So far, this season of The Office had been marked with extreme happiness (Jim and Pam’s wedding) and extreme uncertainty (DM bankruptcy). In between there were funny stuff (the murder game episode) and not-so-funny things (Scott’s tots).

With some weeks to go before the NBC comedy returns next year, let’s list down the five things The Office fans can expect next year.

1. Jim and Pam’s Baby


Of course after the success of Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam’s (Jenna Fischer) wedding, the next step is the baby, set to be born sometime in February. The Office people have said that the baby won’t be a big part of the show (it’s The Office, after all), but it’s still exciting how a little Jim or a little Pam will figure into their whole relationship.

Though there are those fans who are of the opinion that the Jim and Pam relationship (which was several seasons in the making) reached a plateau when they got married. Maybe the baby and the new pressures that come with it will revitalize this Office couple?

2. Erin and Andy
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Can Andy (Ed Helms) and Erin (Ellie Kemper) compare with Jim and Pam? Probably not, but just the same, with the resident Office goofball couple already happily coupled, we need our constant flirting fix! This was weird/awkward in the making, but something tells us it’s going to be a nice enough thing after a while.

Erin as a character shows a lot of promise – something deathly obvious with her Subtle Sexuality webisodes with Kelly (Mindy Kaling) – and with her unraveling, she’s definitely a perfect match for Andy. They can sing/invent songs while picking stuff in the vending machine or something.

3. The Buyout
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OK, this storyline has been a real downer, but we know it’s not going to happen. Now that  a buyout is going to resolve it, it’s still fun to see how this whole thing’s going to play out. For one thing, we know that them Dunder Mifflin executives are getting the axe, including David Wallace, who’d been there since the beginning.

4. Dwight’s Diabolical Plan
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As Dwight (Rainn Wilson) wrote himself on his Diabolical Blog, the
plan is on hold for the holidays – which explains why he was up to no shenanigans on the Christmas episode. As we have seen, however, Dwight is very scary/downright menacing when he sets his sight on something. So far we have seen, among others, a bugged mallard as a decoy and a flawed employee of the month program. What will he come up with next? With Ryan (BJ Novak) in his team, sky’s the limit.

5. Oscar’s Crush
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We only got a teeny winy peek at Matt, that cute gay warehouse guy Oscar (Oscar Nunez) has been eyeing, and it has definitely left us craving for more.

The Office returns January 21 with possibly a clip show.