Rashida Jones

And so that's what he said basically to Ben. And he was like, it's very important to me that you understand that if the best idea I have is not a spinoff of The Office, then we're going to do something else. And Ben was like, totally hear you, buddy. And the next day in the variety, he was like, Office spinoff is coming. Ben just totally ignored him and just announced an Office spinoff. Sure.

And so that's what he said basically to Ben. And he was like, it's very important to me that you understand that if the best idea I have is not a spinoff of The Office, then we're going to do something else. And Ben was like, totally hear you, buddy. And the next day in the variety, he was like, Office spinoff is coming. Ben just totally ignored him and just announced an Office spinoff. Sure.

So Greg and I started meeting. Greg asked me to do it with him. So we started meeting. We would go to Norm's Diner in the Valley like twice a week for breakfast. And we would just think of ideas. And we would talk about what interested us and what was going on. And we would inch down a little path and then hit a dead end and then inch back.

So Greg and I started meeting. Greg asked me to do it with him. So we started meeting. We would go to Norm's Diner in the Valley like twice a week for breakfast. And we would just think of ideas. And we would talk about what interested us and what was going on. And we would inch down a little path and then hit a dead end and then inch back.

So Greg and I started meeting. Greg asked me to do it with him. So we started meeting. We would go to Norm's Diner in the Valley like twice a week for breakfast. And we would just think of ideas. And we would talk about what interested us and what was going on. And we would inch down a little path and then hit a dead end and then inch back.

And we would... We just met constantly over showing your work. We met all the time forever. And eventually... Came up with the idea of like, you know, and by the way, just to say it, some of the ideas we talked about were office spinoffs. They were like Craig Robinson and Rainn Wilson and all these people on the show who could clearly be in their own show.

And we would... We just met constantly over showing your work. We met all the time forever. And eventually... Came up with the idea of like, you know, and by the way, just to say it, some of the ideas we talked about were office spinoffs. They were like Craig Robinson and Rainn Wilson and all these people on the show who could clearly be in their own show.

And we would... We just met constantly over showing your work. We met all the time forever. And eventually... Came up with the idea of like, you know, and by the way, just to say it, some of the ideas we talked about were office spinoffs. They were like Craig Robinson and Rainn Wilson and all these people on the show who could clearly be in their own show.

So we talked about family shows with them or whatever. Greg was, I think, wary of taking assets away from a show that was very successful in part because of its large, rich cast. We stumbled upon this idea of like, okay, Dunder Mifflin on The Office is a fake company and it's a way to satirize the private sector. What if we create a whole fake town and satirize the public sector?

So we talked about family shows with them or whatever. Greg was, I think, wary of taking assets away from a show that was very successful in part because of its large, rich cast. We stumbled upon this idea of like, okay, Dunder Mifflin on The Office is a fake company and it's a way to satirize the private sector. What if we create a whole fake town and satirize the public sector?

So we talked about family shows with them or whatever. Greg was, I think, wary of taking assets away from a show that was very successful in part because of its large, rich cast. We stumbled upon this idea of like, okay, Dunder Mifflin on The Office is a fake company and it's a way to satirize the private sector. What if we create a whole fake town and satirize the public sector?

And as we're having that idea, the world economy goes kablooey and they're talking about like massive government bailouts. And we start to realize that like the government – obviously federal, really, but also state and local, was going to be very present in people's lives. People were going to be looking to the government for help. So we started getting excited about that.

And as we're having that idea, the world economy goes kablooey and they're talking about like massive government bailouts. And we start to realize that like the government – obviously federal, really, but also state and local, was going to be very present in people's lives. People were going to be looking to the government for help. So we started getting excited about that.

And as we're having that idea, the world economy goes kablooey and they're talking about like massive government bailouts. And we start to realize that like the government – obviously federal, really, but also state and local, was going to be very present in people's lives. People were going to be looking to the government for help. So we started getting excited about that.

I had this idea for an abandoned lot that would be turned into a park over the course of the entire year. run of the show very wirey idea I was obsessed with the wire as were you yeah we share that and I thought like the way that the wire portrayed like calcified systems and how slow gears grind and stuff was fascinating to me and I thought it would be really funny to

I had this idea for an abandoned lot that would be turned into a park over the course of the entire year. run of the show very wirey idea I was obsessed with the wire as were you yeah we share that and I thought like the way that the wire portrayed like calcified systems and how slow gears grind and stuff was fascinating to me and I thought it would be really funny to

I had this idea for an abandoned lot that would be turned into a park over the course of the entire year. run of the show very wirey idea I was obsessed with the wire as were you yeah we share that and I thought like the way that the wire portrayed like calcified systems and how slow gears grind and stuff was fascinating to me and I thought it would be really funny to

where if you did a show that ideally lasts for a long time and in the pilot, it's like, we're going to do this. And then it literally doesn't get done until the very end of like nine years later. So that was the idea that I really liked. Greg then was like, what if it's not a lot? What if there's like a giant hole in the ground? What if it's a pit? And I was like, that's so much better.

where if you did a show that ideally lasts for a long time and in the pilot, it's like, we're going to do this. And then it literally doesn't get done until the very end of like nine years later. So that was the idea that I really liked. Greg then was like, what if it's not a lot? What if there's like a giant hole in the ground? What if it's a pit? And I was like, that's so much better.

where if you did a show that ideally lasts for a long time and in the pilot, it's like, we're going to do this. And then it literally doesn't get done until the very end of like nine years later. So that was the idea that I really liked. Greg then was like, what if it's not a lot? What if there's like a giant hole in the ground? What if it's a pit? And I was like, that's so much better.