After nine seasons, the time has almost come for the cast of "The Office" to clock out. The last episode of the paper pushing sitcom airs in just two weeks, and according to star John Krasinski, it really is the end of something special.
In fact, during a Monday morning visit to TODAY, the actor who brings Jim Halpert to life, said that he and the rest of the cast realized just how important it was early on.
"The pilot episode was (the British version of 'The Office') word for word, which was a little weird," he recalled. "And then the first original episode we did was 'Diversity Day.' I remember we actually looked around the room as if we were at a Led Zepplin concert or something, and we were like, 'This is really, really special, and so something's going to happen here.'"
And so it did -- especially for Krasinski and co-star Jenna Fischer, who quickly became fan favorites.
"I don't think Jenna and I ever knew what was coming, as far as people not only watching the show, but actually being involved with our characters," Krasinski explained. "That people said, 'My relationship is just like your relationship,' or 'I want a relationship like that,' or 'Oh my God, my boyfriend proposed to me in a similar way!' -- it was just so amazing to be part of a family with our fans."
The family still has a couple of opportunities to get together. An all-new, one-hour episode of "The Office" airs this Thursday at 9 p.m. on NBC. The final episode of "The Office" airs May 16 at 8 p.m.