Off The Beat with Brian Baumgartner

Continuing our celebration of women of The Office, Brian talks to editor-turned director extraordinaire Claire Scanlon. She explains what it was like working with a room full of comedy giants, reveals the scene that was cut from the Finale, and discusses her illustrious television alma mater - a Master’s from the University of Greg Daniels.

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The Office wouldn’t be what it is today without the amazing - and amazingly talented - women who contributed to its success. We’re kicking off a new mini deep dive into some of the incredible women of The Office - starting with the one who was there from the very beginning - executive producer Teri Weinberg. She gives Brian all the inside scoop from the network perspective, and talks about how she went from making skincare products in her kitchen to TV shows in some of the biggest studios out there.

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Special guest having this week Brian does… that's right, Oscar-nominated Amy Ryan aka Holly Flax, the one who stole Michael Scott’s heart joins us on the podcast. They talk about going from serious drama to an off-the-wall comedy role, acting while drenched, how Holly broke the chain of Michael’s bad relationships, and the “special” relationship between Holly and Kevin.

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He directed Dinner Party, Niagara, and Office Olympics, among many others. And since then, the man, the legend, and everyone’s favorite “bundle of joy” has completely rocked the comedy genre. Director and producer Paul Feig joins Brian this week to jump head first into the big questions: why did the real documentary crew make us relate to the show? How did Paul end up directing Dinner Party? And the most important of all - was Michael *really* the bad guy?

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In this special Thursday edition of the podcast, Brian kicks off his favorite time of the year (football season) with a new mini deep dive celebrating The Office’s Fantasy Football League, formed by the cast and crew of the show. As the league celebrates their 17th season, Brian will invite a new member each week to talk all things The Office… and maybe a little football. For this first podcast, Brian welcomes his friend and league commissioner, Stephen Saux, to discuss his role as stand-in extraordinaire and Office MVP. The duo dives into their favorite memories from set, Steve Carell’s influence on the show, the league’s formation, and - most importantly - which Office characters they would draft in fantasy football.

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As a surprise for the one and only Steve Carell, Brian invited pop icon and Office superfan Billie Eilish onto the podcast after her epic Grammy win in 2020 to talk about why The Office is her “strange addiction” and what she’s learned from the show. Plus, Brian opens the floor to fans in this special Mailbag episode: he answers all your questions, from comparing the cast with their characters to Brian’s favorite Kevin scenes to the iconic Stress Relief cold open.

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We continue our dive into the writer’s room with writer, director, and producer Brent Forrester. Brent joined The Office in Season 3 and worked on highlight episodes like The Merger, but of course Brent’s #1 accolade is directing the iconic chili scene with Brian Baumgartner himself. This episode, Brent and Kevin spill (the chili) about the scene (did you know Brian actually carried the 74 pound pot?) and talk about the art of attention to detail in writing.

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Scott’s Tots, The Dinner Party - what do these episodes have in common? Besides being some of the most iconic episodes of The Office, they were both co-written by the legendary Lee Eisenberg. This episode, Brian brings Lee on the podcast to talk about the show’s on and off screen dynamics, including the Scott’s Tots cringe factor, the nostalgia of The Office, and building jokes through character relationships.

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Brian welcomes the beating heart behind the scenes of The Office - writer, director, producer Jen Celotta. On the show, Jen took us into the brains of our favorite characters and now we get to pick hers; this episode, Jen talks about the art of character crafting, what makes people tick and - of course - the madness that is Michael Scott.

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Brian brings back Greg Daniels - showrunner extraordinaire and the Office’s true regional manager - to kick off our mini deep dive into the writer’s room of The Office. As the showrunner, Greg knows the ins and outs of the writer’s room better than anyone; this episode, Greg shares it all - from writing on napkins to crafting the intricacies of Michael Scott to finding truth and beauty.

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