On last week's Office, Stanley let Michael have it. Leslie David Baker, who plays Stanley, says he's often allowed to improvise such scenes. "They let me go, and I'm always surprised at what comes out of Stanley's mouth," he says. Off camera, he's a fan of Steve Carrell and says the cast tries hard to make Carrell laugh. "It feels good when we get him," says Baker, 50, a former city administrator in Chicago. Baker professes a fondness for fine living and good TV. Here's his list of shows:
All-Time Favorite Shows
1. Grey’s Anatomy – It’s well-written. If I could do any other show, that would be it.
2. All In The Family – It was ground-breaking. It was everything a lot of sitcoms have since become. Norman Lear really hit it with that one.
3. Law & Order – I love it. Dick Wolf is incredible. The cast that I’ve met are very nice people, too.
4. The Wild Wild West – When I was growing up, I never missed that show. I sat on a grocery box in front of the TV.
5. Julia – With Diahann Carroll. It was another ground-breaking and often overlooked series. But excellent.
Best Show He’s Never Seen
The Office (British Version) – When we first started out I didn’t want to see it because I didn’t want to try to emulate what was being done. And then it became a thing. Ricky Gervais would say, have you seen my show yet? I haven’t seen it yet. And now here it is season 4 and I recently said, “You know, I’ve got to sit down and watch this.”
Most Underrated Show
Reading Rainbow – Think of how many people it’s helped teach to read and the worlds that opens up.