Even years after the series finale aired, The Office is still making waves. Not only does it remain one of the most popular things streaming on Netflix, but there’s now a podcast that has everyone rewatching every episode again. The podcast is titled The Office Ladies and is run by two of the show’s most notable cast members.
Jenna Fischer (Pam) and Angela Kinsey (Angela) are the hosts. Each installment centers on a different episode of The Office as they discuss the plot and reveal behind the scenes things that we previously never knew. So far, they’re only midway through season two. Still, we’ve learned a ton of cool tidbits.
Angela Invented Sprinkles The Cat
One of the things that Angela Martin was most known for on The Office was her love of cats. This was something that was kind of an accident. During the pilot, Angela’s character didn’t have many lines. She was tasked with handing out papers during the episode, so she doodled something on them for fun.
She drew a cat, named it Sprinkles, and made the papers out to be an invitation to Sprinkles’ party. This was something done in passing but became a major character trait. Some of Angela’s funniest and most memorable moments stemmed from this little decision made by the actress.
There Were Meetings About Pam’s Hair
This podcast makes it incredibly clear that the showrunners of The Office focused hard on the Jim and Pam relationship. It was to the point where even the tiniest of details was scrutinized so it would be as perfect as possible. That included having full-on meetings regarding Pam’s hair.
After a discussion about Angela’s incredibly difficult to pull off hairstyles, Jenna discussed hers. The producers and Jenna would have long talks about Pam’s hair and outfits. They ensured that she never came across as too sexy or didn’t have a look that wasn’t relevant to the story being told.
Angela Auditioned For Pam
This one may have been revealed in the past through audition tapes but it was interesting to hear a bit more in-depth stuff on it. Angela Kinsey originally tried out for the role of Pam. She obviously didn’t get it but the showrunners liked her enough to consider her for another role.
The Office Ladies also revealed another famous star who auditioned for the series. We already knew of Bob Odenkirk (the second choice for Michael Scott who later appeared in another role), but there was also Seth Rogen. Could you imagine the show with him in it?
Writers Had To Sit In The Annex
Did you ever notice that Toby, Kelly, and Ryan mostly sat in the annex at Dunder-Mifflin? The idea was that Kelly was in customer service, Toby handled human resources, and Ryan eventually got relegated to that area for various reasons on the show.
The real reason for these characters being in the back was revealed on the podcast. The actors who played them (Paul Lieberstein, Mindy Kaling, and BJ Novak) were also writers for the series. Keeping them seated back there meant they didn’t have to always be on set and could focus on their writing.
The Chili’s Employee
Season two’s premiere episode is the infamous first airing of the Dundies. For those unaware, it is the annual awards ceremony hosted by Michael Scott for his employees. During this episode, Pam tries to get over a fight with Roy by indulging in a few too many alcoholic beverages.
The episode ends with a Chili’s employee telling the camera crew that she has been banned from the establishment for surpassing their drink minimum. According to the podcast, this was a real Chili’s employee. He was brought in for one line and delivered it expertly.
Kevin Is Great At Basketball
Season one’s best episode is arguably “Basketball.” In it, the office workers compete against the warehouse crew in a game of pickup basketball. Michael rejects several potential players like Phyllis and Kevin in favor of who he thinks would be better for aesthetic purposes.
After the game, we get a clip of Kevin sinking three or four shots in a row. Jenna and Angela revealed that Kevin actually hit around ten straight shots. Actor Brian Bumgardner is apparently quite good at the sport, especially in terms of hitting jump shots.
Creed’s Voice Work
Creed Bratton played the character of the same name. He also just so happens to be a musician who performs the theme song for The Office Ladies. On top of that, he was also the podcast’s first in-studio guest star. That led to some cool revelations regarding his time on the show.
For example, before he ever had a line as his character, he did some voice work for the series. Creed was the voice we hear playing a coal shaft operator that Michael speaks to at one point in season one. It earned Creed an unexpected pay bump that was reserved for speaking actors.
Office Olympics Were Real
Another memorable episode during season two (they’re almost all pretty great) was “Office Olympics.” With Michael away to purchase a new home, Jim and Pam come together to get everyone in the office to participate in Olympic style competitions. They played various games that could only be found in their workplace.
Producer Greg Daniels got the idea for the episode from an actual competition that was played at the offices of King of the Hill. Daniels previously worked on that series and his assistant helped organized the whole thing. Even some of the actual games played on the episode happened in real life.
How Pam And Angela Became Friends
The intro to every edition of The Office Ladies explains that Angela and Jenna are best friends in real life. This wasn’t the case when the series first began. Their characters were also often at odds, so fans have been curious about how this friendship blossomed.
It goes back to the “Basketball” episode. During it, Pam and Angela weren’t participating in the game. They were instead seated on the bench as spectators. While there, the two got to talking and spent several hours bonding. From that point on, despite being so early in the show’s run, they were best friends.
The Teapot Letter
Since season two’s “Christmas Party,” fans have had one major question. They wanted to know what was in the letter Jim put in the teapot. In the episode, he decides against giving it to Pam and tucks it away. It isn’t until the show’s ninth and final season that he gives it to Pam. We never find out the contents but it brings Pam to tears.
Though the podcast isn’t anywhere near the final season, Jenna revealed what the letter said. Kind of. Actor John Krasinski was told to write down what his time on the show with Jenna meant to him. The only two people who know exactly what was written are John and Jenna. She didn’t reveal the specifics but that it made her cry several times. This was information that even Angela wasn’t aware of.
