The Office NBC Season 9 Spoilers: Farewell Season Premiere Brings New Cast and More Jim and Pam

Thursday night's season premiere kicks off the final season of The Office. Now in its ninth inning, The Office has managed to be a long-time favorite despite some shaky moments. In the wake of losing all-star boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell), the show took some turns but has managed to pull it back together in time for their final season. 

The string of Scott's celebrity replacements surprisingly provided some of the show's more recent highlights. Sadly, it looks like last season's Robert California will most likely not be joining for season nine ... but I’m still hopeful.

This season, new characters will be gracing the stage with the changes starting tonight in the form of “New Jim” and “Dwight Jr.” Andy will be back to his old job, although Nelly has not abandoned ship, while Kelly, aka Mindy Kaling, is no longer as Kaling has headed to FOX to star in her own show The Mindy Project. Tension between Nelly and Andy remains high, and Kelly’s position is apparently filled by the two newbies. But don’t fret, Jim and Pam are as good as ever.

Rumors suggest season nine may be a bit tired, and—spoiler—NBC is apparently planning a Dwight spin-off (yikes). But The Office fans have stuck through quite a bit with this show and I am still hopeful for some worthwhile laughs. I don’t doubt that fans will stick around this year, especially nine season long-timers. I'll be back later to report on tonight’s kick-off.

The Office airs Thursday night at 9 p.m. EST; tune in to see how things will shape up for each of these beloved characters.