Helms would be returning. In early February, NBC confirmed Helms had been hired on as a series regular for the rest of the year, with the actor returning in the season's nineteenth episode, "The Negotiation". "The Return" was later rebroadcast with "Traveling Salesmen" as a combined hour-long episode, on March 15, 2007. NBC added previously unaired and re-edited scenes into the episode, which was perceived by one commentator as a method to "boost the ratings during the content dearth known as repeat week, giving its replays a creative twist". Greg Daniels explained that in addition to the attempt to attract a larger audience, "it's about giving something extra to our wonderful fans…their loyalty must be rewarded somehow, and we don't have the budget for 10 million muffin baskets." Cultural references Andy tells Michael he is going to "get my Lost on", a reference to the ABC science fiction drama television series. Andy sings The Cranberries' 1994 hit song "Zombie", which was the most annoying song Helms and Krasinski could think of for Andy to sing. Dwight later returns to the office wearing a sweatshirt prominently displaying Battlestar Galactica, a Syfy military science fiction television series. When referring to Andy's weirdness, Michael mentions radio broadcaster Marv Albert, who was convicted of sexual assault in the late 1990s. Reception "The Return" first aired on January 18, 2007 in the United States on NBC. According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was watched by an estimated 10.15 million viewers. The Office and its lead-in My Name is Earl finished first in the 18–49 demographic against its time slot competitors, though it was not enough to prevent the overall network from finishing in third place among total viewers. The same day as the episode broadcast, NBC renewed The Office for a full fourth season, which came as no surprise to media pundits. Beginning his review, Buddy TV's Oscar Dahl declared Andy was "one of the most devastatingly annoying characters on television". Dahl liked Dwight's scenes at Staples, and wrote that series was becoming "more and more difficult to write about. It's really funny. Consistently funny. Great episodes, week after week, breed little in the way of discussion [...] We have to appreciate greatness while it's here. The Office is in the midst of a historic run of consistently great episodes. Bask in it." AOL TV writer Michael Sciannamea agreed with Dahl's initial assessment of