Rashida Jones, who so charmingly played Karen Filippelli on season 3 of The Office, has been hired on for another project by Office executive producers/writers Greg Daniels and Michael Schur.  What was originally supposed to be an Office spin-off starring Amy Poehler, is no longer a spin-off at all, but merely an Untitled Amy Poehler Comedy Project, which is being headed up by Daniels and Schur.  Jones will not reprise the role of Karen, but instead play Nurse Ann Logan, whose boyfriend has a strange injury which somehow brings Logan into the world that Amy Poehler's character will inhabit. 

Michael Schur made it clear, after Jones' casting was announced, that the upcoming series has nothing to do with The Office, saying, “(Jones) is perfect for this new show, which -- just to remind everyone -- is not a spinoff of The Office.  It is a spinoff of 'MASH' called 'Seinfeld II.' "  I would watch Seinfeld II, especially if it was a spin-off of MASH.

We all still know very little about the Poehler Project, which was originally going to be an Office spin-off.  Aside from Poehler, who just finished her tenure on Saturday Night Live after giving birth to her first child, and Jones, the only other cast member on the series thus far is Aziz Ansari.  Ansari, known for his work in the comedy troupe Human Giant, was brought into the cast when the project was still supposed to be The Office Spin-off.  Clearly, Daniels and Schur really like Ansari, and are building his character specifically for him.  Ansari can also be seen on the upcoming, and probably final, season of Scrubs as one of the new interns. 

The Amy Poehler Project will either hit the air late in the Spring (April is the supposed target date) for a short first season run, or it will be delayed until the Fall of 2009.  Whenever it turns up, the expectations are rightfully high.


-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV Senior Writer
Source: Variety
(Image Courtesy of NBC)