[Wires]

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There have definitely been some weird moments for a lot of the characters this season.

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I think most television shows run into this problem. 22 episodes a season is a lot more to maintain than people think. As a result, continuity of character is going to suffer. Without a finite end date for a series you need to continue to stretch the mythology of the show in order to generate fresh episodes.

The UK office was just over 14* episodes. Gervais then did 13 or so episodes of Extras.

Sometimes the best thing you can do is cut something short. Very few series can pull off 3 or 4+ seasons and maintain any semblance of the original intent.

Not the I'm saying I want to see The Office bow out. I loved the most recent episode and thought it was one of the best of the early season. But for those who did not enjoy it you better get used to it because things are likely to become more far fetched from here.

I'm reminded of an interview with Jerry Seinfeld. He stated they were struggling to come up with new ideas for the show. They rolled the dice and produced the episode where Kramer hits the golf ball into the blow hole of a whale. George, pretending to be a marine biologist, saves the whale.

Jerry stated that once they got away with that they knew they could get away with anything. Most series do not get away with it. The question is that as The Office begins to stretch in the same manner, will they be able to pull it off as Seinfeld did.

Edited for the number of UK Office episodes - thanks JMa.