After a long run, and multiple Emmy Awards, on David E. Kelly’s Boston Legal and The Practice, as well as a terrific guest spot on The Office season finale, James Spader will be back on TV in a more permanent role in the Fall.

That’s right, Spader will be joining NBC’s The Office next season. He won’t, however, be a replacement for Steve Carell’s Michael Scott. Instead, Spader will return to his role as Robert California, who has been hired as the CEO of Sabre, Dunder Mifflin’s parent company.

This is good news for those Spader fans out there (and here at The Flickcast). His work on The Office was pretty great and could help the show stay funny and bring in viewers. Good job NBC.

If you want to know more, click through for the official press release from NBC. The Office returns later this year.

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Tonight’s the night we find out (probably) who will be the new boss on The Office to replace Michael Scott (aka Steve Carell). A litany of guest starts are along for the ride and should make this an interesting show, to say the least.

Here’s the breakdown from NBC:

If you were going into a job interview, wouldn’t it be nice to meet Jim Halpert? That’s what the candidates will face tonight on The Office! Everyone knows Dwight’s vying for the new manager job, but he’s facing stiff competition from guest stars Jim Carey, Will Arnett, Ricky Gervais, Ray Romano, and Catherine Tate among others.

There’s also the Parks and Rec season finale tonight as well as a bonus episode right before it. In the bonus episode, Chris wants to make departmental changes and Tom doubts his career path. Then, the season finale features an old friend that may surprise you (it did us).

Click through to check out a preview for tonight’s episode of The Office after the break. Find out who the boss is tonight at 9/8C on NBC. No, it probably won’t be Tony Danza.

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He may never play Superman or Captain Marvel, but Robert Smigel and the gang at Saturday Night Live finally got Jon Hamm to portray one of America’s most treasured superheroes: Ace of the Ambiguously Gay Duo.

This past week marked a special episode of SNL, as Robert Smigel’s “Saturday TV Funhouse” presented the first ever live-action episode of The Ambiguously Gay Duo, a cartoon short that started in 1996.

Originally voiced by Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrel, the short made sure to give parts to the original cast, as well as guest host Ed Helms and Jimmy Fallon, who played Ace’s partner (in crime) Gary.

We won’t make you wait any more for this epicness, but if you’re looking for some hardcore superhero action this summer, look no further than the special short after the jump.

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February is in full swing, so I’m taking a break from freezing my butt off in upstate NY and conjugating Spanish verbs to bring you this month’s TV Digest. With all the snow that’s been plaguing the US and the winter movie slump in full swing, it’s great to have some excellent tv to watch. Look no further than here, dear readers, as I’ve got everything you need to check out on the tube in February.

Top Shot (History Channel)

Those of you who read my TV Digest regularly will know I’m not too big on reality tv. But man, I LOVE Top Shot. 16 contestants, including expert sharp-shooters, award-winning rifleists, and former U.S. miliary from around the country compete for $100,000 and the coveted title of Top Shot.

The show is a blast to watch every week, between the history you get about each rifle and challenge, the skill exhibited by the competitors, and of course the usual reality tv drama. Top Shot airs on the History Channel Tuesdays at 10.

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We may be in between seasons of FX’s Justified, but that isn’t stopping star Timoythy Olyphant from showing his face on TV. He guest stars in tomorrow night’s episode of The Office as the new, good-looking salesman who’s here to take business from our favorite coworkers. From NBC:

When a competing sales associate (guest star Timothy Olyphant) steals a Dunder Mifflin client, Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell), Jim (John Krasinski) and Dwight (Rainn Wilson) decide to set up a sting to find out his sales secrets. Andy (Ed Helms) decides to start a band after finding out a friend from college has a successful music career.

In the very funny four clips we’re bringing you today, Michael, Dwight, and Jim all plan a way to figure out Olyphant’s secret to selling, all while referencing the film The Sting.

Check out the clips after the jump, and be sure to catch The Office tomorrow night at 9pm ET on NBC.

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Ed Helms has kind of gone back and forth on the show, trying to find where he fits in. He’s gone from the angry guy, to the preppy guy, to Dwight’s romantic rival, and nothing’s ever quite stuck, save for his singing, which has been the basis for some good jokes (his a cappella group Here Comes Treble is a personal favorite), but it’s a trait, not a character.

But it’s still his most defining characteristic, and “Andy’s Play” runs with it by casting him in a local production of Sweeney Todd to flaunt his vocal chords and impress Erin, who’s moved on from him to office drone Gabe. (I hope wherever Andy ends up it’s not as the new pre-Jam Jim.)

Andy invites the rest of the office to the production with a showstopper featuring him and several other players (in a surprisingly plot-relevant cold open), but each of them stumbles to think of an excuse not to attend—Jim and Pam because they can’t find a sitter and Michael because he also tried out for the production and just now realized that’s he’s not the lead (or even in the play).

But the rest of the gang just up and decides to go anyway (not sure where that came from). However, Andy’s original plans are dashed when Jim and Pam explain that their last-minute babysitter was, in fact, Erin.

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Another fine opening! Now that Dwight owns the building, he’s looking for new sources of revenue, so he’s decided to open a day-care center, run by Cousin Moze and located in one of the creepiest rooms of the building, made creepier by the décor, which includes an Insane Clown Posse poster (where “Insane” and “Posse” are crossed out); a chest of plastic forks and knives (for imaginative fun); and buckets for number one, number two, and, uh, feed.

Back at the regular episode, Michael, following his spanking incident last week, has been ordered to undergo several hours of counseling with his arch-nemesis Toby (who, naturally, has a degree in social work). However, the sessions largely consist of Michael glaring at Toby and only opening his mouth to deliver the next insult. But at least he’s getting some sort of help, because, as Phyllis says, “He’s got a lot of issues and he’s stupid.”

Meanwhile, Dwight’s boycotting the Steamtown Mall and demands that the rest of the office join his crusade…whatever that is, because he says his reasons for the boycott are none of their business. To get everyone else on board, he plans on calling up all Mall-related clients and delivering an excoriating, profanity-laden tirade.

So far, it’s worked at losing Andy’s clients. Jim quickly diffuses the situation, and Dwight reveals that his anger derives from an incident the day before, when the owners of one of the stores refused him service…sort of…based on his appearance. Kelly suggests that he doll himself up, go back to the shop, and “Pretty Woman their ass.” Creed suggests they start their own mall, which Erin spastically seconds. Jim goes with Kelly’s idea, and Andy invites himself along to give Dwight a makeover.

And Pam’s struggling with her sales, ultimately deciding that she’s not cut out for it (“The thing that’s unfair about sales is that it’s based on commissions, so if you suck at sales, you don’t make any money. Well, I guess that’s fair”). Opportunity knocks when a traveling salesman asks to see the office administrator, and Pam steps up to the post, which doesn’t actually exist, but hey, it beats waiting for a promotion.

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Well played, Office.

I don’t care if there’s not a single funny moment for the rest of the season, you guys get a pass for the not only the best premiere opener, but the best Office opener period. Seriously, I rewatched it before it was over the first time. Not sure how long it took to film, but the sight of Gabe doing the Charleston, Creed rocking out, and Erin going nuts in the background all in a single, unbroken shot was worth it.

As the season officially begins, it’s revealed that over the summer Corporate Weasal Gabe (that sounds like something from a rejected line of bobbleheads) has stolen Erin “I-wouldn’t-have-gone-on-that-first-date-were-he-not-my-boss-and-I’d-have-to” Hannon; Dwight bought the building; Kelly took a correspondence course from Yale; and the office has hired an obnoxious assistant named Luke who can’t properly get the coffee…and also happens to be Michael’s nephew.

Luke sucks at pretty much everything he does, from forgetting to mail customers account-sensitive information to giving the staff shoddy nicknames (Andy: “I am not the Nard Man, I am the Nard Dog. The Nard Man is my father”). Luke’s sent on an ice-cream run while the rest of the gang is dragged into the boardroom by Michael, who tells them to lay off before revealing the fact that he and Luke are (not really surprisingly) related.

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What ultimately surprised me about this comedy is how sweet it is underneath the prickly premise. Based on a more scathing French film called The Dinner Game (1998), this Dinner has been toned down a bit for American audiences but it still has a bit of bite.

Paul Rudd plays Tim, a mild mannered businessman trying to get a promotion at work. He has earned the promotion but is forced to deal with typical office politics in order to seal the deal. He is horrified to find out that the good old boys at the office partake in a monthly dinner party in which each man brings the biggest idiot they can find to amuse the masses. They ask Tim to join them in a few days, promising that if he can find such a person, the job is all his.

Tim wrestles with the moral dilemma he faces. He’s visibly disgusted with the whole idea, but he really, really wants the job. He has been trying to get his beautiful girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak) to succumb to his marriage proposal, and he believes that if he is financially secure she’ll be more likely to take the plunge.

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Michael’s embroiled in the Sabre-flaming-printer-scandal. Sabre bigwig Jo (Kathy Bates) shows up and wants to know who sang to the press, putting Andy on the spot (apparently the titular whistleblower, but the camera seems to suggest weasly Gabe).

While Jo runs the investigation from the conference room, Michael tries sniffing out the culprit himself. His first stop is Darryl (who actually started the whole printer-fire controversy by trying to play a joke on Andy), and he reveals that he casually mentioned it to girl he was trying to pick up in a bar. Then Pam reveals that she let slip the rumor in daycare when she was trying to one-up another mother.

All the while the office is having its hard-drives scanned, which can always be counted on to reveal some strange and terrible truths about the Dunder-Mifflin (sorry, Sabre) employees. Kevin shows a great deal of concern over having the contents of his computer searched, and Toby’s apparently writing a mystery novel (“Why would a person who hates everyone want to have a relationship with the maid?”).

Michael holds an emergency conference with Darryl and Pam in Meredith’s minivan. Kelly joins in as well (“I think I tweeted it”), and the four decide to confess, but, naturally, Michael’s not up to it. Jo senses something’s up, and in a creepy Misery-esque turn (gotta mention it), drives Michael to the hanger where her private plane is kept (“Or you going to kill me?”).

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I notice everyone in this episode has a coprophagic grimace stained across their cheeks in the interviews, like each actor is trying desperately not to laugh. And that’s totally appropriate for this episode, which is intimidating to write about because it’s not your typical Office but has more great moments than any other installment I can think of. The number of plotlines alone is worthy of the Venture Bros. and there’s so much going on and so many directions the episode takes that it’s just staggering.

Right when you think you know what’s going to happen next, some other bizarre new story will be thrust in. The cold opening where Toby begins a presentation on Radon Kits and then gradually evolves from a mean-spirited comment from Michael into the rest of the office upbraiding Michael and ends with Dwight showing how to kill three people shifts so often, I was wondering if I had missed the actual cold open and gone straight into the episode.

Following last week’s reveal that Michael was dating a married woman, the office is on lock-down mode following the breakup (apparently there’s an entire office-wide procedure for when this happens, and clearly this has happened before…many, many, many times). But when Michael arrives, he’s oddly cheerful, and Pam loses it, asking her boss directly if he’s still dating a married woman, which he confirms, and through a series of ill decisions, decides to team up with Andy to spy on Donna’s husband.

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Wow—solid cold opening, made doubly more effective by the thought that it was long overdue.

The episode jumps right into Michael’s love life. He’s looking for something new to do on the weekend instead of sex with Donna (and apparently he’s getting a lot during the work week—making out in front of security guard Hank is a highlight). This leads to the rest of the office questioning the nature of Michael’s relationship (Kelly and Ryan seem especially astute at detecting the trails of two-timers), so Michael commissions Dwight to tail Donna.

Meanwhile Andy blows open The Case of the Smoking Printer, which is exactly what it sounds like. He brings it to the attention of weasely “Do you guys have any almond butter” Gabe, who lackadaisically gets right on it. However, Darryl (and thank you, again, Office writers, for bringing Craig Robinson to the forefront [wouldn’t he be a fantastic Mr. T?) has it in for Andy and devises a semi-clever plan to spin him in a tizzy.

Pam tries to reassure Michael that things are okay with Donna and usefully brings up Michael’s self-destructive approach to relationships to allay his worries. She and Jim tell him to call off Dwight’s investigation (which takes place at a gym and looks like the outtakes of a horrific porno).

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