Those who have had the stomach to sit through the post-departure of Steve Carell from The Office know that the show hasn’t had the same excitement and originality it had when he was attached. Since Helms and newcomer James Spader have taken the lead in the show, it’s become less about the boss and more about the employees of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

That’s probably why NBC is contemplating taking the show’s standout character, Dwight Shrute, and giving him his own spin-off, a la NBC’s move with Friends and Joey. We all remember how that ended. THR has the scoop.

Reports of NBC eyeing a potential spin-off centered around Rainn Wilson’s quirky Dwight Schrute character are indeed true, according to a well-placed source. The idea would be to further explore the Shrute family farm, with multiple generations of Schrutes involved. The comedy concept could get a test of sorts on an episode of The Office later this season.

Yeah, so I missed the season premiere of The Office, too (again, Sister’s wedding last week, combined with a total ignorance of the show’s return—I’ve seen tons of ads for the new “comedy” with the two sisters from that one show and the other “comedy” with Zooey Daschenel, but nothing about The Office or Parks and Rec). Has NBC put the kibosh on advertising for their shows?

Still, I watched last week’s episode “The List” to catch up, and, writing out this recap, I can safely say that don’t remember much of it outside of there being a list made up by Robert California (I love that name) and everyone worrying about what it signifies. I can’t say it was very good, but it didn’t seem particularly bad either. More ho-hum.

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.

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.

I can see how some might initially dismiss Hesher as a quirky indie drama that struggles to find a consistent tone. One minute you’re watching an emotional family dinner, only to be followed by pounding guitar riffs emphasizing comedic beats.  Some might also complain about a lack of character motivation and backstory. But whatever is lacking in this film is more than made up with compelling characters and strong performances from the entire cast.

Devin Brochu plays T.J. Forney, a quiet kid living with his father (Rainn Wilson) and grandmother (Piper Laurie) after recently losing his mother in a car accident. Through a series of unfortunate situations, he runs into Hesher, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, a loner metal-head with greasy hair and homemade tattoos covering his body. Hesher decides that he is going to live in T.J.’s grandma’s house, where he quickly gets himself involved with the family struggling with their pain.

Almost just as randomly T.J. meets Nicole, played by the incredible Natalie Portman (also a producer on this film), when she saves him from a bully.  Despite their age difference, they become close friends who always seem to be at the right places to help each other out of bad situations.

Inner Circle should be best remembered for giving unto the world “Bad Boys,” the song that has, for some 20 years, opened COPS. My father so loved that song that he actually bought a tape of Inner Circle’s greatest hits, doubtless the only reggae music he has or ever will purchase, and I remember taking long trips through the east side of Saginaw (the most violent portion of the most violent city in America) listening to him sing along—even the incomprehensible lyrics (“You ‘chock’ it on this one, you ‘chock’ it on that one, you ‘chock’ it on your mother and you ‘chock’ it on your father”).

Years later, to me at least, “inner circle” meant the part in TIE Fighter when Thrawn is promoted to Grand Admiral (Battle Ten). I don’t think I ever made it to that part, but there was a cheat that allowed you to see all the killer cutscenes. Damn fine game.

Once in a while there comes along a show that not only is able to entertain audiences week after week, season after season, but relate to people on a very personal level. The Office is one of those shows.  Besides having one of the strongest ensembles casts on television and an original mockumentary form, one of the biggest reasons for this show’s success has been Steve Carell’s performance as Michael Scott.

To get a complete picture of what Carell has brought to this character over the years you must start at the beginning. The pilot episode was shot using the same script as the pilot to the original British version with Carell mimicking the awkward, incompetent boss as Ricky Gervais played it.  Seven seasons later, what we find is a much more likable, sympathetic character that the audience genuinely roots for and cares about.

But what exactly defines the perfect Office episode?  Is it the episode with the most laugh-out-loud lines?  Or is it the one with the cutest Jim and Pam moments?  No, what ultimately takes the show from a regular sit-com to an Emmy Award winning show are the episodes that give you a glimpse into the humanity and vulnerability of Michael Scott.

Goodbye, Michael!

I’m not sure which one we all knew was coming: Michael Scott leaving, Steve Carell leaving, or The Office pretty much getting cancelled now that they’re gone. Maybe my emotions gauge isn’t properly calibrated, but I wasn’t tearing up during this one; of course we’ve all known about Michael/Steve’s departure since before the Eisenhower administration, so it’s no big reveal, and many other writers have given him a far more lugubrious analysis than I.

I’ve lost a good deal of interest in the show over the years and gotten progressively more annoyed with Michael’s character, but I still maintain an appreciation for all the good things the US Office and Steve Carell have accomplished over the last six years—they did, after all, take a British favorite and put their own distinct spin on it, creating a show that will go down as one of the ‘00s best.

And, to it’s credit, “Goodbye, Michael” doesn’t dwell on the loss and is actually pretty damn funny. One of its many smart moves is to play down Imbecile Michael and play up Caring Michael, who’s leaving the office on a good note by dispensing gifts and compliments, including his neon St. Pauli’s beer sign to Ryan, a velvet pool table to Stanley, the ten best accounts to Andy, and not telling everyone about Phyllis’s long-lost child.

It may be about a month over, but that hasn’t stopped the marketing machine for James Gunn’s Super from bringing us some great internet material to enjoy while still pimping out the film.

In this case, said marketing is in the form of both Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page (the film’s heroes) fighting crime in Austin, TX for this year’s South by Southwest film festival.

The film stars Wilson, Page, Kevin Bacon, Michael Rooker, Liv Tyler, and Nathan Fillion in a very dark, very hilarious look at a regular nobody who decides to take justice into his own clenched fist.

Take a look at the clip of Wilson taking to the streets of Austin after the jump, and catch Super in theaters everywhere and on demand via Comcast, Cox, Cablevision, Time Warner, and Bright House.