Entertainment

Even 20 years after 'The Office' premiere, Jim and Pam still make us swoon

Published

11 months ago

March 24, 2025

Even 20 years after 'The Office' premiere, Jim and Pam still make us swoon

The physical mementos Jenna Fischer kept from her years making the beloved comedy series “The Office,” which debuted on NBC 20 years ago today, have become invaluable artifacts from a cherished time now preserved onscreen for posterity.

In the American reimagining of the British show created by Ricky Gervais, Fischer played Pam Beasley, the kindhearted yet spunky receptionist with artistic aspirations.

While discussing these keepsakes during a recent Zoom interview, I asked Fischer about the teapot that the charmingly quick-witted salesman Jim Halpert (played by John Krasinski) thoughtfully gives Pam in the show’s first season as a loving secret Santa present.

“John got the teapot! How does that make sense? But I got my Dundies,” the actor says as she walks to a different corner of the room to grab the statuettes that Michael Scott (Steve Carell), regional manager of paper supplier Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch, awarded to Pam.

“I have both [Dundies], for Longest Engagement and Whitest Sneakers. I kept a bunch of stuff,” Fischer says. “I kept one of Pam’s sweaters and one of her shirts. I kept her watch, her purse, and I kept the necklace that she wore for Jim and Pam’s wedding.”

“I kept one of Pam’s sweaters and one of her shirts,” says Jenna Fischer, the actor who played Pam Beasley in “The Office.” “I kept her watch, her purse, and I kept the necklace that she wore for Jim and Pam’s wedding.”

(Byron J. Cohen / NBC Universal)

The list goes on, and every item among her “little treasures,” including a medal made out of a yogurt lid and paper clips from the “Office Olympics” episode, is a tangible reminder of how significant this period remains for Fischer.

“I kept this pen that was on her desk. It doesn’t even work, but I kept it.” She then points to yet another souvenir that survived an accident. “This cup was Pam’s cup on the show, and in the ninth season, it fell off the desk and broke. But the crew knew that I had wanted to take it, and so they glued it back together for me. I can’t use it, but I have it.”

Via email, Krasinski fesses up to how he obtained the teal-colored teapot that’s so symbolic to Pam and Jim’s enviable relationship.

“She ratted me out! Yes, I have the teapot, which I realize is quite the memento,” says Krasinski, writing while in production on an upcoming project. “It actually came to me by happenstance as our incredible prop master Phil Shea sent me a box of props some time after we had wrapped.”

But just like Fischer, that’s not the only “Office” keepsake in his possession.

“[Phil sent] things he thought I’d like to have, and it was a veritable treasure chest with my bag from the show, my name plate from my desk, even the copy of ‘The Adventures of Jimmy Halpert’ comic book,’” Krasinski added.

These items also are symbolic of the tight-knit relationships that developed over the course of the show. When Shea died in 2023, Fischer said the cast and crew came together for his memorial. She says they communicate often: “We have an ‘Office’ text thread. We get emails from Greg Daniels, and it’s a really special community of people, and we will be bonded for life.”

At the onset, back in 2005, no one on the production could have anticipated the legs the show would grow, but Krasinski knows exactly when he realized “The Office” would be his breakthrough. “I remember the moment vividly,” says the actor, who hadn’t yet made the move to Los Angeles in between seasons because no one involved had any certainty of what would happen with the show.

“I was back in New York, and I was walking down the street and a guy looked up at me, pulled earphones out of his head and said, ‘Hey … you’re on my iPod!’ And held it up. In that moment, I’m pretty sure my brain melted,” Krasinski recalls. “For one I was trying to comprehend what the hell an iPod was, as they had only just come out. And secondly, on that 2-by-2 screen was … my face. I remember thinking a whole lot had just changed.”

Since the show’s ninth and final season aired in 2013, Krasinski has established himself as a prolific and successful film director with the “A Quiet Place” films while also expanding his acting horizons.

A man in a shirt and tie smiling as he stands next to a smiling woman in a pink shirt and black skirt.

But even now in hindsight, he can’t fully understand why “The Office” embedded itself so strongly into pop culture. “I think we’re all blown away by its staying power,” Krasinski says.

Fischer believes one of the reasons the show has withstood the test of time is that the relationships were modeled to feel authentic to any setting and not just for those who’ve had desk jobs.

“We have a lot of younger fans who have never worked in an office and are still in school, and some of the office relationships can mimic some of your classroom relationships,” Fischer says. “Maybe in class you’re seated next to someone who’s driving you nuts, or you have a teacher who thinks they really are a comedian.”

As for why Pam and Jim’s love story still makes viewers swoon, Fischer attributes it partly to the show’s mockumentary format, which allowed them to show “stolen moments” where people have their guard down. “You’re watching a romance bloom. And it just gets you right in the gut,” she says. “That’s something that isn’t captured a lot in movies and television.”

Above all, she thinks, audiences root for them to recognize how they feel about each other because that type of mutual adoration is what most people yearn for.

“You always hope that you will find and marry your best friend, the person who looks at you the way Jim looks at Pam, or the way Pam looks at Jim,” Fischer explains. “In those early seasons, we capture so much of their longing for one another. Everyone wants to be longed for in the way these two long for one another.”

Fischer hasn’t strayed too far from Dunder Mifflin. In 2019, she and co-star Angela Kinsey, who played Angela Martin on the show, launched the podcast “Office Ladies.” Over the last five years they’ve rewatched all 201 episodes of the show to share candid, behind-the-scenes anecdotes.

“There was a desire to give back to fans. Since we can’t give them any more new episodes of the show, we thought we could at least give new insights,” she says. “It was also a way to honor our crew who worked so hard and their contributions.”

A man and a woman seated on a bench looking at each while they eat a dessert.

For Fischer, this exercise in revisiting old memories presented a new opportunity to work with Kinsey. “One of the great gifts of my life was finding my best friend on the show, and getting to go to work every day with a person who I trust so much and hold so dear,” she says.

Although the show was mostly shot in Los Angeles, the two friends plan to visit the real Scranton, Pa., for a special episode of their podcast, where they’ll tour sites meaningful to the show (like the statue of a giant Dundie at City Hall) and Cooper’s Seafood House.

While some actors may feel burdened by their perpetual association with one successful project and want to leave it behind, Fischer has never felt such ambivalence. When she moved to L.A. from St. Louis in the late ’90s, Fischer recalls wishing that one day she’d be part of an ensemble comedy show that would endure. The actor has now more than satisfied that goal.

Fischer is now also a bestselling author thanks to her book “The Office BFFs: Tales of ‘The Office’ From Two Best Friends Who Were There” (co-written with Kinsey). On top of that, their ongoing podcast has been a hit since its debut.

In the future, once her kids are older, Fischer wants to do more theater. But even if her role on this show that ended long ago was all she had, that would be enough.

“I wanted to play a role that touched people’s hearts, and I did it with Pam and ‘The Office.’ How many bites at the apple do I need?” Fischer says. “I don’t mind if I am just always remembered for being Pam Beasley. Nothing would make me prouder.”

That said, Fischer doesn’t think the show should come back, even if it were feasible to bring the cast back. The characters, she thinks, have been sent off to their lives beyond Dunder Mifflin and finding a way to reassemble them would be challenging.

“Before I rewatched the show I was one of the people who was all for us coming back and reviving the show,” she confesses. “But now that I’ve rewatched it, I think we should leave it just as it is. I don’t think we should open it back up.”

Fans, of course, will always be curious about the fates of the characters they’ve spent so much time with. Asked if he thinks that Jim and Pam are still together in “The Office” universe all these years later, Krasinski answers with endearing certainty.

“Oh, I know so. They’ve got a cool house just outside Austin where they’ve loved raising their kids,” he said. “Pam’s found a cool art crowd at UT. And they’ve probably snuck away for a date night as we speak, grabbing Whataburger takeout and sitting in the park by the bridge waiting for the bats to fly.”

Movie Reviews

MOVIE REVIEWS: “Mercy,” “Return to Silent Hill,” “Sentimental Value” & “In Cold Light” – Valdosta Daily Times

Published

5 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

“Mercy”

(Thriller/Crime: 1 hour, 39 minutes)

Starring: Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson, Kali Reis

Director: Timur Bekmambetov

Rated: PG-13 (Violence, bloody images, strong language, drug content and teen smoking)

Movie Review:

“Mercy” is a science fiction movie based on one of the more common themes of moviedom lately, artificial intelligence (AI). This crime thriller cleverly creates an intriguing story using technology and the justice system, yet it fails to be consistently interesting and intelligent throughout. The conclusion is less significant than the initial setup, as the concluding scenes become typical action sequences.

Detective Chris Raven (Pratt) of the LA Police Department is a huge supporter of the city’s new judicial courtroom. Crimes are now judged by an AI program (Ferguson) in the Mercy Court. The court is run by an artificial program that makes decisions based on all of the evidence before it without any prejudice. Detective Raven is all for this system until he is convicted of killing his wife. Now he must use all of the data, including the AI‘s ability to tap into everyone’s electronic devices, security cameras, and even into government files, within reason, to prove he did not murder his wife.

Mercy is an interesting movie. It entertains throughout, even when the story gets sloppy and characters’ actions are irrational. This mainly occurs during the final scenes. The movie tries too hard to insert unneeded narrative twists. This is disappointing because the story is interesting. What makes it fascinating is that it happens in real time. This is the most brilliant facet.

All the other theatrics are unnecessary. Director Timur Bekmambetov (“Profile,” 2018; “Wanted,” 2008) and “Mercy’s” producers should have just kept the ending simple, no plot twists or superfluous action sequences.
Grade: C (This flick needs some mercy. Let the trial begin.)

“Return to Silent Hill”

(Horror: 1 hour, 46 minutes)

Starring: Jeremy Irvine, Hannah Emily Anderson and Robert Strange

Director: Christophe Gans

Rated: R (Bloody violent content, strong language and brief drug use.)

Movie Review:

“Return to Silent Hill” is about one man’s quest to return to the love of his life. The problem is she has moved on to the afterlife. Meanwhile, audiences lose part of their life watching this movie, which is unlike any of the two prequels in this series. This one is a psychological horror that bores.

Artist James Sunderland (Irvine) decides to return to Silent Hill, a place where many people died during a devastating illness that nearly enveloped the entirety of the city’s population. What is left there is a horror show of freakish creatures, all with violent intent. Still, Sunderland searches for the love of his life, Mary Crane (Anderson).

Think of this movie as a slow suicide, where a guy goes back to retrieve his dead girlfriend. To do so, he must travel to the modern land of the dead that Silent Hill has become. This one is a type of swan song by the main character, and the movie becomes less scary while lackluster romantic notions wander aimlessly.

Grade: D (Do not return to see this.)

“Sentimental Value”

(Drama: 2 hours, 13 minutes)

Starring: Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Elle Fanning

Director: Joachim Trier

Rated: R (Language, sexual reference, nudity and thematic elements)

Movie Review:

“Sentimental Value” is a Norwegian film that won the Grand Prix in France’s Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture. It is a solid drama filled with symbolism and family connections. It is brilliant performances by a talented cast under the direction of Joachim Trier (“The Worst Person in the World,” 2021).

This screenplay is about Gustav Borg (Skarsgård). He is a father, grandfather and a famed film director. He stayed away from his two daughters, actress Nora Borgwhile (Reinsve) and historian Agnes Borg Pettersen (Lilleaas), while he was creating works as a filmmaker. The director comes back into the lives of his daughters after the death of their mother. Their reunion leads to a rediscovery of their bond at their family home in Oslo.

Stellan Skarsgård is always a solid actor. He takes his roles and makes them tangible characters that seem like you know them, even when they’re speaking a foreign language. That is the quality of his act and why he gets nominated for multiple awards each season.

“Sentimental Value” is a valuable movie filled with enriching sentiment. It is an enjoyable film for those who value a good drama. The acting and original writing alone make the movie worth it. “Sentimental Value” starts in a very simple way, but everything in between, even when low-key, remains potent. Joachim Trier and writer Eskil Vogt have worked together on multiple projects such as “The Worst Person in the World” (2021). Their pairing is once again worthy.

Grade: A- (Any motive valuable movie.)

“In Cold Light ”

(Crime: 1 hour , 36 minutes)

Starring: Maika Monroe, Allan Hawco and Troy Kotsur

Director: Maxime Giroux

Rated: R (Violence, bloody images, strong language and drug material)

Movie Review:

“In Cold Light” sticks to a very straightforward story, primarily taking place over a short period. The problem is the story leaves one in the cold. Audiences have to guess what is being communicated because this movie uses American Sign Language (ASL) without subtitles. For those moviegoers who do not know ASL, they are left deciphering characters’ actions and facial expressions during some pivotal scenes.

Ava Bly (Monroe) attempts to start a legit life after prison. Her life changes when Ava’s twin, Tom Bly (Jesse Irving) is murdered while seated next to her. As her brother’s killers pursue her, Ava must evade law enforcement, which contains some crooked cops led by Bob Whyte (Hawco).

For a brief moment, this movie hits its exceptional moment when Oscar-recipient Helen Hunt enters the picture as a motherly Claire, a crime boss who seems more like a social worker/psychologist. Her long scene is wasted as it arrives too late.

French Canadian director Maxime Giroux’s style has potential in his first English-language film, but it does not fit a wayward narrative. A rarity, this crime drama has characters commit many dumb actions at once.

Moreover, Giroux (“Félix et Meira,” 2014) and writer Patrick Whistler forget to let their audiences in on their story. They allow much to get lost in translation, especially during heated conversations between Monroe’s Ava and her father, Will Bly, played by Academy Award-winning actor Troy Kotsur (“CODA,” 2021).

Grade: C- (Just cold and dark.)

More movie reviews online at www.valdostadailytimes.com.

Entertainment

Paramount-Warner Bros. deal stirs fears about what it means for CNN

Published

7 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Paramount-Warner Bros. deal stirs fears about what it means for CNN

As the media industry took stock of Paramount Skydance’s startling acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, one question lingered on the minds of many in the news business and beyond: What will this mean for CNN?

The iconic 24-hour cable news network is among the various Warner Bros. assets that would be scooped up by Paramount in a deal announced Thursday that could transform the media landscape.

Paramount has undergone a swift transformation under Chief Executive David Ellison following his family’s acquisition of the company last summer. These changes reached CBS News almost immediately with the appointment of Bari Weiss, the controversial Free Press co-founder, as its new editor in chief.

Bari Weiss moderated a town hall with Erika Kirk, widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

(CBS via Getty Images)

Weiss’ tenure so far has been rocky.

Her decision to pull a “60 Minutes” story about conditions inside an El Salvador prison that housed undocumented Venezuelan migrants from the U.S. received widespread criticism and accusations of political motivation. The network said the story was held for more reporting, and the segment eventually aired.

There was more upheaval last week at the news magazine, when “60 Minutes” correspondent and CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper announced that he’d be leaving to spend more time with his family.

And earlier this year, a veteran producer at “CBS Evening News With Tony Dokoupil” was fired after he expressed disagreement about the editorial direction of the newscast.

Now, the concern is that similar changes could be in store for CNN, which has long been a target of President Trump’s ire. He has personally called for the ouster of hosts at the network who have questioned his policies.

CNN Worldwide Chief Executive Mark Thompson tried to quell some of those fears, particularly inside his own newsroom.

In an internal memo dated Thursday and obtained by The Times, Thompson urged employees not to “jump to conclusions about the future” and try to concentrate on their work.

“We’re still near the start of what is already an incredibly newsy year at home and abroad,” he wrote in the note. “Let’s continue to focus on delivering the best possible journalism to the millions of people who rely on us all around the world.”

Chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide Mark Thompson and media editor for Semafor, Maxwell Tani, speak onstage.

CNN declined to comment beyond Thompson’s memo.

Ellison has said his vision for a news business is one that is ideologically down the middle.

“We want to build a scaled news service that is basically, fundamentally in the trust business, that is in the truth business, and that speaks to the 70% of Americans that are in the middle,” he said during a Dec. 8 interview on CNBC, shortly after Warner said it had chosen Netflix as the winning bidder for its studios, HBO and HBO Max. “And we believe that by doing so that is for us, kind of doing well, while doing good.”

Ellison demurred when asked whether Trump would embrace him as CNN’s owner, given the president’s past criticisms of the network.

“We’ve had great conversations with the president about this, but … I don’t want to speak for him in any way, shape or form,” he said.

First Amendment scholars have raised concerns about press freedom and free speech rights under the Trump administration, particularly after last month’s arrest of former CNN journalist Don Lemon and the Federal Communications Commission’s pressure on late-night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert.

Press freedom groups have long asked questions in other countries about how authoritarian regimes use their power and “oligarchical alliances to belittle, silence, and punish independent journalistic voices, or to steer media ownership toward … a preferred version of the truth,” said RonNell Andersen Jones, a 1st Amendment scholar and distinguished professor in the college of law at the University of Utah, in an email.

“We see them asking at least some of these questions about the U.S. today,” she wrote.

Apprehension about the merger also extends beyond its implications for CNN and the media business.

Lawmakers such as Rep. Laura Friedman (D-Glendale), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) have raised concerns about how the consolidation of two major Hollywood studios could affect industry jobs and film and television production — which has significantly slowed since the pandemic, the dual writers’ and actors’ strikes in 2023 and corporate cutbacks in spending.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called the deal an “antitrust disaster” that she feared could raise prices and limit choices for consumers.

“With the cloud of corruption looming over Trump’s Department of Justice, it’ll be up to the American people to speak up and state attorneys general to enforce the law,” she said in a statement.

Already, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta has said the merger isn’t a “done deal,” adding that he is in communication with other states attorneys general about the issue.

“As the epicenter of the entertainment industry, California has a special interest in protecting competition,” he posted Friday on X.

The deal is subject to approval by the U.S. Justice Department. Bonta and other state attorneys general are expected to file a legal challenge to the mega-merger on antitrust grounds.

Ellison addressed some of these concerns in a statement Friday.

“By bringing together these world-class studios, our complementary streaming platforms, and the extraordinary talent behind them, we will create even greater value for audiences, partners and shareholders,” he said. “We couldn’t be more excited for what’s ahead.”

Times staff writer Meg James contributed to this report.

Movie Reviews

Movie Review: ‘Goat’ – Catholic Review

Published

17 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

NEW YORK (OSV News) – “Goat” (Sony) is an animated underdog sports comedy populated by anthropomorphized animals. While mostly inoffensive, and thus suitable for a wide audience — including teens and older kids — the film is also easily forgotten.

The amiable proceedings center on teen goat Will Harris (voice of Caleb McLaughlin). As opening scenes show, it has been Will’s dream since childhood to play for his hometown team, the Vineland Thorns.

The inhabitants of Vineland and the other areas of the movie’s world, however, are divided into so-called bigs and smalls, with professional competition dominated, unsurprisingly, by the former. Though Will stoutly maintains that he’s a medium, those around him regard him as too slight and diminutive to go up against the towering bigs.

Despite this prejudice, a video showing Will more or less holding his own against a famous and arrogant big, Andalusian horse Mane Attraction (voice of Aaron Pierre), goes viral and inspires the Thorns’ devious owner, warthog Flo Everson (voiced by Jenifer Lewis), to give the lad a shot. Though Will is understandably thrilled, his path forward proves challenging.

Will has idolized the Thorns’ sole outstanding player, black panther Jett Fillmore (voice of Gabrielle Union), since he was a youngster. But Jett, it turns out, is not only frustrated by her situation as a star among misfits but scornful of Will’s ambitions and resolute in helping to deprive her new teammate of playing time.

Given such divisions, the Thorns’ fortunes seem destined to continue their long decline.

“Roarball,” the invented game featured in director Tyree Dillihay’s film, is essentially co-ed basketball by another name. As produced by, among others, NBA champion Stephen Curry, the movie — adapted from an idea in Chris Tougas’ book “Funky Dunks” — is an unabashed celebration of hoop culture both on and off the court.

Viewers’ enthusiasm may vary, accordingly, depending on the degree to which they’re invested in the real-life sport.

Moviegoers of every stripe will appreciate the fact that the script, penned by Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley, shows the negative effects of self-centeredness as well as the value of teamwork and fan support. Plot developments also showcase forgiveness and reconciliation.

Will’s story is, nonetheless, thoroughly formulaic and most of the screenplay’s jokes feel strained and laborious. Still, while hardly qualifying as the Greatest of All Time, “Goat” does provide passable entertainment with little besides a few potty gags to concern parents.

The film contains brief scatological humor and at least one vaguely crass term. The OSV News classification is A-II — adults and adolescents. The Motion Picture Association rating is PG — parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.