Threat Level Midnight

This episode was written by executive producer B. J. Novak, who also portrays Ryan Howard on the show.

This episode was written by executive producer B. J. Novak, who also portrays Ryan Howard on the show.

Episode no

Season 7 Episode 17

Directed by

Tucker Gates

Written by

B. J. Novak

Description

"Threat Level Midnight" is the seventeenth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 143rd episode overall. It originally aired on NBC on February 17, 2011. The episode was written by B. J. Novak and directed by Tucker Gates.

The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In this episode, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) screens his action film Threat Level Midnight to the office after ten years of writing, shooting, re-shooting, and editing. This film features Michael as Agent Michael Scarn, Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) as Scarn's robot butler, and Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) as Scarn's archnemesis "Goldenface".

The episode's genesis stems from the second season entry "The Client", in which the office discovers Michael's incomplete film screenplay. "Threat Level Midnight" features the reappearance of several actors and actresses who had not appeared on the show in years. It also marks the final appearance for Rashida Jones (Karen Filippelli). Due to the nature of Michael's film, scenes were filmed to create the illusion that they had been shot years prior to the episode. "Threat Level Midnight" was viewed by 6.41 million viewers and received a 3.3 rating among adults between the age of 18 and 49. The episode was the highest-rated NBC series of the week that it aired, and received acclaim from critics, many of whom enjoyed the humor and the continuity references to the show's past. In December 2019, the entire film (25 minutes with no episode clips) was released on The Office's YouTube channel.