"The Office" to change to 1-hour format next fall? (in consideration....)
05-01-07, 02:00 PM
#1
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"The Office" to change to 1-hour format next fall? (in consideration....)
From a recent CNN story:
Thanks to Life in the Office blog for pointing this out. Could be great--they always have so many deleted scenes, I'm sure they could do this without sacrificing quality. Funny, I had said in another Office thread a few days ago that the hardest thing about the show for me was that they seem to keep cutting quality material to fit in the 22-24 minutes, and it's too bad it wasn't longer to flesh out all those subplots and character arcs.
Cool, huh? But has this sort of format change ever happened before?
At NBC's "upfront" presentation to advertisers on May 14, Zucker says he expects NBC to unveil five new programs - three dramas, one comedy, and one reality show - for its fall schedule. Zucker and Reilly are considering stretching The Office to an hour and canceling the original Law & Order.
Cool, huh? But has this sort of format change ever happened before?
Last edited by JuryDuty; 05-01-07 at 02:04 PM.
05-01-07, 02:01 PM
#2
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That would be fantasic. I think it would also help keep up the ratings for NBC.
05-01-07, 02:13 PM
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Originally Posted by JuryDuty
...Cool, huh? But has this sort of format change ever happened before?
05-01-07, 02:37 PM
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I am all for an hour office. Look at it this way: About 1/3 of the episodes were supersized anyway (so about 30 minutes running time), and the deleted scenes have been absolutely hilarious lately, I am all for 40 minutes.
05-01-07, 02:40 PM
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Originally Posted by pinata242
While I'd like to believe that you can never have too much of The Office, I'm not sure. Maybe 2 half-hours every week like Scrubs last season.
05-01-07, 02:54 PM
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I think doubling the amount of time they need to write for may eventually hurt the quality. I'd rather have 30 kick-ass minutes.
However, what if they reinvented the time slot and made both 'The Office' and '30 Rock' 45 minutes long? They supersize shows sometimes anyway. Why not making it the norm?
However, what if they reinvented the time slot and made both 'The Office' and '30 Rock' 45 minutes long? They supersize shows sometimes anyway. Why not making it the norm?
05-01-07, 03:05 PM
#12
I like the 30 minute format, it speeds up the pace of the show and allows for a faster transition between jokes. You know the writers will slow it down to fill the other half hour.
05-01-07, 03:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Ayre
I like the 30 minute format, it speeds up the pace of the show and allows for a faster transition between jokes. You know the writers will slow it down to fill the other half hour.
I do have to agree with this assessment.The old adage "always leave them wanting more" fits perfectly in this situation. Just because they can, doesn't necessarily mean that they should.
Leave it as a half hour Zucker. Don't presume that stretching the show will make up for the ratings slip you are currently seeing occur.
05-01-07, 03:55 PM
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I don't like this either sometimes this show gets annoying and it's hard to wade through that to get to the funny parts. Also that means the dvds will be twice as much because they will be twice as long, and they will milk it for all they can.
05-01-07, 04:07 PM
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i'm in the camp that feels they should stick with the current, half-hour format. in addition to the reasons already stated (most particularly, the risk of quality falling off due to a need for filler), i like the fact that there are quality deleted scenes and the occasional extended cut for dedicated office fans to seek out and get excited about. broadcasting an hour each week would eliminate most of those treasures that currently require a little extra effort on the part of the fans.
05-01-07, 04:11 PM
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The hour-long episodes (like the Christmas Special this year) seem to elongated and dragged-out, while the regular episodes, I feel, are too short. I'm in favour of just "supersized" episodes like "Casino Night," and "The Negotiation." I think 45 minutes airtime is perfect for still allowing storylines to breathe, but not overstaying its' welcome. Pair it up with another show that can go 45 minutes, and you've got a 1 1/2 hour comedy block.
05-01-07, 07:04 PM
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I agree with the supersized episodes rather than an hour. I think it might be hard to stretch some shows to an hour. Actually, they ought to just try to make about half of the episodes supersized and half normal. There are just some times when 30 minutes is more than enough depending on the storyline.
05-01-07, 07:42 PM
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I think the only way to do this is to order something crazy like 35-40 half hours and pair them up. You could have some sets of episodes that make an hour long story, but you can't have a whole season's worth or it's going to be hell to sell this in syndication. That is still a goal for a long running series, right? Comedies in particular seem to sell.
05-01-07, 08:12 PM
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Originally Posted by hardercore
The hour-long episodes (like the Christmas Special this year) seem to elongated and dragged-out, while the regular episodes, I feel, are too short. I'm in favour of just "supersized" episodes like "Casino Night," and "The Negotiation." I think 45 minutes airtime is perfect for still allowing storylines to breathe, but not overstaying its' welcome. Pair it up with another show that can go 45 minutes, and you've got a 1 1/2 hour comedy block.
8:00 - My Name is Earl
8:30 - The Office
9:15 - 30 Rock / Other potential 45 minute single camera sitcom.
You'd have people watching the 15 minute overage from the Office, and they would hopefully stick around for the next show. That 9:15 sitcom would have to be something that could grab ratings, because if not, people might quit watching the Office.
05-01-07, 08:19 PM
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The office can run for 45 minutes, and if Alec Baldwin is really going to leave 30 Rock, than you can run that for 15 minutes.
05-02-07, 04:14 AM
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And since Thursday at 9:00PM is getting to be crowded, use that idea in this way:
8:00 - My Name is Earl
8:30 - The Office
9:15 - 30 Rock / Scrubs
You'd have people watching the 15 minute overage from the Office, and they would hopefully stick around for the next show. That 9:15 sitcom would have to be something that could grab ratings, because if not, people might quit watching the Office.
8:00 - My Name is Earl
8:30 - The Office
9:15 - 30 Rock / Scrubs
You'd have people watching the 15 minute overage from the Office, and they would hopefully stick around for the next show. That 9:15 sitcom would have to be something that could grab ratings, because if not, people might quit watching the Office.