Ed Helms Talks Potential 'Office' Spinoff and the Show's Future

NBC

In Jeff, Who Lives at Home, Ed Helms plays a smalltown guy in the middle of a crisis, the employee of a tiny local company whose entire identity is threatened by the potential exit of a crucial person in his life. As any fan of his TV show, The Office, will tell you, that sounds like a pretty familiar premise, except that the potential exit could threaten Helms' real life, not some fictional existence.

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But at the New York City premiere of his new film, Helms seemed unworried by the fact that NBC looks to be moving forward with a spinoff that would take Rainn Wilson's Dwight Schrute character out of Dunder Mifflin.

"Well I think obviously Steve [Carell] left last year and it just opened up all kinds of possibilities and opportunities not just for myself but the whole cast," Helms told The Hollywood Reporter. "I think any time the boat is rocked, it's a good thing and an exciting thing and an opportunity."

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The boat looks to be rocked in more ways than one; writer and co-star Mindy Kaling has her own pilot at Fox, while James Spader, who joined the show this season as CEO of Dunder Mifflin's parent company Sabre, has confirmed his departure.

Of course, last year's boat rocking certainly worked out for Helms, as his character, Andy Bernard was promoted to manager of the Scranton paper company. In addition to that move, Helms has gotten behind the camera for two episodes of the series this season -- one has yet to air -- but right now that's a limited engagement.

"I loved it. It's an absolute thrill," he said of the experience. "I'm not in any hurry to stop acting, but I'm eager to cultivate different avenues of creativity."

That includes writing, and Helms teased that he hoped to have a project he's written announced shortly.