Pilot (The Office)

"Pilot"
The Office episode
The first scene, in which salesman Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell) talk over the former's financial quarterlies
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 1
Directed by	Ken Kwapis
Story by	Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant
Teleplay by	Ricky Gervais Stephen Merchant Greg Daniels
Cinematography by	Peter Smokler
Editing by	Kathryn Himoff
Production code	1001[1]
Original air date	March 24, 2005 (2005-03-24)
Guest appearances
Melora Hardin as Jan Levinson David Denman as Roy Anderson
Episode chronology
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The Office (American season 1)
List of episodes

"Pilot" (alternatively titled "The Office: An American Workplace") is the first episode of the first season of the American comedy television series The Office. The episode premiered in the United States on NBC on March 24, 2005. The episode's teleplay was adapted by Greg Daniels from the original script of the first episode of the British version written by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. "Pilot" was directed by Ken Kwapis.

In this episode, a documentary crew arrives at the Scranton, Pennsylvania offices of Dunder Mifflin to observe the employees and learn about modern management. Manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell) tries to paint a happy picture in the face of potential downsizing from corporate. The office also gets new employee Ryan Howard (B. J. Novak) as a temporary worker, while Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) pranks antagonist Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson).

"Pilot" debuted The Office as a mid-season replacement for the 2004–05 season. The episode was primarily adapted from the first episode of the British series, although it was partially re-scripted in an attempt to "Americanize" the new show. Although the episode was a ratings success, receiving a 5.0/13 in the Nielsen ratings among people aged 18–49, and garnering 11.2 million viewers overall, the episode received mixed reviews, with many critics criticizing it as a complete copy of the original.