Production
"Sexual Harassment" was written by B. J. Novak, who also acts on the show as Ryan Howard. The episode was the third entry of the series directed by Ken Kwapis. Kwapis had previously directed "Pilot" and "Diversity Day". The inspiration for the episode was the NBC sexual harassment seminar that the cast and crew had to attend before the series began. Having both worked in office environments prior to filming The Office, Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey both noted that on the days of sexual harassment seminars, they would be harassed by their co-workers as a joke. This experience was added to the script for the episode. "Sexual Harassment" introduces Michael's catchphrase "That's what she said," which writer B. J. Novak says was something he heard repeated in college. The "What has two thumbs and X? This guy" joke also comes from Novak's college days. Jenna Fischer later revealed that a good majority of Dwight's exchange with Toby about female anatomy was improvised.
When it came time to cast Todd Packer, the crew's first choice was David Koechner, who had starred, alongside Carell in the hit 2004 comedy movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Production for the episode had to be delayed so that Koechner could be secured for the part. Novak noted that Koechner was one of the few actors who was "talented enough to make Steve Carell break up on set", a feat that he notes was "worth" the delays.
When deciding what car Packer would own, writer B. J. Novak wanted to use a Mustang, but none were available. Producer Kent Zbornak decided to get Packer a red Chevrolet Corvette, which Novak now admits is "even better". This episode aired with a warning that it contained adult content and subject matter, which is rare for a network comedy. Novak explained that he had to fight NBC to get the word "boner" on the air because the replacement—"schwing"—didn't have, according to Novak, "the same redemption for Michael at the end." The disclaimer was a compromise. A station in Kentucky nevertheless refused to air this episode. Pam's mother was played by Shannon Cochran in this episode of the series, and was the first appearance of the character at this point in the show. Cochran was unable to return to play the character for the season six episode "Niagara", due to scheduling conflicts with a year-long theater contract, and was thus replaced by Linda Purl.
Read more about this topic: Sexual Harassment (The Office)
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—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
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—Karl Marx (1818–1883)