James Spader Joins The Office

 

Emmy Award winner James Spader has officially joined the regular cast of The Office, reprising his season-finale role as Robert California in the NBC sitcom.

As we reported last month, Spader’s character won’t replace Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott as the manager of Dunder Miflin’s Scranton branch. Instead, he’ll cajole the corporate office into naming him CEO of the parent company, a recurring role played by Kathy Bates, who’s leaving the show to focus on Harry’s Law.

“James will reprise his role as Robert California, this uber-salesman that has a power to convince and manipulate, like a high-class weirdo Jedi warrior,” Executive Producer Paul Lieberstein (aka Toby Flenderson) said in a statement. “He’ll have been hired over the summer as the new manager, but within hours, got himself promoted. Within days, he took over the company. James has an energy that is completely his own, and The Office has no tools for dealing with this guy. We’re thrilled he’s joining our cast.”

Spader was one of several celebrity guest stars in the May 19 finale, appearing alongside Will Arnett, Warren Buffett, Ricky Gervais and Ray Romano as applicants for the branch manager position. He won three Emmy Awards for his portrayal of unethical lawyer Alan Shore in The Practice and the spinoff series Boston Legal.