Greg Daniels now has his name on Hollywood Boulevard, and he used the occasion to make clear that he would rather television remain something people make together.
The writer, producer and director behind the American version of The Office received the 2,856th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on September 10. The Hollywood Walk of Fame lists his star in the television category at 6357 Hollywood Boulevard, with longtime friend Conan O’Brien and The Office star Steve Carell serving as guest speakers.
During his acceptance speech, Daniels reflected on the writers, actors and collaborators he has met throughout his career before turning to artificial intelligence. He criticized the idea that AI should make it possible for a single person to create an entire television series without a writers’ room or production team.
The ceremony came one day after Season 2 of The Paper, the Office universe comedy Daniels created with Michael Koman, arrived on Peacock. Daniels’ current projects may connect back to shows he created decades ago, but his speech focused heavily on the people he met while making them.
Steve Carell and Conan O’Brien Helped Celebrate Daniels
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O’Brien and Carell represented two different periods of Daniels’ career. Daniels and O’Brien attended Harvard together, worked on The Harvard Lampoon and later wrote for both Not Necessarily the News and Saturday Night Live.
Carell became one of Daniels’ most important collaborators years later after Daniels developed Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s British The Office for NBC. Carell played Michael Scott for seven seasons and returned for the show’s 2013 finale.
Several other Office cast members also attended the ceremony, including Rainn Wilson, Angela Kinsey, Kate Flannery, Oscar Nuñez and Paul Lieberstein. Daniels’ King of the Hill collaborators were represented as well, with Stephen Root, Lauren Tom and others joining the celebration.
Daniels has five Emmy wins from 23 nominations, according to the Television Academy. His wins include work on Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, King of the Hill and The Office.
Daniels Told AI to Find Another Job
Daniels used part of his speech to challenge one of the promises being made about generative AI in Hollywood: that the technology could eventually allow one person to create an entire television show alone.
“They are selling AI as a tool that will let you make a TV show all by yourself,” Daniels said, according to Patch. “Who wants that?”
He argued that working with other people is one of the best parts of making television. Daniels said his own writing career had introduced him to people he otherwise never would have known and rejected the idea that removing those collaborators should be considered progress.
His preferred assignment for the technology was much more ambitious. Daniels told AI to “solve climate change already” rather than taking work that people actually want to do.
The comment followed his broader reflection on writing as a collaborative profession. Daniels said his experience had not matched the cliché of the isolated writer and instead credited television with bringing some of the funniest and most interesting people in his life into the same rooms.
A Fight Over a Parking Space Helped Open a Door
Daniels also used the ceremony to explain how one of his father’s stories became an early break in his own television career.
His father had repeatedly told the family about a New York parking dispute in which two drivers became locked in a standoff because neither wanted to surrender the same space. Daniels eventually turned the premise into a story for Seinfeld.
The idea became “The Parking Space,” the Season 3 episode Daniels co-wrote with Larry David. Jerry and George spend much of the episode arguing over whether George has the right to back into a parking space while another driver attempts to pull into it headfirst.
Daniels recalled at the ceremony that selling the story helped him move forward professionally and eventually contributed to his opportunity to join The Simpsons writing staff. He later co-created King of the Hill with Mike Judge, developed The Office for American television and co-created Parks and Recreation with Michael Schur.
‘The Paper’ Season 2 Arrived the Day Before the Ceremony
Daniels received his star while another of his workplace comedies was beginning a new season. Peacock released Season 2 of The Paper on September 9, one day before the Walk of Fame ceremony.
Created by Daniels and Michael Koman, the series follows the documentary crew from The Office as it turns its cameras toward the Toledo Truth Teller, a struggling Ohio newspaper led by editor Ned Sampson, played by Domhnall Gleeson.
Season 2 brings back Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young and Tim Key. Oscar Nuñez also continues playing Oscar Martinez, connecting the newspaper comedy directly to Dunder Mifflin.
The new season begins after the Truth Teller staff’s success at the Ohio Journalism Awards, with Ned looking for a larger investigation while navigating his changing relationship with reporter Mare Pritti. Peacock released all 10 Season 2 episodes on September 9.