The giant spinning newspaper graphics continue to fly out of NBC today: Deadline follows up word of 30 Rock's swan song with news implicitly confirming the return of its fellow NBC Thursday night stalwart The Office, as Ed Helms, John Krasinski, and Jenna Fischer have all reached an agreement to remain with the show "in principal" should it be renewed, which it almost certainly will now. (Deadline even terms it just "a formality" at this point.) The only thing possibly standing in the way of an official announcement of its return is the closing of a new deal with writer/executive producer/inexplicably prominently featured in the credits star B.J. Novak, as well as other quibbling details like figuring out who's going to be its showrunner with Paul Lieberstein leaving to focus on the Dwight spinoff, addressing the impending departures of Rainn Wilson and Mindy Kaling, working around the feature film shooting schedules of Helms and Krasinski, coming up with a reason for the show to justify continuing with so many of its former and current stars either leaving completely or hanging on by a thread, etc.

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