The Office Season 5 Extended Cut Debuting On Peacock In July [ATX]
"The Office" fans rejoice as a new way to enjoy one of the best seasons of the show is coming soon. During the ATX Television Festival in Austin, Texas, it was confirmed during the Funny AF panel that "The Office" season 5 will be released with extended Superfan Episodes in July.
The news was confirmed by Craig Robinson and Ed Helms, veterans of the show who were on hand for the panel, having played Darryl Philbin and Andy Bernard, respectively. They didn't reveal a specific date, but fans can look forward to more episodes of "The Office" with additional footage on Peacock next month. Seasons 1 through 4 are currently available for premium subscribers with extended Superfan episodes as well. Helms, speaking at the panel, explained what fans can expect from the extended episodes.
"These are the cuts that have ... the stuff that got cut for time, really. It's just these longer episodes. The storylines are a lot more fleshed out. You see a lot of jokes you never saw before. It was always frustrating — I don't know how you feel about it, Craig — but the show was so overwritten every week, that we would shoot tons of awesome stuff, and when you see a final cut, you're like, 'Ah, that's good, but what about all that other great stuff that got cut?' That's what these episodes are. All that extra stuff."
Head back to Dunder Mifflin with longer cuts of season 5
Despite having ended its run nearly a decade ago, "The Office" remains a wildly popular series amongst streaming viewers. It had previously enjoyed a very healthy run on Netflix, but when NBCUniversal opted to get into the streaming game with Peacock, they moved the show in-house. To help add some appeal to fans, the streamer started adding deleted footage to extend the episodes season by season to make them fresh again.
As for the show itself, Robinson, in reflection, said that, "It's the gift that keeps on giving. It's like you have friends everywhere you go. Who could have predicted it would be a whole thing?" Helms, meanwhile, expressed his surprise that very young people are now starting to find the show.
"It is funny — there are a lot of people who haven't seen that show before. Because they're like six years old. It's crazy to be in an airport or something and have really little kids run up and be like, 'Andy Bernard!' ... Little kids, I'm like, 'You're not old enough to watch this!' Not that it's R-rated or anything, but I'm like, 'Do you even get it? Do you know what an office is and what that drone life is like?'"
Aside from that, Helms also spoke to the comforting nature of the show, referring to it as a "TV hug."
"One of the things I'm most proud of in being a part of that show — I love what Phil [Augusta Jackson] said about ["Grand Crew"] being like a TV hug. I feel like 'The Office' and 'Seinfeld' and some of these other shows just feel like that. Even when I catch an old 'Office' episode or something, I feel that embrace. There's something about it [where] you know it's deeply dysfunctional, that little community that you just want to be a part of. We need more TV hugs."
"The Office" season 5 extended cuts arrive on Peacock in July and will be available for premium subscribers.