Get ready to feel old, ladies and gents. The American version of The Office premiered on NBC 10 years ago today on March 24, 2005.
In its nine seasons on NBC, the beloved workplace sitcom based on the BBC comedy of the same name made us laugh, cry and put "That's what she said" into the popular lexicon. Perhaps most importantly, The Office taught us that work doesn't just have to be where we spend our nine-to-five time in order to pay the bills. It can also be home.
The Office ended its run on NBC on May 16, 2013, so it may have been a while since you paid a visit to the Scranton branch of everyone's favorite paper company. What's more, you probably missed a lot of subtle references in the show that made it even more hilarious than you originally thought. Celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Office by checking out these nine Easter eggs that will make you love the show even more.
1. A Nod To The U.K. Version Of The Show
The address of the Scranton, Penn. branch of Dunder Mifflin is 1725 Slough Ave. There is no Slough Ave. in the real Scranton, Penn., but the U.K. version of the show is located in Slough, England, so this acts as a nice, little wink to The Office's roots.
2. Meredith Wasn't In The Office Pilot
It's hard to imagine The Office without everyone's favorite hard-partying redhead, but Kate Flannery, the actress that plays Meredith, was not in the first episode of the series. Instead, an actress named Henriette Mantel can be seen working at Meredith's desk across the way from Dwight. In fact, there were actually a lot of random extras in the pilot that we never end up seeing again. Lucky for us, we didn't have to wait long for Flannery to grace us with her presence as she showed up in the second episode of The Office and all was right again with the world.
3. The Actors And Their Characters Are More Similar Than You Think
Several of the main characters share first names with the actors that portray them. This includes Angela Martin (played by Angela Kinsey), Phyllis Vance (played by Phyllis Smith), Oscar Martinez (played by Oscar Nunez) and Creed Bratton (played by Creed Bratton). Many of the guest stars even share names with their characters, including Dakota Johnson, who played Kevin's replacement Dakota, and Hidetoshi Imura, who played warehouse worker Hidetoshi "Hide" Hasagawa.
4. Jim Halpert Apparently Has Cinematography Skills
You know that footage of Scranton in the opening credits of The Office? Those were shot by none other than John Krasinski, the actor behind Jim Halpert, during a research trip on the city.
5. The 40-Year-Old Virgin Connection
Steve Carell isn't the only link between The Office and the movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin. The Benihana restaurant that Michael, Dwight, Jim and Andy visit in the Season 3 episode titled "A Benihana Christmas" is the same one Carell's character Andy visits on a date with Catherine Keener's Trish in The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
6. Will The Real Ryan Howard Please Stand Up?
B.J. Novak's character Ryan Howard is said to be named after Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard, according to Yahoo Sports. During The Office's conception, Howard was playing for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Minor League Baseball team. Howard eventually made a guest appearance in a Season 9 episode of The Office as a potential client of Jim and Darryl's sports marketing company Athlead.
7. Scranton Is The Real Star Of The Office
Just because The Office didn't really film in Scranton doesn't mean aspects of the northeastern Pennsylvania city didn't make it into the show. The Office mentions a lot of real-live Scranton hot spots, such as Poor Richard's Pub, Cooper's Seafood House and the Mall at Steamtown.
8. Jim Gives Meredith His John (Krasinski) Hancock
In Season 4, Meredith ends up with a cast on her fractured pelvis after Michael accidentally hits her with his car. When she asks Jim to sign it, you were probably too grossed out to notice that he actually signs the cast with "John Krasinski," which is of course the actor's name.
9. Go Easter Egg Hunting In The Series Finale
The emotional series finale of The Office is loaded with Easter eggs. They include, as pointed out by TV Guide: the stripper hired for Dwight was the same one hired for Bob Vance in Season 3; as regional manager, Dwight hired Devon, the employee Michael fired in Season 2, subsequently earning him a large Christmas bonus; and Michael's real estate agent and ex, played by Carell's real-life wife Nancy, made an appearance to make a sale.
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