Michael has to decide whether he brings buddy Todd Packer into the office.

We all know a Todd Packer.

The obnoxious, sexist jerk who’s completely oblivious to the fact he’s an obnoxious, sexist jerk.

You might work with him (or her, since not all obnoxious, sexist jerks are … Never mind, they are all male.) or your friend might be dating him or you might see him at LA Fitness each day, spending far too much talking than, you know, actually exercising.

Wherever it might be, we all know him and we all wonder how he has any friends. How could anyone hang around with that guy? Doesn’t he see what a butt-hole he is?

Of course, we’d never be friends with a Todd Packer. We’re far too cultured, too evolved to hang out with a Cro-magnon like that, right?

Right?

Of course not.

The majority of us know a Todd Packer because we’re friends with a Todd Packer. He’s the guy we grew up with, the guy who we’ve known forever. Read the full story

Michael and Jan star in Michael's movie on 'The Office.'

I laughed. I cried. I got bored. I took a bathroom break. I wondered, “Why the heck am I even writing this blog?”

And I cried some more at what “Threat Level Midnight” was and what it could have been.

The latest episode of “The Office” continued this maddeningly frustrating season featuring decent story lines, a few laughs and far too many yawns. Read the full story

Holly and Michael create havoc on Valentine's Day on "The Office."

We all knew it would come to this.

We knew Michael and Holly were bound to be together.

We also knew it wouldn’t be pretty, and learning in this week’s episode that they already were one of those couples really came as no surprise.

You know those couples, the kinds that are so in love that they suddenly are 16-year-olds, head-over-heals in love and not afraid to shove their love in everyone’s face without concern, without remorse, without mercy. Read the full story

Dwight and Erin search for a missing Michael on ‘The Office.’

Michael Scott is not an Aborigine and Scranton is not the bush, but his impromptu walkabout was an enlightening experience, capped by a smooch from his best girl.

In a whimsical episode, “The Search” opens with Ryan and Kelly announcing their divorce after, like, a whole week of marriage after getting hitched when they were “really wasted.” Best part of the scene comes when they ask their coworkers to pick sides and no one is willing to.

Frustrated by Holly’s refusal to date him again, Michael is in a bad mood. Following a sales call, he tries to pick a fight with Jim — “Is sex different after the baby?” — then threatens to have an accident in Jim’s car if he doesn’t stop the car.

After Jim rushes off to rescue CeCe, Michael is abandoned. With no money and no cellphone, he does what any logical human being would do — he wanders aimlessly around town. Michael’s wandering could be a metaphor for a show that, unfortunately, often struggles to find it’s way. Read the full story

Andy hosts a small-business seminar on ‘The Office.’

With Ed Helms taking center stage in this week’s episode of “The Office,” I was hoping for a breakout performance that would help right the listing ship of a show that approaches an uncertain post-Steve Carrell future.

Sadly, with no patented meltdowns, the Nard Dog didn’t deliver.

But David Brent did.

It’s telling when the first minute of a show is as good as it gets and it’s pretty much downhill from there. But, hey, at least we got that minute, right? Right?

“The Seminar” opens with Michael waiting for an elevator and, when the door opens, who should walk out but his doppelganger, David Brent.

Currently not the most popular person in Hollywood after his recent scathing hosting of the Golden Globes, Ricky Gervais returns to his sweet roots in the role of David Brent.

Learning the person he just met is English, Michael tries out his new character, Reginald Pooftah. David reciprocates by talking about his Chinese character, Ho Me. Read the full story

Will Ferrell is coming to “The Office.”

Ferrell will play a visiting branch manager over an arc of several episodes. NBC announced the casting Wednesday with the promise that Ferrell’s character will be “just as inappropriate” as Steve Carell’s Michael Scott.

Carell’s farewell is expected four episodes before the season finale of “The Office.” In preparation of his exit, NBC is bringing in high-profile guests, including “The Office” creator Ricky Gervais, reprising his role as David Brent.

Gervais will make a cameo in Thursday’s episode, which airs at 9 p.m. EST.

The ‘Nard Dog’ receives dating advice from Dwight on ‘The Office.’

The first new episode of 2011 for “The Office” centered on New Year’s resolutions.

After another not-too-bad, but certainly not-too-good effort, NBC would do well to resolve to turn around what used to be one of the the best comedies on television.

“Ultimatum” had it’s funny moments — including Kevin’s mistaking Holly’s gesture as being obscene (“right back at ya, b—-!”) and Kelly telling Michael and Holly to shut the heck up with the ET talk (“Oh, God, please stop!”) — but the show remains maddeningly inconsistent.

The Peacock Network doesn’t have to cue up old tapes of the show to see what it used to be and what it could be again. It only needs to look at it’s neighbors on Thursday nights, including the still-excellent “30 Rock,” the blossoming “Community” and the ridiculously overlooked “Parks and Recreation.”

I guess “The Office” can take some solace in the fact they are better than the terrible, just terrible “Outsourced” and that other new show about couples, whatever the heck that thing is called … Read the full story

Holly returns to Scranton on ‘The Office.’

She’s back …

And as annoying as ever.

Holly Flax made her long-awaited return to Dunder Mifflin Scranton and any hope that maybe her time away from Michael somehow had matured her were dashed within seconds of her arrival when the former couple launched into a riff of pop culture characters that only they found funny.

In “Classy Christmas,” Pam takes the opportunity to disband the toxic political club that is the party planning committee while Kelly hands out Hello Kitty laptop sleeves.

While Jim is excited about the snow falling outside, Dwight scoffs at what he calls a “dusting.” Jim proves his point by gathering up a snowball and depositing it in Dwight’s face, leading to Dwight challenging Jim to a duel.

We all know where this is going. Dwight, desperate for revenge, will find multiple ways to embarrass himself while Jim will nearly pull a face muscle through constant smirking. Read the full story

Dwight is the landlord from hell on “The Office.”

In these trying economic times, the majority of us have had to cut back and conserve.

With that in mind, Dwight Schrute should be admired, not admonished.

Can you blame a guy for wanting to cut costs by not spending as much on the electric bill, the heating bill or even on toiletry items? And is $8 for a blueberry muffin too much to ask for someone so passionate about his green initiative?

Read the full story

Ryan seeks the help of coworkers like Darryl and Stanley for his business venture.

We all know a Ryan Howard.

The guy who, no matter the crisis, always is confident and reassuring. The guy on the deck of the Titanic who tells you, with a big smile on his face, “Hey, what’s a little water going to hurt?”

He’s the charming, charismatic guy who you want to believe in so much that you ignore that voice in the back of your brain subtly whispering HE’S EVIL! RUN LIKE HELL AWAY FROM HIM!

Yet we stay, and we pay for our mistake. Read the full story