Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager

The series depicts the everyday lives of office employees in the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

The episode received positive reviews from critics, with many commenting that it proved the series could survive without the lead actor, Steve Carell.

According to Nielsen Media Research, "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager" drew an estimated 6.45 million viewers and earned a 3.3 rating/8% share among those aged 18–49, making it the second-lowest-rated episode of the season after "Todd Packer".

Jim, who had turned down the temporary manager position believing that they should not be assigned one at all, is especially unhappy with the changes, and begins pranking Dwight by suggesting that he is leading an uprising called "The Fist."

Pam Halpert insists that he put it away, but Dwight accidentally fires the gun right by Andy Bernard, causing him temporary hearing loss.

Jo later instates Creed Bratton, who has the most seniority in the office, as acting manager until a committee composed of Jim, Toby Flenderson, and Gabe find a replacement.

"Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager" was the ninth episode of the series written by supervising producer Justin Spitzer, and the first directed by Troy Miller.

[4] The episode also marks the second appearance of Cody Horn as Jordan Garfield, Deangelo's executive assistant, and the first of three new roles since Carell's departure.

[7] The official website for The Office included four cut scenes from "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager" within a week of the episode's release.

[11] In its original American broadcast on May 13, 2011, "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager" was viewed by an estimated 6.45 million viewers and received a 3.3 rating/9% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.

[15] However, she criticized the Andy-Gabe-Erin love triangle storyline, commenting: "It's only been made worse by the way they've turned Gabe from meek, bumbling burocrat [sic] into unhinged stalker guy.

"[14] TV Squad writer Joel Keller was very positive towards the episode commenting that "The story also gave me faith that Lieberstein and company might actually do a credible job of exploring the other folks in the office now that the show's dominant force, Michael, is gone".

Club's Myles McNutt stated that "'Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager' demonstrated that the show is perfectly capable of being funny without Carell", but criticized the episode for not featuring more "subtle" humor.