'The Office''s Pam and Jim Were Supposed to Break Up
by EG
The romance between Pam and Jim on The Office was the centerpiece of the show. A new book reveals, however, that the show's creators originally intended to put the couple through some serious conflict. The original storylines called for an affair and an eventual split. That would have put the entire series in a whole different ligh. Read on for details.
Via People.
For years, Jim Halpert and Pam Halpert (née Beesly) from The Office have served as relationship goals for viewers all over the world. But as it turns out, the show had originally planned to split up the lovebirds in season 9.
In the book The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, author Andy Greene reveals that the show's creator Greg Daniels envisioned a much different path for Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer), who were married with two kids at the end of the series.
The Office follows the employees of the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company as they are filmed for a docuseries. After flirting nearly every episode, Jim and Pam finally confirmed their relationship in season 4 and tied the knot in season 6 – after Pam found out she was pregnant. Pam got pregnant again in season 8 after the writers decided to write in Fischer's real-life pregnancy.
"Greg really wanted to do something extremely risky and high-stakes, which was the documentary airs and we see what effect it has had on these characters. And there was going to be a reunion episode where you see that Jim and Pam have split up by this time, and they will have their reunion in the reunion episode," writer Brent Forrester says of the twist in the book, Collider and Vulture reported.
The writers even wanted to introduce a relationship triangle with Pam and the docuseries' cameraman, Brian.
Brian was first seen during season 9 as Pam and Jim's relationship grew strained after he took a job in Philadelphia. The two had a tense phone call, and Brian was there to comfort Pam afterward.
Writer Owen Ellickson says in the book that there were talks of Pam and Brian possibly "hooking up a little bit," Collider reported.
"Ultimately, I don't think it was about actually going there. They never did anything. It was just to introduce worry in the audience," Ellickson says in the book.
Nonetheless, the writers didn't go forward with Brian and Pam or her split with Jim, as Krasinski says it would be too "painful" for fans.
Get the rest of the story at People.
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