1 Major The Office Cameo Was Supposed to Be a Surprise (But It Was Ruined)

A number of cameos were made on The Office, but there’s one that shouldn’t have been revealed to the public before the episode aired. The show, which first came to TV in 2005, is graced with a large cast of core characters, all of whom are necessary to the plot. Unlike its two-seasoned predecessor, The Office had plenty of time to dive into the lives of Michael, Jim, Pam, Dwight and Angela, to name but a few. Each character had his or her place, and, as such, the series has remained one of the best sitcoms throughout the 20 years it’s been around. Numerous awards nominations were secured, including Steve Carell winning Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes in 2006 for his leading role as Michael Scott. A lot of viewers were aware of the UK show of the same name that came first.

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant wrote and starred in The Office. 24 years ago, the mockumentary series, based on Gervais’ own observations during his office-based work-life, grabbed the attention of viewers, although not immediately. At first, critics weren’t impressed, with Gervais receiving damning reviews for his debut sitcom. The negative white noise was soon silenced as The Office went on to win a Golden Globe for Best Television Series: Musical or Comedy in 2004. It was the first of many successful shows for Gervais, going on to create Extras (also with Merchant), Derek, and After Life, among other projects. However, 2003 wasn’t to be the last that fans would see of David. Far from it. In 2016, The movie Life on the Road kept viewers up to date with David’s attempts at making it in the music business. Prior to his stint of trying to make it as a star, David showed up in the American version of The Office. It’s a memorable part of the episode and overall show, but nobody was supposed to know it was going to happen.

Gervais’ Cameo Role Was Supposed to Be Secret

Even back in 2011, it was difficult for shows to keep all secrets under wraps, as the creators of The Office found out. Reported in Vulture, Paul Lieberstein (writer and Toby Flenderson actor) explained that they had hoped Gervais’ appearance in “The Seminar” would come as a complete surprise without anyone catching wind of it before it aired. They didn’t even tell NBC at first. Nevertheless, word got out and viewers were aware of the upcoming cameo.

It was unfortunate, but didn’t dampen the thrill of seeing Michael Scott and David Brent interact, as their two worlds collided (for a moment). As David walks out of an elevator, he bumps into Michael, and the two hit it off straight away. They understand each other’s level of comedy, which is often dismissed by their own colleagues. For Michael, the icing on the cake comes when David says the line “That’s what she said,” something that Michael is already known to get a kick out of repeating time and again.

The instant connection adds a moment for viewers to relax. Michael is a difficult character, and, although he generally means no harm, he is guaranteed to say the wrong thing at the wrong time. David Brent shared the same characteristics, so, for that particular cold open, viewers could rest in the knowledge that nothing would go wrong between the two of them. It also indicated that the two paper merchants co-existed in the same world. Fans could perhaps believe that as Dunder Mifflin was facing bankruptcy, Wernham Hogg was raising money for Comic Relief just across the pond.

Gervais showed up again on the show in “Search Committee,” when Scranton was looking for a new manager. He applies for the job via webcam, and, as anyone would expect, doesn’t get the job. DigitalSpy said there could’ve been a third performance from Gervais in the finale. However, other commitments got in the way, and it was Steve Carell’s return that became the added bonus. Merging the two shows, even for a brief scene, was a great move. Michael and David were indeed pitiful characters, and it was strangely heartening to watch them both relate to another person without judgment. It just might’ve been even better if no one knew it was coming.

Ricky Gervais Rejected the Offer of Playing the Scranton Boss

During an interview on What’s Funny About… Gervais spoke about his show making it in America, albeit a re-written version. Producer Ben Silverman gave him a call, and they arranged to meet in Soho, London. “We met. He told me about the thing. I introduced him to my English agent, I didn’t have an American agent, and I said fine. And that was it. Then we chose the showrunner and the first episode was word-for-word of the first episode [of the British version]”.

So that’s where it began. Gervais wasn’t only asked about the series being made in America, he was also asked if he wanted to play the main role: “I said ‘What would be the point of that? This has to be made by Americans for Americans’. That was why The Office worked. It was made by someone who knew about what it was to be English in an office, you know, and as soon as they started doing their own thing, it just got better and better.” Evidently, Gervais wasn’t interested in simply cashing in on the series, knowing the right steps to take didn’t include him playing Michael.

Assuming the offer was meant for Gervais to play Michael, and not to take David out of Slough and place him in Scranton, it wouldn’t have been so seamless. Sure, Gervais would’ve been able to play the character, and no doubt he still would’ve got a lot of laughs. Like he said himself, the show needed to be made by Americans, for Americans, or at least those who would know what it’s like to work in an American office. The dry British sense of humor had to be left with Wernham Hogg, giving space for Steve Carell to work his own comedic magic, and give his rendition of an awkward boss who just wants to be patted on the back or told he’s doing a great job.

Gervais Co-Wrote 2 of the US Version’s Episodes

Gervais’ on-screen cameos weren’t the only contributions he made to the US version of The Office. Alongside Merchant, Gervais co-wrote the first episode of the series, “Pilot,” as well as episode 9 of season 3, “The Convict.” The first one shared much of the same script with the UK’s opening episode. Viewers are introduced to characters, and learn about the dynamic within the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, just like their counterparts were presented to viewers at Slough’s Wernham Hogg.

Clear comparisons can be drawn between characters: Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly are the Tim Canterbury and Dawn Tinsley love-story equivalent, whilst Dwight Schrute and Michael Scott project the same outlandish behavior found in David Brent and Gareth Keenan. The similarities between the UK and US The Office were an attraction for fans of the UK original, who wanted to find out if the new series would be the same or if it would even depict a familiar fictional, yet believable reality. From the outset, it’s plain to see that the shows had different styles of humor to cater to their home audiences, but the premises were akin to one another.

Though not uncommon for any Michael-focused scene, the levels of deliberately cringe-worthy content were upped in “The Convict,” which might be down to the fact that Gervais and Merchant were the writers. Michael got himself into a ridiculous situation, resulting in him trying to prove to his workers that the workplace was better than prison, by becoming “Prison Mike.” It’s typical of the character’s awkwardness, and leaves Gervais and Merchant’s mark on the episode.

With both creators involved in the US remake, it ensured it would meet the high standard set by the UK version of The Office. David Brent is one of the best-known British sitcom characters. Once the remake was out, the question of “could there ever be a crossover between the two series” floated among viewers. Having David pop up but not outstay his welcome was classy. It wasn’t drawn out, and didn’t seem like the writers had run out of material and therefore decided to throw David into the mix. As ever, fans were treated to top-tier writing. It’s a shame that the news was leaked before the episode was out because the show deserved the opportunity to reveal its own moments to its audience.