‘Office’ spinoff signs its first actor, hires more writers

No one – including the show’s executive producers – knows exactly what NBC’s “Office” spinoff will look like yet. But there are signs that the new series is starting to come together.

The project has signed its first actor, Aziz Ansari, co-creator and star of the MTV series “Human Giant.”

“We met him pretty early on and thought he was very funny,” executive producer Greg Daniels says.

NBC announced in April that it had ordered a spinoff of its Emmy-winning comedy, despite not having any details locked down at the time. Daniels and co-executive producer Mike Schur have several ideas in the air and expect to settle on one in the next few weeks.

The trade paper Variety reports that several writers also have been hired, including “Everybody Loves Raymond” veteran Tucker Cawley and “Daily Show” and “Late Night” scribe Dan Goor.

Variety says that the new show may not end up being a traditional spinoff, in which a character from “The Office” moves on to a new locale. It may be a “planted” spinoff (a la the introduction of “Melrose Place” on “Beverly Hills, 90210”) or something all its own.