| "Viewing Party" | |
|---|---|
| The Office episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 7 Episode 8 |
| Directed by | Ken Whittingham |
| Written by | Jon Vitti |
| Cinematography by | Matt Sohn |
| Editing by | Claire Scanlon |
| Production code | 7008[1] |
| Original air date | November 11, 2010 |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
"Viewing Party" is the eighth episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series The Office, and the show's 134th episode overall. Written by Jon Vitti and directed by Ken Whittingham, the episode aired on NBC in the United States on November 11, 2010.
The series—presented as if it were a real documentary—depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. In the episode, Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper) and Gabe Lewis (Zach Woods) invite the office to Gabe's house for a Glee viewing party. Michael Scott cannot handle the fact that the office workers think of Gabe as their boss instead of him. Growing more jealous of Gabe and Erin's relationship, Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) goes to extremes in order to impress her. Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) helps Pam Halpert (Jenna Fischer) with CeCe, much to her husband Jim's (John Krasinski) chagrin.
The episode featured several direct references to the Fox series Glee, in addition to various other cultural references. "Viewing Party" was viewed by 7.15 million viewers and received a 3.6 rating among adults between the age of 18 and 49, marking a decrease in the ratings when compared to the previous week. The episode was also the highest-ranked NBC series of the night, and it received moderately positive reviews from critics with one main detractor; many reviewers enjoyed the character interaction and development.