TCB Infomercial: Kate Flannery

If you're looking for expert guidance on finding your dream home, a place to start your next chapter, or getting in the door in your first home, chances are your family is trying to weigh in. Like your aunt who knows the perfect place for you and likes to say, if I'm being honest, I'll bed too often.
Or your savvy family member who swears by an act. But it's not enough to just know you.

You need someone who gets you.

Someone who can make homeownership possible on your budget.

Who can look at what seems insurmountable

and confidently say, this is the way.

Only a realtor can guide you every step of the way

with equal parts resilience and hope.

Because no one cares more about helping Californians

live the California dream than realtors.

See you next time. every step of the way with equal parts resilience and hope because no one cares more about helping Californians live the California dream than realtors.
So I'll do respect to your aunt, but get the expertise from the best at championsofhome.com. California Association of Realtors.
Who's your realtor? ID Tech, the first and most trusted tech camp, is where kids ages 7 to 17 find their people. The coding and creating people.
The fire-breathing, shell-spinning BattleBots people. The just-as-happy building games as they are playing them people.
At 75 prestigious college campuses all across the country, ID Tech features over 50 epic courses like BattleBots, AI and machine learning, game design, and more. Visit IDtech.com and use code IDtech to save $150 on a week

that's guaranteed to be a highlight of summer.

The deal is this is my last hurrah because I made a New Year's resolution

that I'm not going to drink anymore during the week.

This is equal parts.

Scotch, absinthe, rum, gin, vermouth, triple sec, and and two packs of splenda call it a one of everything oh my god hit me again all right one more time around block. On this episode of the commercial break.
I was actually up for SNL. And I always say, I didn't get it.
One of my best friends at the time got it. And I always say, it only took 13 short years to get the office.
A long 13 short years. It was a long 13 short years.
Did you audition for Lauren? You know what?

Lauren came to see a show I did.

I had lunch with Lauren.

I had interviews with Lauren.

I didn't get to do the final round, but I was in consideration.

And I was just at the SNL 50th at the concert at Radio City.

And it was so great.

Obviously, I've had a lot of therapy because I just had a great time.

I didn't have any, but like, oh.

The next episode of The Commercial Break starts now. Oh, yeah, cats and kittens.
Welcome back to The Commercial Break. I'm Brian Green.
This is my dear friend and the co-host of this show, Chris and Joy Hodley. Best to you, Chris.
Best to you, Brian. And best to you out there in the podcast universe.
How the hell are you for joining us it's tcb infomercial tuesday with kate flannery from the office yes joining us we have reached the pinnacle of success chrissy there is no greater hill to climb than having one of the i i'd say one of the main characters oh yeah from one of the one of the best television shows that has ever been, ever, and ever will be. I think we can all agree that The Office is hilarious in so many ways.
Brilliant for almost 10 seasons. I think it was 10 seasons.
I think it was 10 seasons. I think it's eight.
How many seasons are in The Office? Nine and some bonus episodes.

Okay.

So anyway, so there you go.

Kate Flannery, who plays Meredith on The Office, is going to be with us in just a few minutes.

And I'm really excited about this because this is one of my favorite television shows of all time.

And I don't know too many people whose it isn't.

So many people I know literally watch The Office on rerun all the time. You know how I have my favorite shows that I watch at night? The Office isn't in rotation, but I do watch Office episodes pretty often.
If I see them on live TV. Oh, me too.
I was watching one the other day. I think it was a parkour episode with one of my kids.
And he's like, what's parkour? I was like, well, let me show you what parkour is. And then we went to a park this weekend and I showed him parkour.
Because, you know, parkour. I'm a parkour master, Chrissy.
I don't know if you know that. I did not know that.
With my bad hip and my bad back and my bad heart. I just run around doing parkour all the time.
So many quotable lines and Meredith owns a few of those throughout the season. So anyway, we'll her all about that celebrating their 20th season the office is available on Peacock 20th year rewatch yeah it's yeah 20th year wow and um lest you think that Kate only did the office she has done many other things in her career we'll talk to her about some of that but one of the things I think you got excited about was the Jane Lynch Christmas variety show that they do.
They go out and sing, and they do it with a big band, and coming to a town near you during Christmas season. So we're only nine short months away from that, but it'll be here soon enough.
It'll be here soon enough. All right, so I have a little, let's do a little game before, not game, but let's talk

about it a little bit.

Okay.

Before we have Kate in here.

What is your favorite line from the, what is your most quotable line from The Office?

Oh, God.

I don't know.

There's so many.

There's the one that my sister and I used to always laugh about when Michael, he talks

in his Southern accent and they're going down to Savannah.

I don't know. I used to always laugh about when Michael talks in his southern accent.

And they're going down to Savannah.

My favorite office quote of all time has got to be, Jan all over, tan all over.

Do you remember that?

When they went to Mexico and he had pictures, like nude photographs,

topless photograph of her, and it was floating around the office. And he goes, Jan all over, tan all over.
What a great character. All right, I got a few more for you.
I want you to tell me which character said this following line. Okay? Okay.
Sometimes the clothes at Gap Kids are just too flashy. So I'm forced to go to the American Girl store and order clothes for large colonial dolls.
Who is that? You want me to give you a choice? Yes. Is it Dwight? Is it Pam? Is it Angela? I'm going with Pam.
I'm sorry, Angela. Angela.
It is Angela. she used to dress up yes those colonial or dwight i think did something no as angela she was like the prude in the group you know she was always a very tight wad so to speak um i consider myself a good person but i'm gonna try and make him cry who said that was that oscar michael or dwight uh dwight uh no that was oscar said that uh if i don't have cake soon i might die is that stanley dwight or jim uh stanley of course it's stanley i'm faster than 80 percent of all snakes is that dwight dwight okay i don't I'm going further on that.
I'm faster than 80% of all snakes. Is that Dwight? Dwight.
Okay. I don't even go any further on that.
I'm not superstitious, but I'm a little stitious. Who said that? Dwight, Pam, or Michael? Michael.
Of course he did. Yes.
Let's see here. I talk a lot, so I've learned just to tune myself out.
Is that Pam, Dwight, or Kelly Kapoor? Kelly. Of course.
Yes. All right.
Let's go a little. Mindy Kaling.
What's that? Mindy Kaling. That's right.
Let's go a little deeper. I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them.
Jim? Is that Jim? Is that Michael?

Or is that Andy?

Jim.

It's Andy.

Andy.

Andy was a great character on that show.

And even though he was only in the later seasons of The Office, he was a great character in that show.

I did like Andy's character.

One day Michael came in and complained about a speed bump on the highway.

I just wonder who he ran over.

Jim.

Okay.

All right.

Sometimes I'll start a sentence and I don't even know where I'm going.

I just hope I find it along the way.

It's like an improv conversation.

Michael, Jim, or Dwight?

Michael.

Michael, that's right.

Identity theft is no joke, Jim. Millions of families suffer every year.
Dwight, Michael, or Pam? It's got to be Dwight. It's Dwight.
Okay, let's see here. Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy.
I want people to be afraid of how much they love me. Michael Scott Dwight Shrew.
Michael. That's right.
When you're a kid, you assume your parents are soulmates. My kids are going to be right about that.
Oh, that's a sweet line from Pam. I'm just going to say that.
You guys, like, I'm really smart now. You don't even know.
You could ask me, Kelly, what's the biggest company in the world? And I'd be like, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Giving you the exact right answer every time.
Kelly Cabour. Let's see if I can find another deep cut here.
These are all great lines, and I can almost remember the episodes. Oh, yeah.
It takes you back. I'm fast.
To give you a reference point, I'm somewhere between a snake, a mongoose, and a panther. Somewhere between.
Well, I mean, Dwight? mean dwight of course yeah yeah the dunder miffin the dunder mifflin stock symbol is dmi do you know what that stands for dummies morons and idiots because that's what because that's what you'd have to be to own it and as one of those idiots i believe the board owes me answers. Oscar.
That's great. Oscar.
Oh, here's one from a lesser known character. Oh, I don't think it's blackmail.
Angela just does what I ask her to do. So I won't tell everyone that she's cheating on Andy with Dwight.
I think for me, it would be black for it to be blackmail. I would have to put it in a formal letter.
That's Phyllis. Phyllis.
Phyllis. Phyllis.
Yes. Okay, here's a little interesting tie-in.
I believe that Phyllis and, oh, now I can't remember his name, the bigger guy in the office. Like kind of the bald-headed one.
Do you know who I'm talking about? What was his name in the office?

I can't remember.

Why can't I remember?

Office characters.

Let's see here.

Well, in Stanley.

No, but it's not Stanley.

Characters.

I'm going to find this out because I don't want to get it wrong.

Kevin.

Oh, Kevin. Yeah, Kevin.
Kevin. Okay.
so Phyllis and Kevin went to a local high school here in Atlanta. And they went to school with a couple of people that I know.
And by all accounts, were very lovely people. And so just thought I'd share that.
Just a little weird connection. I forgot I knew that Kevin was from here.
I did not know Phyllis. I believe it was Phyllis and Kevin that was here.
I know Kevin for sure. And I believe Phyllis also.
I think they went to the same high school. If I'm not mistaken, I might be.
But that was the story that rolled around the bars for a long time. And I knew a couple people who knew.
More specifically talked about Kevin being a real. I say Kevin.
His name is Brian, actually. Kevin and Brian.
That's me and my brother's names. Yes.
Talked about him specifically being a very nice guy. So there you go.
If you wanted to know in real life. Let's find out if Kate is a really nice person too.
Why don't we do this? I bet she is. I bet she is.
We've had a good streak. I'd say of the 110 guests, we've had 108 of them have been pretty good.
And one of them wasn't their fault. I would have been a dick to us, too.
All right, let's do this. Let's take a break, and when we get back through the magic of telepodcasting, we'll have Kate Flannery, Meredith from The Office, celebrating 20 years of The Office.
Yeah, let's do that. What do you think? I think we should do it.
Okay, we'll be back. Hey, it's Rachel, your new voice of God here on TCB.
And just like you, I'm wondering just how much longer this podcast can continue. Let's all rejoice that another episode has made it to your ears.
And I'll rejoice that my check is in the mail. Speaking of mail, get your free TCB sticker in the mail by going to TCBpodcast.com and visiting the Contact Us page.
You can also find the entire commercial break library, audio and video, just in case you want to look at Chrissy, at TCBpodcast.com.

Want your voice to be on an episode of the show?

Leave us a message at 212-433-3TCB.

That's 212-433-3822.

Tell us how much you love us, and we'll be sure to let the world know on a future episode Or you can make fun of us That'd be fine too We might not air that But maybe Oh, and if you're shy That's okay Just send a text We'll respond Now I'm going to go check the mailbox for payment While you check out our sponsors And then we'll return to this episode Of the commercial break You just realized your business Needed to hire yesterday. How can you find amazing candidates fast? Easy.
Just use Indeed. Stop struggling to get your job posts seen on other job sites.
Indeed's sponsored jobs help you stand out and hire fast. With sponsored jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates, so you can reach the people you want faster.
And it makes a huge difference. According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed have 45% more applications than non-sponsored jobs.
Plus, with Indeed sponsored jobs, there are no monthly subscriptions, no long-term contracts, and you only pay for results. And listeners of this show will get a $75 sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at Indeed.com slash listen.
Just go to Indeed.com slash listen right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash listen.
Terms and conditions apply. Hiring? Indeed is all you need.
And while in the moment it may be hard to see the forest through the trees, those rule breakers often define what it means to be a success. Each week, former wrestling superstar Surya sits down with the boldest voices in sports, entertainment, and beyond to talk about breaking barriers, defying expectations, and rewriting the rules.
They're talking about it all, the fights, the failures, and the moments that changed everything. You can follow and listen to Rule Breakers with Surya on the free Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.
And hear here to the Rule Breakers for keeping life interesting. Go further with the American Express Business Gold Card.
Earn three times membership rewards points on flights and prepaid hotels when you book through amxtravel.com. Whether your destination is a business conference or a client meeting, your purchases will help you earn more points for future trips.
Experience more on your travels with Amex Business Gold. Terms apply.
Learn more at americanexpress.com slash business dash gold. Amex Business Gold Card, built for business by American Express.
Kate is here with us now. Kate, so grateful for your time today.
Thank you for joining us. Welcome, Kate.
What can we say that probably hasn't already been said a million billion times? I have like one question that is when I knew you were coming on, it just was burning through my mind. How do you feel about The Office, given some space between the last episode, the closing of The Office version one, now? What is your relationship with The Office, the thing, the show, the entity, part of your life? How do you feel about it? it is as my relationship with the office is as strong as it was in 2004 it's crazy i am so happy it might be stronger yeah you've grown to if you've grown to love it you've grown to find that this is just something you're really attached it's such an iconic role that you have playing meredith this like in my opinion one of the best characters on The Office is Meredith, perfectly played by you.
You're very kind. I'm actually most proud that I'm a female and I get to play a wacky character that has nothing to do with being someone's girlfriend or mother.
Even though she's a mother and she's a floozy, but still, it's like she's not defined by that. And that's a rare thing.
It's a rare thing on television. It's a rare thing in movies.
Women don't get to play exactly like the boys. And so it's really fun.
I'm just really proud that they let me go there. And they're there the entire time.
You were there for the entire stretch. How did you get involved in, by the way, it's 20th anniversary of The Office.
And it's it's one of those shows too that i love because you can just watch over and over and over again and you can pick up from the very first episode or the the middle or the end whatever i just i love those shows there's very few of those i think we there are and i what i love about our show too and why i think kids really like it is that you you know, we never tell you when to laugh. There's no, like, wait.
You know, there's no laugh track, obviously. But I also feel like you can be laughing over something and then watch the episode again and find something funny about it that you didn't notice the first time.
Absolutely. Absolutely.
So it's kind of fun. You know, and that's a rare thing.
We're all, you know, we're just so lucky because, you know, normally British shows don't translate on American television. So our, our showrunner, Greg Daniels took such good care of this and was so careful and so wonderful.
And he's a former Saturday night live writer, a former Simpsons writer. Uh, and he's also the creator of a co-creator of King of the Hill, Greg Daniels.
He's amazing. He's amazing.
So we were, I mean, we were in good hands from the start. And I knew Steve Carell when I was at Second City.
We weren't in the same cast, but we were there at the same time. And it's just so nice to be, I mean, so incredible to be a part of his stardom, his breakout.
Oh, yeah. Now the whole world knows what a great actor, smart, funny, genius Steve Carell he really is how did you how did you get approached about doing the project or did you i'm sure you had some auditions with greg or how did that come about i actually initially auditioned i initially auditioned for the part of jan oh no way okay yeah oh my god that would have been a whole different show yeah yeah it would have and the cast all over all over.
I'm sorry, I just had to say it. Right, no, no, no, it's crazy, right? Yeah.
Serenity Canyon? I don't know. But yeah, Hunter? I don't know.
But I think, you know, the casting director, Alison Jones, said, I don't know if this is the part for you, but I feel like this show is right for you. So I actually did not do the pilot.
I actually replaced somebody from the pilot that was cut out. So it's always strange when you come into a project.
So I did not do the first episode, but I did every other one. Yeah, no, fair enough.
And it's so odd because, yeah, it's just odd because they actually asked us to bring paperwork and to look busy at our desk season one. And, you know, I thought that was such a cool idea.
So that when the camera catches you, you're not like suddenly working, you know, you're actually still in progress, in process. And so it did have that documentary feel from the start.
So, you know, as an ensemble person being from Second City and, you know, I did Del Closes and Prop Olympic for years. I worked at at the Annoying Theater.
I worked at a lot of funky theaters and did a lot of stuff where being an ensemble was really, the most important part is to make sure you're there for everybody else. You are a team player.
Team player, yeah. Whether you talk or not, you are in there.
You're in it. So I love being a fully actualized character even if you don't speak, which I think is one of the most brilliant things about The Office because we all work with people and we all went to school with people and you did not get to know everyone equally well right away.
Sure. Things were revealed slowly.
And sometimes there's people you'd be like, I didn't know that. Or you find out later, you're like, oh, my God, I had no idea.
That guy's nuts. Yeah.
That guy's great. You know, whatever.
It's just funny. Creed's insane.
So I love the way. Totally.
But our show, like, had a slow, slow reveal and such a great. It was just, everything was just well-timed.
And even if I didn't speak for episodes, I felt like when I did, it was totally worth the wait. I felt like something wonderful and interesting was revealed.
And messed up sometimes. You know, something, I read a book one time and it was mentioning aaron sorkin in the west wing the of course the breakout um drama about the west wing the white house and one of the interesting choices that they made from the beginning and i'm sure this is a choice that was made by greg or whoever at the time also was that even if you're not in the scene i want you on the set so you'll look at where the, you know, Leo McGarry and the president are talking in the background is, you know, Bradley Whitford or whoever, and they're shuffling paper or they're reading or they're having a conversation with someone else.
It adds depth and layer and color and clarity to the whole situation. It's not doesn't feel like everybody just runs out of the room.
It feels like an actual working office when you watch the office it's a sense of reality it's a sense of reality yeah it's awesome and it's it's i just feel like uh the level of thought and intelligence that was put into every script um you know and just having a great cast of great great directors great producers great editors you know you just feel like you can't you know you're in good hands all the time. You're in good hands so you can trust the process.
Do you... I'm interested to know how much of this is actually improv and do you have bullet points? You're heading in a direction.
I can improv inside of these parameters or how much of that was improv and how much of that ended up being scripted? Percent most of it is scripted most of it okay oh yeah i'd say maybe four percent maybe five percent is is improv interesting steve yeah steve and rain probably improvised a little more than most of us but they also had more to say sure so so we would kind of hit the actual script and then I learned quickly that if I improvised within

my line... but they also had more to say.
So we would kind of hit the actual script, and then I learned quickly that if I improvised within my lines or had one little addition while I was speaking, because you're having to deal with camera guys who are like documentarians who are moving to, they know who they're going to look at and focus on. So you can't just suddenly have an idea and railroad the whole process.
You have to be in focus. I didn't think about that.
Yeah. So I always say if you're improvising, even within a sitcom, you have to know the parameters so that you're actually bringing a gift, not presenting a problem.
Wow. Even if it's a funny idea, it has to go somehow within the lines of forwarding the action or, or, or just, you've got to hit a note.
You've got to hit the notes. Yeah.
So that you don't mess up the rest of the band. Yeah, exactly.
So that's, that's the, that's the, that was the big learning curve for me, for sure. And also, because I had done so much stage, I was constantly reminded, like, bring it down, bring it down.
And I actually learned a great relationship with the camera, which I had never learned before. And I'm so grateful that they had the patience to go, okay, can you just do it one more time? Just do it a little less, a little less.
Because sometimes it shows, you know, oh, she didn't get it. You're done.
Bye-bye're gone. Bye.
Bye. Bye.
So I'm grateful. Yeah.
Because what, what, what is the trajectory you're at? Second city, obviously the, uh, one of the most famous, if not the most famous improv comedy theater in the world, right. With so many.
And I know there's a couple of them, but for me as a Chicago boy, second city is like, you know, the gold standard. And that's where a lot of the SNL characters came from.
So you're in Second City. So obviously you're good at this.
Like you have a talent for this. If you're sitting with other people at Second City, then you're doing okay.
It's a validation for sure. Absolutely.
And I actually was up for SNL. And I always say I didn't get it.
One of my best friends

at the time got it.

And I always say,

it only took 13 short years

to get the office.

It was a long 13 short years.

Did you audition for Lauren?

But I actually,

you know what?

Lauren came to see a show I did.

I had lunch with Lauren.

I had interviews with Lauren.

I didn't get to do the final round,

but I was in consideration.

And I was just at the SNL 50th at the concert at radio city and um it was so great obviously i've had a lot of therapy because i just had a great time i should have no no i was i just was like oh my god everything went out the way i was supposed to you know kate you don't know me but let me tell you if i was if lauren michaels you know had even said my out loud, I would consider that the end of the road for me. I'd be like, that's good.
I can die happy. Just being in consideration for such an iconic show.
Right, and that was the therapy move, is not feeling like, oh, you were up for the dream and it's gone. It's like, no, no, no, you've been recognized, you've been validated, and you can just move forward.
Cause there's a lot of people that have been up for SNL that didn't get it that we all know. Sure.
Stephen Colbert. I mean, there's a ton of people, you know, it's just, it's one of those things, but you just, you know, hopefully you take, rejection is protection.
If you look at it that way and just realize, oh, I'm just being redirected. There's something else waiting for me.
Just keep it up. I remember I started to do a comedy act in 2001 with a friend of mine from Second City Days.
We did a two-person dying lounge act. We did it for 20 years.
We still did it when The Office ran. We did a lot of comedy festivals and comedy clubs.
We did it every Saturday for five years initially. Wow.
Even when The Office was running, I did it for another year every week. And just really enjoyed it because I also realized my friends were getting famous, and they weren't necessarily calling me.
And I was like, oh, I think I have to figure out how to show up on another map. How do you keep yourself in the game? Sure.
And doing comedy live at clubs was a great way to do it. And so we we kind of found a funky way to get in so we were sort of in the cover band comedy world so we were opening for people like richard cheese for the dan band oh yeah pity party garfunkel notes like there's a bunch of like there was a world of music and comedy that we were a part of and uh that was that was it was great for me so saturday night, let's call it consideration, for your consideration.
We just had a whole episode about this. For your consideration.
Great movie. Yes.
Great movie. Great movie.
Right? The best, the best. So for your consideration.
And then a short, oh my God, like all of them. It's great ensembles.
You talk about great ensembles, all the Christopher Guest movies. The Office is another one you think of when you 13 short years later as you put it what does your agent just call you and she says i think that i think we got this role i think it's good for you um i want you to go and audition or does greg dant does how did you how did they oh no it was just it was an audition it was an audition um it was an audition and uh you know it's it's also like I didn't have an agent for a while.
I was told we're passing on you because of your age and your looks. I think I was like 38 when that happened.
I'm like, what the hell? But I was doing comedy because I had done off-Broadway. I had like a big hit with a show off-Broadway that we did in LA first.
It was a stage production of the movie Valley of the a stage production of the movie Valley of the dolls. I had a little buzz.
Like I had some yeses. I had some attention.
I felt like I was getting recognized in New York, even if it was below 14th street. You know, our show had sort of a Rocky horror picture show, uh, cult following for a while.
And you know, I mean, it was, it was good. And I also sang in a band in New York with one of the guys from They Might Be Giants.
Oh, really? That were big in the 80s and 90s. Yeah, they had another band called Monopuff.
And I was in Monopuff. And we would open for the Giants.
So I had like a world. I was in the world.
I did like a sketch on Conan. Like, I was kind of part of that.
I think I did some sketches on Jimmy Kimmel. I showed up in weird places.
And then I was on Bernie Mac show and a show called, um, uh, uh, it was actually, um, the boom town. I played Neil McDonough's secretary.
And I was so excited because they were like, Oh, they want you to recur now. You did that.
They loved you in your first episode. So I got the second script.
And two days later I got the call that the show was canceled. So that was right before the office.
So it's okay. You know, that's all right.
And then, again, like if I had been on that show, I couldn't have done The Office. Right.
So I think it worked out. Yes, it did.
You were on the Bernie Mac show. Did you have a chance to meet and sit with Bernie Mac to talk to you? Yes, I got to hang out.
Bernie, he was the best. Man, everybody says this.
He was the greatest. He would have a separate lunch for all the kids and their parents in his huge dressing area.
It was like a house just for him. He was the greatest.
He saw everyone so kind, so funny, so smart. I felt very lucky to guest star.
I was still waiting tables, by the way, at a restaurant in Beverly Hills when all this was going on, by the way. And I got my restaurant job up and through the first season of The Office.
Yeah. I did.
It's just like I was waiting on a lot of famous people. You know, I have an interesting story.
So the other day I was watching Reels and a reel came up about Bernie Mac cutting a promo for the Bernie Mac show, which, by the way way i think is one of the more underrated comedies of our generation it's so good it's so funny and it's poignant it's poignant he's a good dad and he teaches anyway so one of the directors of this promo is trying to get this little girl or or excuse me this little guy to sit on his lap or this little girl to sit on his lap. And Bernie keeps telling the director, not going to do that.
It's not appropriate. I'm not going to do that.
And the director keeps pushing him until finally Bernie says, not doing the promo. I'm not having this person sit on my lap.
But it was just like Bernie had like a moral compass and it didn't matter about Hollywood. It just goes to like, I'm not making a larger point about kids and who's sitting on laps and all that.
What I'm making the point is that Bernie was a, like he had an umami about him, like this life force about him that really comes through on screen. Did you get the sense? He did, and he would fly back to Chicago every weekend because he had friends and family in Chicago that he didn't want to abandon.
Like he really, he was on the move. Yeah.
He was always moving. Great loss.
A great loss. I know.
I know. What a loss.
Devastating. Did you get this sense after the first season of The Office? I might be mistaken about this, but I think I remember because I'm like everybody else in the world.
I've watched Office a million times and behind the scenes and all that other stuff. Am I right that it wasn't a breakout hit after the first season? You guys were almost,

you were on the chopping block. They didn't know if there was going to be a second season,

and NBC granted you that second season, and that's really when you started to hit your stride.

But did you guys get the sense in the room that something magical was happening? I knew it was a great show, but I didn't think it was an NBC show. One of the few times I improvised in season one was during healthcare.
And, and, you know, there was a whole conversation where I said, I say, you know, to, to Dwight, you know, cause he's trying to cut the healthcare. Oh yeah, that's right.
And, and I say like, uh, uterus is different from a vagina. I still have a vagina.
We have this argument about hysterectomies, but that was one of the few times I got to improvise. And I was like, Oh my God.
And then I remember seeing Greg Daniels in the restaurant where I was working. He's, he just happened to come in completely ignored that I was in the weeds and wearing a uniform.
And he's like, Oh my gosh, that, that line that you improvise about the vagina, we're fighting with the network. We're hoping it stays.
hoping it stays and luckily it did stay in but it's just like that never would have happened if it was hbo but i also feel like part of why tv changed was because friends was over fraser was head-ended joey was on the air and not doing well so that's when our first season we were on during the time when joey was on yeah and i think the nbc was just looking for something And also 40 year old Virgin, Steve made 40 year old Virgin between the pilot and the second episode of the office. And when it was about to come out, which was the beginning of when we were filming season two, the buzz was like, Oh my God.
Oh my God. Because the posters were everywhere.
I remember that. I remember we got to go to the premiere.
We all came from the, from the studio or, you know, set. And I remember Ben Siller was there and Will Ferrell and Jim Carrey.
And I was like, they were like checking out the new guy. They were nervous about the new guy.
And the movie was such a big hit. And, you know, they're like, oh, my God, we have that guy.
So I feel like it was really Steve Carell, I think, his magic that kind of allowed us through and also his heart yeah and also he understood he understood how to how to make a guy who's just so awkward says the wrong thing all the time but has a heart yes it's like because i feel like the british version was so mean and so dark and like really funny but like whoa yes i agree with you on this. And I have had arguments about this with friends of mine and other people.
I am not the biggest fan of the Office UK. I'm not.
And I think it's funny in its own way. And I love British comedies.
I mean, you can ask Chrissy. I know them all and I watch them all and I'm tuned into that universe.
But something about that Office UK, because I watched the Office US first, there is something tender and gentle and empathetic about most of the characters in the office that is lacking in some of the characters that just gives it this depth. It's like, I don't know.
It's like soup after it's— I's why you, yeah. It's like soup after you've been sitting for a couple of days.
It's better. It's, it has more flavors.
It's like the flavors come out or something. I don't know how to explain it, but totally.
No, no, no. I think that's, that's well stated.
And I also think that, you know, I don't think, um, I mean, there's a reason why, um, the British office is, has so few episodes. I feel like it's really hard to watch this character because he's not really growing as a human it's hard to get behind him for years yeah yeah years and season yeah so yeah and it's really easy to get behind you know michael scarn as he's as he's yes yes um totally what is and i know that so now you're when are you world famous when do you get out of your house and realize holy shit i can i am i did it i made it here i am people are recognizing you they're repeating the lines they're probably saying you know i don't know they're i can only imagine all the lines i feel like for me it was no totally i feel like for me personally it felt more like season season four for me.
Because we started the season with Fun Run where Michael Scott hits Meredith with Scar. So that was sort of like a what? And then I remember I got a call.
Joaquin Phoenix had canceled on The Tonight Show. And they asked me to be on instead.
And I was like, oh, my God. So that was sort of like the first big, oh, my gosh.
And I remember being at my parents' summer place in New Jersey, and I was on the boardwalk. And I just felt like all these kids were running toward me.
And I started running. I'm like, wait a minute.
What am I running? I'm not a great kid. It's fine.
We can talk. It's fine.
Yeah. But there, you know, you better, you know, don't curse and you better watch what you say in front of other people.
Sure. You better be grateful.
How fun. Well, it's got to be such a huge change.
You're waiting tables through season one, right? Probably the character is growing but still limited in season two and three. And then all of a sudden this ensemble, like this kind of core group of characters starts to come into play and now people are becoming familiar with them so now everyone's everyone knows you as meredith and they're familiar with you and we were talking about this with with someone else just last week is like you grow an affinity and a relationship with these characters on the screen and it it's interesting how in our minds, it's like we do have a friendship with these people that we're watching.
Did you ever feel uncomfortable with the amount of attention that the office was being paid or everybody kind of knowing who you were i mean it's it's a champagne problem

yeah you know you gotta make peace if you don't make peace with it if you don't make peace with it you're screwed yeah yeah i mean really i just feel like it's literally like deciding to be happy or not uh you know i mean sometimes people come up to you and they think i'm their third grade teacher and they're like no no no i think i was in your i was like oh no and then so oh and i'm like, oh my God, I messed up. You know, which is so funny.
But I, you know, I, I'm so grateful. I also, it's really nice to be, I was 40 when I got the office.
It's much better. You know, you're much wiser when you're a little older and you, and you, you have much more perspective and gratitude when you're older, I think, than when you're in your twenties, you think this is never going to end.
I'm going to go from show to show to show. And you don't realize that these things are very, very, very rare.
Yeah. And to be in such an iconic show that will probably live for a very long time somewhere.
I mean, it bounces from streamer to streamer and every time there's a huge PR push and everyone falls in love again with The Office and it gets introduced to—

And new generations. I have a six-year-old child and I was watching The Office about two weeks ago.
I was watching the parkour episode. Casual day? Yeah.
Casual day. Casual day.
I hope not. I hope not.
Oh, God. I was watching the—I think it was the parkour episode.
And then I was in my son.

I saw my son like engage with this episode.

And he was like, what's parkour? Why are they yelling? Why did that guy fall in the trash can? But he was starting to laugh at it too. And I thought to myself, there's the next generation of office fans coming up right here.
And that's got to be like when you go to bed at night, sometimes I bet there is a sense of like gratitude and holy cow, I did it. I was a part of one of the best, right? I was there.
Yeah, and I totally, and as a child of like 70s TV, I remember watching shows like MASH and like Mary Tyler Moore where they had these wonderful long runs and they had these wonderful finales. So I feel like we got that too.
We even got a wonderful finale. So yeah, trust me, I am beyond grateful.
And I feel like, you know, I said- No, please, go ahead. I want to hear what you have to say.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. I just, the other thing I was going to say is that I feel like sometimes when I put, when I say to actors, like, don't count your lines, stop counting your lines if you get a part.
Because sometimes people want to talk more when they want to talk more. And I feel like I learned to stop doing that because I realized, like, you know, I mean, sometimes I had a lot to say and most of the time I didn't.
And sometimes I still got a laugh, even if I just got a look and I would get a laugh. So I trusted, like, okay, that's just part of process.
And, and you can still be very present in a scene and not speak and still like people know who you know, it's a contribution and you're, and it's, it's a, it's a platform. So I felt super lucky with that.
So I also think like, you know, some people want to be the star. Some people want to be the sidekick.
I feel like, you know, in many ways, I describe Meredith as like, I was the onions.

It's like, it's good to be the onions.

Yes.

You know?

I wasn't the main course.

I wasn't the side dish.

I was like, kind of always there with some flavor, baby.

Yeah.

The salt-shaped mushrooms.

The salt shaker on the table.

You come in and you sprinkle some flavor on a lot of these episodes.

A little bit, yeah.

I would, you know, in my mind, at least, Meredith is a major character in The Office, right? And so... Well, it's great to be there every day and just, like I said, be a part of this energy.
Like, we were just, I mean, we were there all, you know, all day, every day. It was fantastic.
So even if I didn't speak, I was, like, really enjoying every day, every moment of the process and watching just the funniest scenes take place.

Could The Office as it stands today, could it get made?

First of all, I know the answer to this is no, because Netflix, I mean, and God bless Netflix, and I know that they probably pay some bills or something.

But Netflix and the streamers now have this kind of habit of three and done, right? Three and out speak three seasons and out yeah do you think the office could you're lucky could the office survive today could it do could you do another run similar i don't i mean i think everybody's so um scared of comedy too we're getting better but it's still like i feel like um people making fun of other people is it when i grew up I feel like it was always a source of affection. Yes.
It wasn't bullying. Agreed.
And I feel like it's been misunderstood. And I think we've had some comedy police that need to, they need to calm down.
Tone down. I agree.
Yeah. Yeah.
I think it is getting better. I think there's some level heads coming into the conversation.

And listen, I also think that, you know, there might be situations where it gets taken too far. But that's in the comedy club to work it out.
And you find that funny, then there's somebody you'll find funny. And if you don't find that funny, you don't have to go, right? It's not your thing.
You don't have to go. But The Office, to me, is just good, wholesome fun.
And I agree with you. When I was a kid growing up in the 80s and the 90s, this was a way to endear yourself to your group of friends.
It was like you poked

at people and it toughened you up a little bit. It toughened you up, but then it also was good

fun. It was like, oh, it was good fun to jab at your friends.

Yeah, if they don't give you a hard time, they don't love you.

That's it. That's what I always grew up with.
That's how they show love. Are you Irish Catholic? Can you tell? Me too.
My dad owned a bar. Flattery Saver, baby.
I know. I know.
I'm an alcoholic Napo baby, right? Is there a Meredith in Kate and Kate in Meredith? Is there, I mean, I imagine there is somewhere, meredith in kate and kate in meredith is there is i mean i imagine there is somewhere right a little bit of that wild child you know kind of was last week that's why we had to reschedule a week later she's like no no i i got it I can't possibly, yes. I can't possibly.
I't possibly. After you have a few drinks, does Meredith ever come out? Do you have like idiot friends who say, you know, repeat a line from the office? Not really.
God bless your friends. No, yeah.
I mean, I have a lot of active friends, so yeah. Then I'd have to be like, okay, you repeat your line from your show.
Yeah, exactly. Were you guys all friendly? I mean I mean I'm sure there were it's like a family and you were together for so many years there were moments when this person or that person oh yeah absolutely I knew Angela before because we were in an all-women improv group called bitch planet I love that we did for a couple years yeah that was like in the early like 2000 2001 yeah we had had a great time.
And I knew Steve from Second City. And Oscar and I should have met a million times.
I knew Dave Kachner, who played Packer. Yeah, I knew a few people.
And some of the directors I knew. But yeah, it was definitely just the greatest group of people.
I mean, they are family. We are a family.
And to see some of them, like Mindy Kaling and John Krasinski and all these people really just. Amazing.
Huge. Huge.
Such talented. Such hardworking, super talented individuals.
And the Office Ladies. Great minds.
And the Office Ladies has been a breakout podcast. Absolutely.
And I know you've been on that. You've been on that show on Office Ladies.
Yes. Many times.
So do you all still stay in touch? Is there some camaraderie that happens still to this day? We have text threads that we do, and then some of us do some fan events together still. Like I just did a – I was just a Texas A&M with Leslie David Baker who plays Stanley.
Oh, right. We sometimes do – we speak at colleges, and then I'm doing some fan event with Rain and Oscar and I think Brian.
Yeah. So we get around.
You know, biggest surprise personality outside of the office, like the person who was on the screen, who I found to be like different in the most engaging and wonderful way, besides Kate, of course, our new friend, is Rain. Rain is a really interesting human being.
He is. It's so...
But he does know a lot about Battlestar Galactica. Well, fair enough.
Okay. He's Dwight adjacent.
Yeah, he is. But yeah, he's a lovely person.
I actually just saw him. He was doing a Broadway show, You're in Town, and I got to see the last performance when I was in New York a few weeks ago.
He was great. Yes.
He was great. He was singing, and he was great.
He was great. I think Dwight is one of the most iconic television characters ever.
And I don't think you can't have a little bit of Dwight in you to play that role so well. I think you have to have Dwight in there.
All right. You're stuck on an island.
Fact. Fact.
Yeah.

You're stuck on an island

and you got to bring two office characters with

you. Who are you bringing?

I think Michael Scott

and Dwight.

Yes. Yes.
That's a good answer.

I think, I mean, I just, you know, I mean, I love Jim and Pam.

I love everybody, but I feel like,

I don't know. For me, I don't know.
They could get some stuff done. They did.
I always loved the Jim Dwight. Yes.
The games that they would play. The dueling.
All the pranks that they would play. So great.
And I love the Jim and Pam love story. Yes, of course.
I love, love, love, love. Were you guys rooting for that love story? I was, always.
I was too. Yeah, yeah.
Me too. Always, always.
Yeah. But the back and forth, it's so relatable.
So relatable. It really is.
It's so touching and the little looks that they would give each other and the way that they would just be so caring for each other. You were each other.
You were just rooting from the beginning for, for Jim and Pam and when it worked and it worked in it, and it worked out in, in such a wonderful way and a non cheesy way where you're like, Oh my God. Okay.
Get it. You know, you wanted every, every moment that they showed of that relationship was a poignant moment.
And one that then furthered the story. So it didn't get overly like, it didn't become about Jim and Pam.
It wasn't the Jim and Pam show, which is what I feared at the time. Like, Oh, now it's going to be the Jim and Pam relationship show, but it wasn't, it was still the very much sidelines, the office.
What is your favorite episode of the office? It's hard to choose. I know.
Yeah. I know.
I know. I feel...
Sudden death.

Sudden death.

You know what?

I love the injury. I love when Michael Scott burns his foot on his George Foreman grill.
George Foreman. Yes.
He's George Foreman. Yes.
RIP, George Foreman. But that phone call, when he's calling to tell everybody, and he's on speaker, that he burned his foot.
And then the talking head after he explains in his office,

like why he has a Georgeorge foreman grill by his bed because he likes to wake up to the smell of bacon and he doesn't have a butler i'm sorry and that was like the episode where scott where i'm sorry where um dwight has a a concussion and they're driving in maryland oh yes in the back. I had a minivan.
Oh, my God. That was with the squirt bottle for the cat.
I can't even. And Jim's trying to keep him awake.
Oh, my God. I love it.
So great. Did you break character? How often did you break character? Or did you guys just get really good? It wasn't a big breaker.
I mean, there are some people that were like super laughers.

I mean, sometimes we would laugh, but I usually was not the first person.

But I feel like I'm in a drama.

I'm in a drama.

I would tell myself I would laugh. Right, right, right.

Yeah, that's total professionalism because I don't know how I would not be a breaker on that set.

But then again, you know, I'm watching the final finished product.

Yeah.

And we were talking to someone else who was on a great comedy show, and he was explaining that. It was right to Simpsons.
Yeah. It was our friend from there.
Tim Baltz. Yes.
And so Tim Baltz was saying, listen, sometimes you have 14-hour days and you know that if you break, we're adding an extra hour and 15 minutes onto the day. That's right.
And so I just, that gives me all the motivation I need to stay in character. Totally.
And I also like would watch Steve Carell just do most of the talking.

And I feel like if somebody else laughs, you're like, dude, you're going to make him start this whole scene all over again.

Like, you gotta just like, don't mess it up for him.

Hold it together.

Okay.

But there's life after the office.

I know.

And thank you for indulging me, indulging us on all these office questions. But there's life after the office, and you're not all about the office.
Tell us what else. You also have a wonderful show with Jane Lynch.
What else is going on for Kate? Well, I do a bunch of, I work on a cartoon or two. I'm on Universal Basic Guys, which is a Philadelphia comedy.
I liked that. I think it's on right after The Simpsons.
It's on Sunday nights on Fox. So fun.
I got to do the pilot and I just got to do a guest argument. So it's so well written.
I'm so happy for those guys because it's their first. And the fact that they got on Sunday nights on Fox is huge.
It's hilarious. It really good.
I watched three episodes, and I really liked it. I thought, oh, this is a good, this could be another.
I mean, King of the Hill is one of my favorite, also another Greg Daniels show. Oh my God, the best.
The best, yes, the best. It's coming back, and so we'll see what happens with that, but Universal Basic Guys is not the King of the Hill, but it's just something about the writing on that show.
It's so good. It's really well-written.
It's really, yeah, it's definitely worth your time. And, you know, I feel like I'm doing, I don't know, I feel like I'm kind of all over the place right now, but things are good.
I get to sing with Jane pretty frequently. I mean, we're always on tour every Christmas because we did a Christmas album together that did very well.
We were literally on the Billboard Top 10 for a couple weeks. That's insane.
I love it. I know, right? Yeah.
That's Way A Little Christmas. You can find it on iTunes and Spotify and all that stuff.
Or you can buy the CD on Amazon. You might need to get a new car.
If you have a player. Yeah.
a joy. We get to play in great places, big halls.
Sometimes we play for 2,000 seats or 3,000 seats or 500 seats. We're all over the place.
It's really been a joy. We've been doing that for 10 years.
That's really fun. We have a non-Christmas show as well.
Go to Jane Lynch first time, the never, the first time I ever went to second city, Jane Lynch was understudying. She was on stage understudying for Bonnie hunt.
And then a year and a year later, a year and a half later, I became Jane's understudy. It's crazy that we, and then we started singing together for benefits.
And like, there were a couple live shows that we would do just just like little bits in some sketch shows we did together.

Then we did a sketch show in L.A. where we got to sing in that with a bunch of other people like Anna Gastar.

Oh, my God.

It's like so many great people that were coming and Joey Soloway.

And then we got to do – then we became award show buddies because Glee and The Office were all at the same time.

Right, right, right.

And then our shows got canceled around the same time.

So Jane asked me to kind of join her in this cabaret endeavor in New York.

Thank you. We and The Office were all at the same time.
Right, right, right. And then our shows got canceled around the same time.
So Jane asked me to kind of join her in this cabaret endeavor in New York. I can't wait to see it.
And we just never looked back. We had a great time.
It's really fun. We sing with the Tony Guerrero Quintet.
They're great. I think it's great.
I love Jane. Jane is also iconic.
She's the greatest. Yeah, she really is.
Her role in murders and only murders in the building. It cracks me up.
So great. I know.
I love it. I knew she'd be Steve Martin's double.
Exactly. It's just so fun.
So awesome. And we were just watching Mrs.
Maisel again. She's so great on the Marvelous Mrs.
Maisel. That's right.
That part is nuts. I love that show.
Okay, so one more question. How are you feeling? There's been a lot of talk about Office Reboot.
I think it's happening. I think there's been, you know, I've read in the trade rags that it's happening.
Has there been any conversation about old characters? Not that I know of. Not that you know of the characters.
No, there's a spinoff. There's a spinoff right now.
Oh, it's a spinoff. I'm sorry.
It's a spinoff. It's a spinoff.
Yeah, yeah, it's not a reboot. So it's a spinoff of The Office.
Do you think there'll be any inner twinglings between the two offices, like for any reason? I'm not sure. I know.
I just saw, I just ran into our editor the other day who's, I mean, a lot of the same crew is on the show. So it's like, I miss you guys.
So I don't know. I don't know.
They don't tell me squat. I also have a big mouth, so I have to watch.
I have to watch. But you'll know when I know.
Okay. Right, right.
But I,'t know. I don't know.
They don't tell me squat. I have to watch it.
But you'll know when I know. But I don't know.
I mean, it was nice to get to do an AT&T commercial with five other people from the office. Oh, that's great.
Yeah, that's great. That's been really, really fun.
That was really fun. I felt like we just all fell right back into the groove.
It was great. It seemed like you guys were having fun.
Am I not mistaken that it was on the Super Bowl? That one of those commercials played on the Super Bowl? We tend to be on sports events during the Masters and now during the March tournament all the time. There's a couple different shorter versions and stuff too.
I would happily pay the $19.99 a month double if they would make new offices of the actual office with all of the characters back. I mean, I know everyone.
I will let them know, Brian. I will report back.
Kate, you're the best. Text me.
I'll have my people call your people and we'll talk to Greg and see if we can get another 10-episode run on Netflix or something like that. You are.
Sounds good. Yeah, go ahead.
You guys are awesome. I meant to mention I'm on a new episode of Night Court.
Oh, right. Night Court.
With the great John Larroquette and Melissa Rush. Those guys are so awesome.
I love that they're doing it. It was so fun.
So fun to be a part of that. Oh, yeah.
What a great icon. It's in the cast now, too.
Yeah, it's. And I feel like I've gotten to do some really, really super fun shows.
So I feel super, super sure. Congratulations.
That is a reboot that I thought, oh my God, how are they going to reboot Night Court? Because how do you do that? But honestly, it's a good show. It works.
It's a good show. They made it work.
It is. Yeah.
It is. They made it work.
And I think it's well acted. And it's really funny.
And John, of course, legend so he is a legend and i and i all they're missing is harry and god bless harry i wish you know but the they're doing a great job with the new characters over there kate flannery is of course meredith in a little show called the office which you know every couple of years she gets another 200 million dollar check for it to move from streamer to streamer.

How much do they give you?

Oh, if only, Brian.

They just give me a Dundee.

They give me back my Dundee.

That is a freaking Dundee she is

holding up. YouTube.com slash the commercial.

It's my second Dundee.

The first one is Grace Under Fire.

It's not Best Redhead, though, so

screw it.

That is crazy. I love it.
I's not Best Redhead, though, so screw it. That is crazy.
I love it. Oh, my God.
I'm not full of props. Meredith Funko Pop.
My first casual day. What else do you have? There's the Funko Pop from Fun Run, so it's my cast, my pelvis cast.
Oh, my God. I love it.
You know there is some... Oh, wait.
Sorry. Go ahead.
sorry go ahead no i was gonna say you know there's some guy or girl out there that would pay seventeen hundred thousand dollars for that for that dundee i know it's um well yeah so actually we're gonna be a bunch of us from the office are gonna be in at the meadowlands i think it's the First weekend in August, there's an office reunion con. Oh, fun.

So I think it's the first weekend in August. There's an office reunion con.
Oh, fun. So I think, yeah, Angela's going to be there.
Oscar, Creed, Leslie David Baker, Brian Baumgartner. And a bunch of people that have done guest stars.
Andy Buckley, who played David Wallace. Oh, yeah.
It's going to be great. Yeah, Wayne Wilderson, who played Martin.
There's some really fun, fun, fun people that will be on it. Bob Vance.
It'll be fun. I love Bob Vance.
So if you're in the Meadowlands, first week in August, come in. And then you can get your Funko Pop sign.
I love that so much. I love that Funko Pop.
I want one of those. Crazy.
I'm very proud. I will put the links to all of this information and make sure that that our listeners hear it and if they want to go to the meadowlands or they want to see your shows uh jane lynch the office all of that stuff i feel very grateful just like a note of seriousness i feel very grateful to have spoken with you because you uh were part of an ensemble that played part of a period in our lives yeah a our lives growing up and you were our friends on the other side of the screen and I know you got me through a few hard days and still to this day you're good for a laugh and you know parkour that's all I got to say parkour Kate I'll drink to that I will drink to that you guys are awesome thank you so welcome back anytime.
Thank you, Kate. We'll talk to you soon.
I appreciate you guys. Take care.
Bye. Bye-bye.
Let me do something Brian has never done. Be brief.
Follow us on Instagram at thecommercialbreak. Text or call us.
212-433-3TCB. That's 212-433-3822.
Visit our website, tcbpodcast.com for all the audio, video, and your free sticker. Then watch all the videos at youtube.com slash the commercial break.
And

finally, share the show. It's the best gift you could give a few aging podcasters.
See, Brian,

that really wasn't that difficult now, was it? You're welcome.

Your snacking routine can get a little dull. Time for a light and fit remix.
Like a crunchy storm of graham cookies, caramel pearls, and dark chocolate, showering down into a smooth, creamy yogurt. Enjoy three light and fit remix varieties with craveable flavors and up to 120 calories and 10 grams of protein per 4.5 ounce serving.
See remixyogurt.com. The basketball playoffs are here on PrizePix, the best place to cash in on the action.
The app is simple. Pick more or less on at least two players for a shot to win up to 2,000 times your cash.
Download the PrizePix app today and use code FIELD, that's code FIELD, and get $50 instantly when you play $5. That's code FIELD on Price Picks to get $50 instantly when you play $5.
Win or lose, you'll get $50 for just playing. Guaranteed.
Price Picks, run your game. Must be present in certain states.
Visit PricePicks.com for restrictions and details. I was so happy to talk to Kate.
It's like... What a pleasure.
I know. You know, when I was thinking about this this morning in my shower, my 15-hour shower, when I was thinking about having Kate here, I thought, could I have imagined 15 or 20 years ago when I first started watching The Office? And I watched it from the beginning.
Oh, yeah. And that doesn't make me special or anything.
I'm not like that guy who says, you know, oh, I saw it before they were cool. I just watched it from the beginning and it was my kind of comedy and I really enjoyed what they were doing.
Didn't understand the first episode a little confused as to how it was all going down. But I loved what they were attempting.
I loved where they were going with it. And I mean, I could never have imagined sitting here talking to Meredith from The Office when I was watching The Office.
So this is one of those childhood dreams come true, Chrissy. They really do.
All you have to do. I know.
I was wondering, too, a thought that crossed my mind, too, was thinking about how, you know, the office culture has changed so much now after the pandemic. Would people still be able to like, I mean, the comedy itself is so funny.
But, you know, I think working in that environment, which everybody did. Yes.
Well, a lot of people had those kind of jobs, like cubicle type jobs where you would sit in an office with other people and actually communicate. Five days a week, 40 hours a week, you know, or more.
Clock in, clock out. Office romances and the people that you hated and the people that you liked and all of that.
Now an AI chatbot is doing all the sales for you. There would be no Pam or Jim.
They would just be AI assistants at this point. So, yeah, a lot of things have changed and they will continue to change.
But I believe that the office will far outlive any kind of office culture. Absolutely.
You can always watch that.

Yes.

All right. Well, thanks to Kate.

The Office, available on Peacock, all episodes.

Go re-watch it. I know you've watched it, so re-watch it.

I re-watched it.

Re-watch it. Put a little jingle jangle in Kate's pocket.

She's got to get some kind of residuals or something from that. I have to imagine.
I wasn't so rude as to ask her, but in my mind, she's getting residual payments. Every time I press play, she's getting a penny in her pocket.
So I'll keep pressing play because I like those people. They're my flavor of hot sauce, Chrissy, as I would say.
So many breakout stars. All of them.
I'm so, too, yeah. All of them breakout stars.
And what a great idea at the New Jersey Meadowlands. That's a big venue.
Yeah. To do an office reunion.
I don't imagine that Steve Carell will show up. But, you know, maybe, you never know, maybe Will Ferrell stops by.
Who knows? But Kate's going to be there along with some of the other characters and people that she mentioned. So if you're in the New Jersey area or you're that kind of office fan, you can fly up and check it out.
August 1st. I'll put links in the show notes.
All the details are available down below as always with our guests. And we'll keep reminding you this week to go check it out.
And the Jane Lynch Christmas variety show interview. Yeah, I don't think the dates are out yet.
Yeah, the dates. But they will come out.
They do it every year. We will make a note that we will certainly forget to remind you during Christmas season to go check out Kate and Jane Lynch.
Or who knows? Maybe she'll come back. Because I just scratched the surface.
I could ask a million more questions. I could go really deep on the office.
But also I don't want to irritate the shit out of her. You know what I'm saying? Like there might be a point where an actor or an actress who's done a character like that goes, okay, I really don't want to rehash every single thing that ever happened.
But then you got the office ladies who rehash every single thing that ever happened. So I don't know.
Maybe we'll start an office podcast with Kate. Hey, maybe that one will make money.
You never know. TCBpodcast.com.
That's where you go. You find out more information about Chrissy and I, all the audio, all the video, all the show notes, links to every single guest, every single thing.
It's all there. You can go on the website and see it there.
At the Commercial Break on Instagram, TCB Podcast on TikTok, and YouTube.com slash the commercial break. For all the episodes on video the day they air here on the audio, 212-433-3TCB questions, comments, concerns, content, ideas.
Okay, Chrissy, that's all I can do for now. I think so.
I'll tell you that I love you. I love you.
Best to you. Best to you.
And best to you out there in the podcast universe. Until next time, Chrissy and I will say, we do say, and we must say, goodbye.
I didn't think the pain from the shingles rash would affect simple everyday tasks like bathing, getting dressed, or even walking around. I was wrong.
Though not everyone at risk will develop it, 99% of people over the age of 50 already have the virus that causes shingles, and it could reactivate at any time. I developed it, and the blistering rash lasted for weeks.
Don't learn the hard way like I did. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist today.
Sponsored by GSK. It's time to rewrite the vacation rules.
With Royal Caribbean, your family can look forward to just about anything. Break the thrill barrier.
Roaring down the tallest water slide in North America. Jump into breathtaking jungles and jaw-dropping coves.
Vibe off the charts on our private island perfect day at Coco Cay. And end the day knowing things are just getting started.
Because this isn't just any vacation. This is all the vacations.
Come seek the Royal Caribbean. Ships Registry Bahamas.
We're shipping Mother's Day gifts with a rapid fire round of questions. Ready? Yes.
My gift. Can you pack it? Yep.
Ship it? Yes. Guarantee it? Of course.
Oh, send gift baskets? For sure. Protect electronics? Dog proof it? Return it if they hate it? Yes, no, and yeah.
Are you the UPS Store?

Hey, we have a winner!

Visit the upsstore.com slash guarantee for full details.

Most locations are independently owned.

Products, services, prices, and hours of operation may vary.

See center for details.

The UPS Store. Visit a store today.
Thank you. I'm out.