The Office spin-off starring Amy Poehler was supposed to debut after this Sunday’s Super Bowl — back when the network thought it would be ready (and that it would be an actual Office spin-off). Instead, they’ve produced a star-studded, hour-long edition of The Office. This could be a disaster. Or at least, there’s a disturbing precedent for it.
In 1998, Third Rock From the Sun got the same treatment, but it’s 1996’s special episode of Friends that has us worried. Guest stars Brooke Shields, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Chris Isaak, and Julia Roberts (who, preposterously, was dating Matthew Perry at the time) all contribute to what’s generally considered one of the very worst episodes of the show; this clip, in which Julia crawls into a bathroom stall with Perry, says it all. Sunday’s Office will feature Jack Black and Jessica Alba, and involve the Dunder-Mifflin gang watching a pirated Hollywood movie. (Prepare for lots of ‘tsk-tsking,’ internet pirates.) If the episode ends with Dwight in Alba’s thong, we’re turning back to ESPN.