Today's Stootsi -
A typical episode for a half-hour time slot runs 201⁄2 minutes. The final episode of the second season introduced the first of what would be several "super-sized" episodes (approximately 29-minute running time for a 40-minute time slot). The third season introduced the first of occasional hour-long episodes (approximately 41-minute running time; suitable for being shown as two separate normal episodes). The show was picked up by NBC for a sixth season which began airing September 17, 2009.
Season one
The first season featured six episodes that began airing on March 24, 2005 and finished on April 26, 2005. The series begins by introducing the office and its employees via a tour given by Michael Scott for both the camera crew and Ryan Howard, a temp on his first day. News soon spreads that Dunder Mifflin's corporate headquarters plans to downsize, and the Scranton branch faces a possible closure. Employee benefits are slashed, including health care. Anxiety over downsizing grows, but Michael chooses to deny or downplay such a possibility in the interest of employee morale. Jim has a crush on Pam, his partner in crime when planning pranks against office mate Dwight, even though she has been engaged to Roy from the warehouse for three years. In the final episode of the season, to Pam's subtle concern, Jim begins dating Katy Moore, a purse saleswoman who visits and sets up shop briefly in the office.
The Office season 2
The second season was the first full season for the show and included twenty-two episodes. The season premiere originally aired on September 20, 2005, and the season finale on May 11, 2006. First season plots continued and new plots emerged, as well as development in most secondary characters who were left to the background in season one. The fate of the Scranton branch remained unresolved, but it did not seem to be doing well in comparison with the other branches, particularly the Stamford branch. Over the season, romantic relationships develop between some of the characters. Jim's relationship with Katy continues, to Pam's chagrin. Michael and Jan have a one-night stand in the wake of Jan's divorce, which is revealed to the company by one of the other regional managers during a presentation at corporate headquarters in New York City. Michael then drifts into a relationship with Carol, the realtor who sells him his new condominium. Dwight and Angela become romantically involved, but keep the relationship a secret from everyone else. Kelly develops a crush on Ryan. The audience also learns that Oscar is gay. During a company outting, Jim finally decides to reveal his feelings to Pam, but balks when Roy publicly announces he's ready to set their wedding date; Jim, depressed, responds by breaking up with Katy, and planning a vacation to Australia that conflicts with the wedding. He talks with Jan about his considerations of transferring to Stamford, but tells Pam in the finale that he loves her. The two kiss.
The Office season 3
Jim and Pam in "The Merger".
The third season had 25 episodes, consisting of 17 half-hour episodes, four 40-minute "super-sized" episodes, and two one-hour episodes. They originally aired from September 21, 2006 to May 17, 2007. After Pam confirmed she still intended to marry Roy, Jim has transferred to the Stamford branch where he develops a relationship with coworker Karen Filippelli and finds a workplace rival in the anger-prone Andy Bernard. He is content, but misses aspects of his former branch. Back in Scranton, Pam eventually called off the wedding, and ended her relationship with Roy. Ryan has been hired as a full-time sales representative but fails to make a single sale. Carol breaks up with Michael, leading him to return to Jan. Oscar is inadvertently outed by Michael, but accepts an offer, from Jan, for a three-month paid vacation in exchange for not suing. Dwight and Angela continue their secret relationship. Corporate decides to shut down the Scranton branch, until Stamford manager Josh Porter takes a senior management position at Staples Inc., causing a reversal of the decision and collapsing the Stamford branch and staff into Scranton. Pam and Jim are reunited, though his unresolved feelings for her and current relationship with Karen cause tension amongst the three. Michael's management style eventually leads all the Stamford employees to quit except for Karen, Andy and Jim; Andy is soon missing for much of the season when he is sent to anger management training, due to an outburst where he punched a hole in the wall. Partway into the season, Jan and Michael's relationship inadvertently becomes public, and Phyllis is engaged to and marries Bob Vance, owner of neighboring business Vance Refrigeration. Pam briefly reunites with Roy, and admits to her and Jim's kiss. This sends Roy into a rage, and after he attempts to physically attack Jim, he is dismissed from Dunder Mifflin and dumped again by Pam. After feeling either put-upon or ignored by her various co-workers, Pam builds the courage to reveal her true feelings towards each of them in a speech, during which she also tells Jim he is the reason she called off her wedding. In the season's finale, Jim, Karen, and Michael are interviewing for a position at corporate that turns out to be Jan's, and she is fired that day for erratic behavior, possibly related to her relationship with Michael. Jim ultimately decides he does not want the New York job, but to instead stay in Scranton; he drives back without Karen and asks Pam to a date, which she joyfully accepts. In the final scene, we learn Ryan has been awarded Jan's job due to his business school credentials.
Season four
The Office season 4
NBC ordered a full fourth season consisting of 30 episodes. After 12 episodes were filmed, production was suspended due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Post-strike episodes began airing April 10. This truncated season contained only 19 episodes. Karen has left the Scranton branch after her breakup with Jim, and becomes regional manager at the Utica branch. Pam and Jim date happily. An unemployed Jan moves in with Michael, deepening his financial problems. Angela and Dwight break up after he euthanizes her ailing cat by medicating it and putting it in her freezer. She begins dating Andy, thrusting Dwight into a deep depression. He begins to recover when Jim relates to him the feelings of despair he felt after Pam's initial rejection. Meredith spends time convalescing and rehabilitating after Michael hits her with his car in the parking lot. Ryan, in his new corporate life in New York City, develops a drug problem and attempts to modernize Dunder Mifflin with a new website for online sales; he also learns that his boss, David Wallace, favors Jim, and thus attempts to sabotage Jim's career. He is soon arrested and fired for committing fraud related to the website's sales numbers. Meanwhile, Kelly moves on from her relationship with Ryan and starts dating Darryl. Jan files a lawsuit against Dunder Mifflin for wrongful termination, which she loses because of Michael's testimony. The two host a disastrous dinner party, which ultimately leads to the dissolution of their relationship. Toby, after accidentally revealing his affection for Pam, announces he is moving to Costa Rica, and is replaced by Holly Flax, who quickly shows fondness towards Michael. Michael and Holly's pending romance is cut short when Jan returns, pregnant from a sperm donor, and Michael agrees to help her through the pregnancy. Jim reveals to the audience his plans to propose to Pam. In the season finale, Andy proposes to Angela, who reluctantly agrees. Phyllis then catches Dwight and Angela having sex in the office.
Season five
The Office season 5
NBC ordered a fifth season consisting of 26 episodes on April 10, 2008, with a 29th episode announced in January 2009. NBC also announced that Greg Daniels and the producers would be creating a spin-off series to air after NBC Super Bowl XLIII coverage in early 2009, but in August 2008 decided that a special hour-long episode of The Office would be shown instead of the spin-off during that time slot. The episode followed NBC's first Super Bowl in 11 years; According to Ricky Gervais's blog, Steve Carell has signed on for three more seasons of The Office. Season 5 premiered on September 25, 2008 from 9:00-10:00 P.M. EST. Jim plans to proposes to Pam in the season premiere, but she enrolls in a three-month graphic design course at the Pratt Institute in New York City, and the physical separation puts a strain on their relationship. Jim finally proposes to Pam while at a gas station halfway between Scranton and New York City, saying he can't wait any longer, and she happily accepts. She ultimately returns to Scranton where Jim buys his parents' house. Having avoided jail and only been sentenced to community service, Ryan is eventually revealed to be working at a bowling alley. Michael initiates a romance with Holly, in part because of Jan's choice to exclude Michael from the birth of her daughter. When corporate learns of their relationship, Holly is transferred to the Nashua branch, where she later gains a long-term boyfriend, to Michael's sadness. Toby returns from Costa Rica and resumes his duties as Scranton's HR representative. Dwight and Angela maintain an affair despite her engagement to Andy; Phyllis uses her knowledge of the affair to usurp Angela as head of the Party Planning Committee, but also comforts Dwight when he becomes depressed by Andy's planning for the wedding. When the affair becomes public knowledge, Andy and Dwight both end up leaving Angela - Andy because of her infidelity, Dwight because she lied that she and Andy were not having sex. Charles Miner, newly hired to the Vice President position, implements a rigid managerial style that causes Michael to resign in protest; additionally, Jim's job is jeopardized when Miner catches him during a prank and his reputation suffers from there. Michael opens the Michael Scott Paper Company, enticing Pam and Ryan to join as salespeople, and though his business model turns out unsustainable, Dunder Mifflin's profits are immediately threatened. In a buy-out of the Michael Scott Paper Company, Michael is rehired to Dunder Mifflin Scranton as manager, with Pam promoted to saleswoman, Ryan brought back as a temp, while Charles is banished from overseeing the branch. During the chaos, new receptionist Erin is hired to fill the vacancy originally left by Pam. At a company picnic, Pam is hurt during a volleyball game and is taken to the hospital by Jim, where they receive good news unheard by the audience, implied to be a pregnancy.