'Office' spin-off to debut next year

NEW YORK, April 2 (UPI) -- A spin-off of the popular U.S. TV comedy "The Office" is in the works and expected to air early next year, NBC announced Wednesday.

The network said it will follow up its NBC Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLIII in January with a fresh episode of "The Office," followed by the premiere of the new comedy by "the Office" creator Greg Daniels.

"Who would have ever thought that Americans would be subjected to a mock-documentary after the Super Bowl? What has happened to this country?" Daniels, executive producer of "The Office," said in a statement.

NBC said "The Office" spin-off will take audiences on "another comic journey, complete with new faces and new locations, but with the same unique sense of humor and brand of quality from Daniels and his creative team. It's the next chapter of what viewers have come to know and love about 'The Office.'"

"The Office," starring Steve Carell, was adapted for U.S. TV from the BBC hit of the same name starring Rickey Gervais.