Daniels told reporters in a conference call that the ninth season, starting in September, will be the last for NBC's mockumentary workplace comedy.

"This year feels like the last chance to really go out together and make an artistic ending for the show that pays off a lot of the stuff that has mattered most to fans with the core characters," Daniels said.

"This will be the last season of 'The Office' and we are planning a very big exciting last season. We are going to have a lot of familiar faces coming back," he added.

The ending of the show follows the exit last year of star Steve Carell as office boss Michael Scott, and a fall in audiences from a high of about 8 million in 2008 to around four million earlier this year.

"The Office" won four Emmy Awards and was adapted from the British series of the same name created by comedian Ricky Gervais.

(Reporting By Jill Serjeant; Editing by M.D. Golan)

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