The Office remains to be one of the most iconic TV shows of modern times. It’s going to be ten years in May 2023 since the very final episode of the classic sitcom aired on NBC. Since then, it can be said that the popularity of the show has only continued to increase. One fan poll in 2020 ranked it as the third most popular sitcom of all time.
It’s not just the fans who have fond memories of The Office, however. The cast members from the series have also continued singing its praises. Mindy Kaling was one of the stars of The Office, and she also made up part of the show’s writing team. She recently remarked about the “fearlessness” of some of the tropes and characters in the story, who she said would be canceled if they existed today.
Jenna Fischer as Pam Beesly and John Krasinski as Jim Halpert were two of the most beloved people in The Office. Like Kaling, the pair have remained in awe of the show they made. Fischer in fact admitted to still holding on to the ring that her character was given by Jim when they got engaged in the story.
While filming a sitcom can be relatively cheaper than other genres, it still is no small expense creating a show as successful as The Office. The most expensively shot scene on the series is proof enough.
How Much Did It Cost To Film An Episode Of The Office?
The Office was shot on a tight budget and was filmed in a mock documentary-style, which gave it a unique look. The cost of producing one episode of the show varied from season to season. This also depended on various factors, including cast salaries, location, and production expenses. The average cost of producing an episode of The Office was estimated to be around $2 million per episode in the later seasons. This amount would have just about doubled from where those costs stood in the earlier seasons.
One of the biggest expenses for shooting The Office was the cast salaries. Lead actor Steve Carell — who played the role of Michael Scott — reportedly earned $300,000 per episode in the later seasons. It is not surprising that he leads the way of all his co-stars on the show in terms of net worth today.
Still, other lead actors, such as John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer and Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute), also earned substantial salaries. Other members of the populous ensemble cast of The Office included B.J. Novak, Ed Helms and Paul Liberstein.
What Other Costs Did The Producers Of The Office Incur?
Apart from the cast salaries, The Office also incurred significant production expenses, including the cost of renting sets, props, and equipment. The show was shot in a real office building located in Van Nuys, California, which was converted into the set for the show. The production team had to pay a significant amount of money to rent the building and make it look like a real office space.
Another major expense was the cost of shooting on location. The show was often filmed on location, including at local restaurants, bars, and hotels. The production team had to pay for permits, rent equipment, and hire crews to shoot on location.
Despite the high cost of producing an episode, The Office was a commercial success for NBC, and the show generated significant revenue through advertising, DVD sales and syndication rights. In fact, The Office remains one of the most popular shows on streaming platforms like Netflix and Hulu, with millions of viewers tuning in to watch reruns of the show.
The Most Expensively-Shot Scene In The Office Lasted Only 52 Seconds
According to Jenna Fischer, Jim’s proposal to Pam in the Season 5 premiere of The Office was the most expensive moment of the entire series. The actress spoke about this during an episode of the Office Ladies podcast, co-hosted by fellow cast member Angela Kinsey. She revealed that the scene cost $250,000 to set up and shoot.
For all this expense, the scene lasted all of 52 seconds on air. The impact of it was undeniable, though, with the proposal scene now considered one of the most iconic moments of the show. In the podcast, Fischer went into more detail about the process that was involved in setting up the scene, as was later reported by Entertainment Weekly.
“So first of all, I just want you guys to know that [showrunner] Greg [Daniels] spoke with us about this,” Fischer explained.
“He said that he really wanted Jim’s proposal to Pam to be in the season premiere. He thought, number one — that would be unexpected. You usually end seasons with proposals. He said he also wanted to throw people off by having it in a very ordinary location. So, he wanted [it] to feel special, but he also wanted it to feel like Jim made the decision without a whole lot of planning.”
