show includes many minor characters playing roles of office workers, working in various positions around the office. Angela Martin
, Oscar Martinez
, and Kevin Malone
are the office's accountants, and are portrayed by Angela Kinsey
, Oscar Nunez
, and Brian Baumgartner
, respectively. Schrute, Halpert, Phyllis Lapin
, portrayed by Phyllis Smith, and Stanley Hudson
, portrayed by Leslie David Baker
, compose the sales division of Dunder Mifflin Scranton. Midway through the season, Karen Filippelli
, portrayed by Rashida Jones
, and Andy Bernard
, portrayed by Ed Helms
both join the sales division as transfers from the Stamford branch. Kate Flannery
portrays Meredith Palmer
, the promiscuous Supplier Relations Representative, writer-actress Mindy Kaling portrays Kelly Kapoor
, the pop culture obsessed Customer Service Representative, writer-actor Paul Lieberstein portrays Toby Flenderson
, the sad eyed Human Resources Representative, and Creed Bratton
plays a fictionalized version of himself as the office's Quality Assurance Officer. Other characters include Roy Anderson
, Pam's former fiance played by David Denman
, Warehouse Supervisor Darryl Philbin
, played by Craig Robinson, and Jan Levenson, Michael's main love interest, who is portrayed by Melora Hardin
.
" received a 5.7/9 in the Nielsen ratings
, meaning that on average 5.7 percent of households were tuned in at any given moment and 9 percent of all televisions in use at the time were tuned into the program. The premiere also increased in total viewers and viewers 18 to 49 over the previous season, in doing so eclipsing its lead-in program, My Name Is Earl.
Rankings taken at the end of the third season placed it #68 on the list for total viewers. It averaged 8.3 million viewers per episode for the season. The show did improve on its rating with adults in the 18-49 range, with a 4.1/11 rating, good for a ranking of 28th. The third season was the first season to feature hour-long episodes, as both "A Benihana Christmas
" and "The Job
" were an hour long. Both episodes received favorable reception, with "A Benihana Christmas" garnering 8.5 million viewers. While season three featured mainstream songs for its soundtrack, many of the songs were decades old. IGN
felt that "In its third season The Office continued to be one of the smartest, funniest and most likable shows on television."
, and won the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the episode "Gay Witch Hunt" written by Greg Daniels
. The Office was also nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, with the award going to 30 Rock
. Other nominations included Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Steve Carell for his portrayal of Michael Scott, Outstanding Supporting Actor for Rainn Wilson for his portrayal of Dwight Schrute, Outstanding Supporting Actress for Jenna Fischer for her portrayal of Pam Beesly, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for Ken Kwapis for directing the episode "Gay Witch Hunt", and another nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Michael Schur
for the episode "The Negotiation".
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
comedy
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
The Office premiered in the United States on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
on September 21, 2006, and concluded on May 17, 2007. The season had a total of 25 half-hours of material, divided into 17 half-hour episodes, four 40-minute "super-sized" episodes, and two one-hour episodes. The Office is an American adaptation of the British TV series of the same name
The Office (UK TV series)
The Office is a British sitcom television series that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC Two on 9 July 2001. Created, written, and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, the programme is about the day-to-day lives of office employees in the Slough branch of the fictitious...
as a mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
portraying the daily lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictitious Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It was stated that one of the main points of season three was to further the relationship between Pam and Jim.
The third season of The Office aired on Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. (ET
Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
). The season was released on DVD in a box set containing four discs. While the DVD features all 25 episodes, the episodes "Traveling Salesmen" and "The Return" were condensed into one episode. The DVD was released by Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Universal Studios Home Entertainment is the home video division of Universal Pictures...
.
Cast
Many characters portrayed by The Office cast are based on the British version of the show. While these characters normally have the same attitude and perceptions as their British counterparts, the roles have been redesigned to better fit the American show. The show is known for its generally large cast size, with many of its actors and actresses known particularly for their improvisationImprovisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
al work. Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
stars as Michael Scott
Michael Scott (The Office)
Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character on NBC's The Office, portrayed by Steve Carell, and based on David Brent from the original British version. Michael, the central character of the series, was the manager of the Scranton branch of paper and printer distribution company Dunder Mifflin Inc...
, Regional Manager of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton Branch. Loosely based on David Brent
David Brent
David Brent is a fictional character in the BBC television mockumentary The Office, as well as a recurring character in the NBC series of the same name, portrayed by co-writer and director Ricky Gervais. Brent is a white-collar office middle-manager and the principal character of the BBC series...
, Gervais' character in the British version, Scott is a dim-witted and lonely man, who attempts to win friends as the office comedian, usually making himself look bad in the process. Rainn Wilson
Rainn Wilson
Rainn Dietrich Wilson is an American actor and comedian. He is primarily known for his role as the egomaniacal Dwight Schrute on the American version of the television comedy The Office...
portrays Dwight Schrute
Dwight Schrute
Dwight Kurt Schrute III is a character on NBC's The Office portrayed by Rainn Wilson. He originally exactly resembled Gareth Keenan from the original UK version of The Office. Dwight is the top salesman and former acting manager for the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company and has won numerous awards for...
, who, based upon Gareth Keenan
Gareth Keenan
Gareth Keenan is a fictional paper salesman on BBC's comedy The Office. He is portrayed in the series by Mackenzie Crook as a gaunt, self-important team leader proud of his alleged lieutenant status in the Territorial Army...
, is the Assistant to the Regional Manager, although the character frequently fails to include "to the" in his title. John Krasinski
John Krasinski
John Burke Krasinski is an American actor, film director, and writer. He is most widely known for playing Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom The Office...
portrays Jim Halpert
Jim Halpert
James Duncan "Jim" Halpert is a fictional character in the United States version of the television sitcom The Office, played by John Krasinski. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version of The Office...
, a sales representative and prankster, who is based upon Tim Canterbury
Tim Canterbury
Tim Canterbury is a main character in the BBC sitcom The Office, played by Martin Freeman. He is a 30-year-old sales representative for paper merchants Wernham Hogg and lives with his parents. He spent one year at a university before dropping out, and one day hopes to return to get a psychology...
, and is in love with Pam Beesly
Pam Beesly
Pamela Morgan "Pam" Halpert is a fictional character on the U.S. television sitcom The Office, played by Jenna Fischer. Her counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Dawn Tinsley....
, the receptionist. Jenna Fischer
Jenna Fischer
Regina Marie "Jenna" Fischer is an American actress and director. She is most widely known for her Emmy-nominated portrayal of Pam Halpert on the NBC situation comedy and mockumentary The Office, and has also appeared in several films, including Blades of Glory, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,...
portrays Pam, who is based on Dawn Tinsley
Dawn Tinsley
Dawn Tinsley is a fictional character in the BBC sitcom The Office, played by Lucy Davis. She is a receptionist for paper merchants Wernham Hogg and is engaged to warehouse worker Lee. Her American The Office equivalent is Pam Beesly...
, is shy, but in many cases a cohort with Jim in his pranks on Dwight. B. J. Novak
B. J. Novak
Benjamin Joseph Manaly “B. J.” Novak is an American actor, stand-up comedian, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for being a writer and co-executive producer for and playing the role of Ryan Howard on the US version of The Office, as well as appearing in Inglourious Basterds...
portrays Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard (The Office)
Ryan Bailey Howard , played by B. J. Novak, is a fictional character on the US television sitcom The Office. He is based upon Ricky Howard from the original version of The Office , but his role is significantly expanded and he is a main character.-Character profile:Little is known about Ryan's...
, who for the first two seasons is a temporary worker, but is promoted to sales representative.
The show includes many minor characters playing roles of office workers, working in various positions around the office. Angela Martin
Angela Martin
Angela Noelle Martin is a fictional character from the US television series The Office played by American actress Angela Kinsey. She is an original character, and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
, Oscar Martinez
Oscar Martinez
Oscar Jual Paul Martinez is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Oscar Nunez.-Overview:Oscar Martinez is an accountant at the paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. He is a first generation Mexican-American. Oscar is also openly homosexual after being...
, and Kevin Malone
Kevin Malone
Kevin Jaye Malone is a character in the United States television series The Office. He is played by Brian Baumgartner. Kevin's counterpart in the UK series is Keith Bishop.-Biography:...
are the office's accountants, and are portrayed by Angela Kinsey
Angela Kinsey
Angela Kinsey is an American actress. She currently appears as the uptight accountant Angela Martin on the hit NBC television series The Office.-Personal life:...
, Oscar Nunez
Oscar Nunez
Oscar Nunez , sometimes credited as Oscar Núñez, is a Cuban American actor and comedian.He currently appears as Dunder Mifflin's paper supply accountant, Oscar Martinez, on NBC's The Office.-Career:...
, and Brian Baumgartner
Brian Baumgartner
Brian Baumgartner is an Emmy Award-winning American film and television actor, best known for playing Kevin Malone on The Office.-Personal life:...
, respectively. Schrute, Halpert, Phyllis Lapin
Phyllis Lapin
Phyllis Margaret Vance is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. She is played by Phyllis Smith.-Biography:...
, portrayed by Phyllis Smith, and Stanley Hudson
Stanley Hudson
Stanley James Hudson is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Leslie David Baker. Stanley's counterpart in the UK series is Malcolm.-Overview:...
, portrayed by Leslie David Baker
Leslie David Baker
Leslie David Baker is an American film and television actor who plays Stanley Hudson on The Office. He also had several small roles in Scrubs and appeared on That '70s Show as a janitor after a Ted Nugent concert and played an office worker in several of OfficeMax's "Rubberband Man" series of...
, compose the sales division of Dunder Mifflin Scranton. Midway through the season, Karen Filippelli
Karen Filippelli
Karen Filippelli is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. She is played by Rashida Jones. She is loosely based on the character of Rachel from the original UK version of the show, in that she transferred during the merger of the two branches, and became romantically...
, portrayed by Rashida Jones
Rashida Jones
Rashida Leah Jones is an American film and television actress, comic book author, screenwriter and occasional singer. She played Louisa Fenn on Boston Public and Karen Filippelli on The Office as well as roles in the films I Love You, Man and The Social Network...
, and Andy Bernard
Andy Bernard
Andrew "Andy" Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The Office. The character is highly insecure, yet egotistical, constantly mentioning his education at Cornell University...
, portrayed by Ed Helms
Ed Helms
Edward Paul "Ed" Helms is an American actor and comedian known for his work as a correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, as Andy Bernard on the US version of the sitcom/mockumentary The Office and for his role as Dr. Stu Price in The Hangover films.- Early life :Helms was born and raised...
both join the sales division as transfers from the Stamford branch. Kate Flannery
Kate Flannery
Katherine Patricia "Kate" Flannery is an American actress best known for playing the role of Meredith Palmer on the NBC hit series The Office.-Personal life:...
portrays Meredith Palmer
Meredith Palmer
Meredith Elizabeth Palmer is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. She is played by Kate Flannery. She is an original character and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office....
, the promiscuous Supplier Relations Representative, writer-actress Mindy Kaling portrays Kelly Kapoor
Kelly Kapoor
Kelly Rajnigandha Kapoor , is a fictional character from the US television series, The Office. She is played by Mindy Kaling, who is also a writer and producer for the show....
, the pop culture obsessed Customer Service Representative, writer-actor Paul Lieberstein portrays Toby Flenderson
Toby Flenderson
Toby Wyatt Flenderson, M.S.W. born 1971 is a character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Paul Lieberstein. He is an original character and has no equivalent in the British version of the show, The Office.-Overview:...
, the sad eyed Human Resources Representative, and Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton is an American actor and musician, a former member of The Grass Roots...
plays a fictionalized version of himself as the office's Quality Assurance Officer. Other characters include Roy Anderson
Roy Anderson (The Office)
Royson "Roy" Allan Anderson is a fictional character from the US television series The Office, portrayed by David Denman. His counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Lee.-Overview:...
, Pam's former fiance played by David Denman
David Denman
David Denman is an American film and television actor.-Education:After graduating from Fountain Valley High School, Denman attended the summer training congress at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco before receiving his B.F.A. from Juilliard.-Career:He made his film debut with Keanu...
, Warehouse Supervisor Darryl Philbin
Darryl Philbin
Darryl Mathias Philbin is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. He is played by Craig Robinson.-Overview:Darryl Philbin is the foreman of the warehouse of the Scranton branch of fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin....
, played by Craig Robinson, and Jan Levenson, Michael's main love interest, who is portrayed by Melora Hardin
Melora Hardin
Melora Diane Hardin is an American actress, best known for her roles as Jan Levinson on NBC's The Office and Trudy Monk on USA's Monk.-Early life:...
.
Reception
The third-season premiere "Gay Witch HuntGay Witch Hunt
"Gay Witch Hunt" is the third season premiere of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's twenty-ninth episode overall. Written by executive producer and show runner Greg Daniels and directed by Ken Kwapis, the episode first aired in the United States on September 21, 2006...
" received a 5.7/9 in the Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
, meaning that on average 5.7 percent of households were tuned in at any given moment and 9 percent of all televisions in use at the time were tuned into the program. The premiere also increased in total viewers and viewers 18 to 49 over the previous season, in doing so eclipsing its lead-in program, My Name Is Earl.
Rankings taken at the end of the third season placed it #68 on the list for total viewers. It averaged 8.3 million viewers per episode for the season. The show did improve on its rating with adults in the 18-49 range, with a 4.1/11 rating, good for a ranking of 28th. The third season was the first season to feature hour-long episodes, as both "A Benihana Christmas
A Benihana Christmas
"A Benihana Christmas" is the tenth and eleventh episode of the third season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the thirty-eighth episode overall. It was written by Jennifer Celotta and directed by Harold Ramis...
" and "The Job
The Job (The Office)
"The Job" is the third season finale of the U.S. version of The Office, and the show's 52nd and 53rd episode overall. It aired in the United States on April 19, 2007 on NBC. It is the season's second hour-long episode...
" were an hour long. Both episodes received favorable reception, with "A Benihana Christmas" garnering 8.5 million viewers. While season three featured mainstream songs for its soundtrack, many of the songs were decades old. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
felt that "In its third season The Office continued to be one of the smartest, funniest and most likable shows on television."
Awards
The third season of The Office received seven nominations for Primetime Emmys at the 59th Primetime Emmy Awards59th Primetime Emmy Awards
The 59th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California on September 16, 2007 and were televised live on Fox at 8:00 p.m. EDT for the first time in high definition...
, and won the award for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for the episode "Gay Witch Hunt" written by Greg Daniels
Greg Daniels
Gregory Martin "Greg" Daniels is an American television comedy writer, producer, and director.-Life and career:...
. The Office was also nominated for the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, with the award going to 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
. Other nominations included Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Steve Carell for his portrayal of Michael Scott, Outstanding Supporting Actor for Rainn Wilson for his portrayal of Dwight Schrute, Outstanding Supporting Actress for Jenna Fischer for her portrayal of Pam Beesly, Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series for Ken Kwapis for directing the episode "Gay Witch Hunt", and another nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for Michael Schur
Michael Schur
Michael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...
for the episode "The Negotiation".
Episodes
In the following table, "№" refers to the episode's number within the entire series, whereas "#" indicates the episode's number within that particular season. "U.S. viewers (million)" refers to the number of Americans who viewed the episode on the night of broadcast. Episodes are listed by the order in which they aired, and may not necessarily correspond to their production codes. † denotes a longer 40-minute episode (with advertisements; actual runtime around 28 minutes) and ‡ denotes an hour-long episode (with advertisements; actual runtime around 42 minutes).| № | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | U.S. viewers (million) |
Original air date | Production code |
|---|