Please, NBC, Stop the Hour-long ‘Office’ Madness!

Today Matthew Gilbert at the Boston Globe joins the crusade that’s sweeping the nation: begging NBC to stop running hour-long episodes of The Office. Like our Overnighter, Will Leitch, Gilbert notes that hour-long eps of the sitcom are shaggy, unformed, and include scenes that would never have made the cut if the show was a lean, mean 22 minutes. Time’s James Poniewozick seemed not so thrilled with the hour-longs last week, and Best Week Ever’s onboard too.

The expanded episodes haven’t hurt viewership, as the show is getting the highest ratings in its history. But all those new viewers who just tuned in for this season’s episodes might be scratching their chins, wondering, What is all the fuss about? Thankfully, this week’s episode is the final hour-long for at least a little while; currently, one more hour-long is scheduled for this season, but it seems likely that’ll be the season finale.

Dear NBC: Sometimes, More Is Less [Boston Globe]