Creed Bratton's song and a wrap-up of "The Office" finale

If there was one network sitcom that defined the past decade or so, for me it was "The Office". I don't know that I ever missed an episode of the uncomfortable at times workplace comedy on NBC. As far as cultural relevance of the series, it ushered in an acceptability of laughtrack-free and single camera sitcoms. It was a series whose comedy made you think. No longer were you pushed by recorded laughter to laugh at moments whom producers deemed laugh-worthy. Its brand of comedy was subtle at times and over-the-top zany at others. It felt like "The Office" could have actually been filmed in a mundane American workplace because much of the dialog and antics taking place during the show simply felt real.

The characters, too, from "The Office" felt genuine. They had layers just like real people do. Dwight Schrute was a bizarre man who was genuinely good at his job and, as the finale last night showed, he was the best manager that Dunder-Mifflin could have ever hoped for.

Pam Beesley was the receptionist-come-sales rep with a heart of gold. Her goals in life were simple and it seemed that she lived them out on the screen. She found the love of her life in co-worker Jim Halpert after one of the longest but most heartfelt courtships ever played out on television.

Andy Bernard, who joined the series in the third season, was the inept and awkward office worker who was simply searching for approval. He was never good enough for his father and he was a flat-out terrible manager of Dunder-Mifflin's Scranton, PA branch once that title was bestowed upon him. It seems that only after he burned his bridges to live out his dream and even fail at that did he truly find himself and find that approval, in former warehouse worker Darryl of all people, and find his way in life.

But "The Office" was about an expansive cast of supporting characters as well. Kevin, Oscar, Phyllis, Angela, Erin, Ryan, Stanley, Kelly and, of course, Creed, who managed to accent of even steal every scene.

It was only fitting, then, that Creed Bratton played a pivotal part in the emotional song-filled sendoff at the Dunder-Mifflin offices. Playing on his real singer/songwriter past as a member of 1960s group 'The Grass Roots', he played a song during what could possibly be the best moments of the entire finale episode of NBC's "The Office".



While "The Office" has officially ridden off into the sunset and ended its run as NBC's highest-rated sitcom of the moment, "The Office" is one of the few sitcoms which will stand the test of time, in my opinion at least, because it was groundbreaking. It re-invented comedies on television and it had a hell of a run even if it did have plenty of hills and valleys in its nine seasons. One thing is for sure, it will be missed.

The Office adds James Spader

I don't know how I feel about James Spader joining the cast of NBC's The Office. All reports have Spader, who showed up in the season finale of The Office as a very self-assured salesman named Ricky California, beginning in an unnamed position at the Scranton, PA branch of Sabre/Dunder-Mifflin but quickly, nearly overnight, climbing the ladder to become CEO of Sabre and replacing Kathy Bates' "Jo" character. It makes sense to replace Bates who stars in the NBC drama Harry's Law but Spader is supposedly joining the cast as a regular, not in a recurring role like the one played by Kathy Bates.

What does that mean for the upcoming 8th season of the Steve Carell-less Office? My best guess is that James Spader's Ricky California will have more of a hands-on role in the goings-ons of the Scranton branch of Sabre/Dunder-Mifflin. Spader's character would definitely add a new twist in the strange dynamic that is The Office. It would be heartbreaking for Rainn Wilson's Dwight Schrute character to have a maniacal boss like Ricky California who would probably spend plenty of time womanizing and in general being a creeper.

While I don't expect The Office to last beyond an additional two seasons, maybe the addition of James Spader will add a new type of viewers to the NBC workplace sitcom. After all, The Practice and Boston Legal were successful on ABC during their run and if James Spader can create a kind of darkly comedic character on The Office then the series may have more life than I give it credit for. If the core cast members, mainly Ed Helms, Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski, stick it out on the small screen this workplace comedy could go on for another half decade.