The Office: Season Nine

The farewell season of this popular workplace sitcom played out with something of a vacuum at the center, one that was never satisfactorily filled after the departure of Steve Carell. Which is part of the joke in a way, since Andy (Ed Helms), who engineered a buy-out of the company last season, here takes a leave of absence before engaging in a long meltdown upon his return. Meanwhile, series sweethearts Jim and Pam (John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer) face marriage problems, Angela (Angela Kinsey) divorces, and Dwight (Rainn Wilson) tries to find both love and business success. But the big event is the release of that documentary series they were shooting all those years and the subsequent reverberations through the lives of the subjects. For all of this year's struggles, the show manages to fashion happy endings for pretty much everyone, including (and perhaps especially) Dwight, while also bringing back many old faces for the final celebration. But while it's ultimately satisfying as a conclusion, the ninth season is not one of the best. Compiling all 23 episodes from 2012-13, extras include cast farewells, never-before-seen audition tapes, deleted scenes, a table read of the final episode, and a blooper reel. A strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)