James Spader is The Office Boss

This is an odd bit of news concerning The Office. For months now, we’ve been eagerly waiting to hear whom they’ve hired to replace Steve Carell as Scranton branch manager at Dunder Milflin Sabre. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine them hiring someone to replace Kathy Bates as CEO. Where did that come from?

James Spader is joining the cast of The Office, reprising his role as Robert California. Spader first appeared as a guest star in the Season 7 finale as a potential candidate to replace Michael Scott. The Robert California character was easily the most enjoyable of the many guest stars, with his uber confidence and seemingly mind bending qualities. Jim even had a hard time understanding this guy. Paul Lieberstein, showrunner and series regular spoke of how Robert will be introduced, “He’ll have been hired over the summer as the new manager, but within hours, got himself promoted. Within days, he took over the company. James has an energy that is completely his own, and The Office has no tools for dealing with this guy. We’re thrilled he’s joining our cast.”

If you’re wondering why they’re getting rid of Kathy Bate’s Jo Bennet, it’s simple. Bates has her time filled with her own show, Harry’s Law. Whereas Bates was more of an occasional guest star, Spader’s presence will be felt week after week. He will play a bigger role in the office. Now as for who will be the permanent branch manager, it’s looking like it will be one of the current employees, like Andy, Dwight, Jim or Darryl.