The Office is one my favorite shows of all time. The series evoked such levels of heart and comedy that has transcended time and created news fans thanks to streaming on Netflix and now Peacock. One of the standouts of the series was the relationship between Jim & Pam, and now a new book about the series revealed that Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) almost cheated on Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) with a coworker.
Written by “The Office” actor Brian Baumgartner, who played accountant Kevin Malone, and executive producer Ben Silverman, “Welcome to Dunder Mifflin: The Ultimate Oral History of The Office” gives fans of the series a closer look at what went into creating the show and features interviews with the cast and filmmakers.
“Welcome to Dunder Mifflin” reveals that series creator Greg Daniels had slightly more dramatic plans for the couple, particularly when Jim goes on a work trip to Florida in the season 8 episode “After Hours” and Pam’s maternity leave replacement Cathy (Lindsey Broad) tries to make a move on him.
According to People, Krasinski recounted to Baumgartner and Silverman in the book that Daniels told the actor that they needed “a good Pam-Jim storyline,” and Krasinski suggested that the two “get borderline separated.”
‘”I think we can do it and then come back,'”
“[Daniels] was so on board with that.”
While Cathy aggressively pursues Jim in “After Hours” but ultimately fails, Daniels was originally interested in having the two actually kiss.
Krasinski added,
“That’s the only time I remember putting my foot down. ‘Cause [Greg] was saying, ‘You’re going to actually make out with her in this scene.’ I remember saying things that I never thought I’d say before, like, ‘I’m not going to shoot it,’
“I remember saying to Greg, ‘My feeling is there is a threshold with which you can push our audience,”
“‘They are so dedicated. We have shown such great respect to them. But there’s a moment where if you push them too far, they’ll never come back. And I think that if you show Jim cheating, they’ll never come back.'”
