The general reaction greeting the news that The Office, once NBC's comedy crown jewel, is going off the air after its upcoming ninth and final season can be described thusly: ABOUT F*CKING TIME. As Danger put it yesterday, "Over the past seven years, the show has gone from a widely-criticized American knockoff of a classic British series, to a creative and ratings juggernaut that anchored NBC’s Thursday night schedule, to a widely-criticized shell of its former itself." And much like The Simpsons, now in season 37, it's sad to see a formerly-beloved show struggle to do something that once came so naturally, namely telling good jokes coming from likable characters. But rather than continue to dance on The Office's grave and focus on last season's mediocrity, let's instead remember why we're disappointed at the series in the first place: because it used to be so great. All-time great, in fact.
Here are 20 fond memories and reasons why we all fell so hard for The Office, one of the best sitcoms ever. There are obviously more than 20, so please leave your favorite quotes, scenes, episodes, etc. in the comments. (Sorry, Charles Miner.) Here's to you, Dunder-Mifflin, may you never stop selling paper, even in the afterlife.
#1. Because it was great in a different way than the equally fantastic original Office. The original took a cynical look on the day-to-day existence of employees at a paper company, whereas NBC's version, too, skewered the monotony that is working in an office, but also added a warmth that was largely absent from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's scripts. You laughed more at BBC's The Office, but you cared more about NBC's.
#2. Because Michael Scott was a tragic character who got the happy ending he deserved.
#3. Because he was also lovably racist.
And could do a killer impression.
#4. Because Jim and Pam are one of the only tolerable "will they, won't they" pairings in TV history.
#5. Because seriously, they were goddamned adorable. What the heck happened, Office?
#6. Because Jenna Fischer was and always will be underrated hot.
#7. Because Stanley's breathless anticipation of Pretzel Day, despite not caring about anything else in the world, perfectly encapsulated the feeling office drones have for Bagel Monday and Pizza Friday.
#8. Because despite what I said earlier, it could make you cringe just as much as the BBC original. See: "Scott's Tots."
#9. Because a one-dimensional character like Kevin Malone, whose range begins and ends with "mentally challenged oaf," was still endearingly lovable. Hodor.
#10. Because Dwight...well, feelings on Dwight vary throughout the run of the series, but at his best, he was someone who didn't care what other people thought of him and wasn't looking for recognition for his good deeds, like when he pepper sprays Roy, who's about to attack Jim. He enjoyed karate and Battlestar Galactica shamelessly, was incredibly good at his job, and despite his beet farm eccentricities, remained someone who viewers felt compassion for due to his naivety. Plus, dude knew how to tell a great speech.
#11. Because, as Dustin correctly identified, this might be the greatest sitcom cold-open ever.
#12. Because the Michael Scott Paper Company was a brilliant arc that briefly saved a drowning show.
#13. Because we're rooting for The Mindy Project to be good, despite the fact that Mindy Kaling's Kelly Kapoor hasn't been an enjoyable character for years now (somewhere along the line, she switched from parody of a grown-up acting like a teenager to being a grown-up acting like a teenager). But Kaling earned enough goodwill from episodes like "Diwali" and "Ben Franklin," both of which she wrote, that her new series is a must-watch.
#14. Because every so often, one of TV's more familiar shows would do something completely unexpected, like have a warehouse employee explain why he botched a Yakuza boss's open heart surgery.
#15. Because it introduced us to Michael Schur, and without The Office, there's no Parks and Recreation.
#16. Ditto Rashida Jones.
And as long as we're here in Stamford: this Andy, not Manager Andy, was wonderful.
#17. Because even after 150 episodes, it could still write a brilliant self-aware joke. JAMES.
18. Because *starts crying*
*starts crying, Vol. II*
*starts crying, Vol. III*
#19. Because Hipster Erin is a national treasure.
#20. Because Creed. I'll miss him the most.
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Simpsons is headed into Season 24. It only seems like 37 (or were you making a Clerks reference?).
Seemed like a clear joke to me…
WHAT! No Olyphant! For shame, for shame.
Actually number 11 isn’t a cold open because the rest of the episode follows on from it.
Actually, it is a cold open, because it begins the show before the credits or any sort of introduction.
You know, except for the “Brought to you in HD by Best Buy” thing.
Season 1-4 were incredible…. 5-8…. slowly broke my heart… and now 9…. PRAYING that it regains some glory and goes out in a respectable manner
You know that won’t happen. They’re bringing back Roy to create tension/drama in Pam and Jim’s marriage, no glory or respectability to be found there. Also no humor either. Like I mentioned yesterday, I don’t get the humor/comedy of infidelity.
At this point I wouldn’t put it past them if this is the final scene:
[Michael asleep at his desk. Pam enters and wakes him]
Pam: The documentary people are here for their meeting.
Michael: The kids from Spellbound are here?!?
Pam: I told you about this, they want to film a documentary about Dunder Mifflin.
[Michael thinks back to his dream.]
Michael: (groans) Eww! Gross! No! I’d rather give Toby a spongue bath. This is a paper company, Pam, we do not accept solstices, we have the sticker to prove it.
Pam: Got it, tell them, thanks for opportunity, but we’re not interested.
Michael: And if they don’t leave, have Hank escort them out.
Pam: And thanks for coming.
Michael: That’s what she said.
the end
My big problem with the show is that from episode one, most of the characters were actually pretty unpleasant and the show itself was actually fairly bleak. “You will have dreams, and they will die because your job will kill your soul.” What is this, a sitcom or an Italian neorealist film?
That’s life though. You probably won’t accomplish your dreams, but if you find a cute girl, having some kids and have a few good friends, its all cream cheese.
Sorry Punny, but that sounds like having your soul sucked out of your ass by a stir straw. Not cream cheese, and I love me some cream cheese
Creed is the best, and I have to give them credit for never trying to make him a bigger character. He’s perfect as is.
And I’m apparently the only one who feels this way, but I still love the Nard Dog.
I’m not sure credit is due, as much as learning from their mistakes. They tried several times to make Stanley a bigger character but it failed miserably. Don’t get me wrong I really like Kevin, Stanley and Creed but they’re better in small doses.
I’d enjoy the Nard Dog more if they focused more on him as the manager and stopped forcing another will they/won’t they relationship with Erin. End their relationship and have Andy start dating a new girl. He “out kicks the coverage” (a girl out of his league), but she’s crazy and extremely jealous of Erin. Andy doesn’t notice/tolerates it bc she’s so hot. She randomly shows up at the office, calls/texts/emails constantantly. She develops a fake friendship with Phyllis, who she uses to keep track on Andy. Maybe their friendship causes Phyllis to dress/act more like her, a small change of pace for the character Phyllis.
(casting suggestions: Minka Kelly, Carla Gugino, Rose Byrne, Tiffani Theissen, Mila Kunis, Katherine Heigl)
A girl hotter than Erin? I just don’t know if that’s possible.
Always thought Meredith was kinda underrated. She was a one-joke pony, but it was usually pretty funny.
I also liked that the show kinda illustrated how success in business really has nothing to do with how smart you are, but how lucky and connected you are. Michael Scott was an idiot yet had the best performing branch in the company. Ryan was a poser, but was able to con his way into corporate briefly. Jan apparently did nothing all day. And the company itself collapsed.
No mention of Holly and Michael’s interactions?
Also, while the art show was a great moment, Pam’s art WAS pretty terrible.
“Over the past seven years, the show has gone from a widely-criticized American knockoff of a classic British series, to a creative and ratings juggernaut that anchored NBC’s Thursday night schedule, to a widely-criticized shell of its former itself.”
its former itself?
The Fire Drill cold open demonstrated how far the show fell. It was completely stupid and slapstick. Throwing a cat through the ceiling?
And Scott’s Tots had an embarrassment of an ending. Michael should not have been allowed to end the episode on a high note. The show got away from sad endings like Michael eating ice cream sandwiches by himself.
And Erin is a crappy character.
You forgot the best part of Season 8: Florida Stanley
The Florida arc was the only decent thing about this season. I wanted to scratch my eyeballs out until Florida. The trip to Florida gave me false hope, and the second half of the season was somehow worse than the first half. It defied reality.
How about the prop/prop callback humor? Dwight sharpens a broomstick to a stake when Jim convinces him he’s becoming a vampire, then like 8 episodes later it’s the same stake he’s stabbing into the bushes while looking for Phyllis’s flasher. Creed steals a bag of blood in the final shot of the blood drive episode in season 5 (very wtf at the moment) and it’s only seen again, likely a different one but a bag of blood nonetheless, in the Halloween cold open in the following season (it’s available on NBC’s website, as it was removed from the dvd’s, streaming, reruns etc: [www.nbc.com] – I maintain it’s one of the best cold opens on the show, the fire drill was crappy after-Superbowl shtick). Michael’s Certificate of Authenticity that hung behind his desk for his “Seyko” watch, his neon beer sign… Anyway, it’s wasn’t to the AD or Community level, but the attention to those details was great.
The Halloween opening isn’t on the DVD? WHY?!?! One of the best!
Because Michael pretends to hang himself at the end, some anti suicide group got all up in arms and threw a fit. Anyone who’s watched the show knows he’s done/said far worse (his inaction actually lead to a worker killing himself earlier in the show) than say “kids, suicide is never the answer”. I remember it being a big deal when the dvd’s came out/it started streaming on netflix etc. because the description for the ep. Koi Pond all mention halloween, the dvd shows them in their costumes on the menu screen, but the only halloween part was the cold open which was cut out. So yeah, one of their best cold opens lives only on NBC’s website, for now.
William Charles Schneider approves of #20.
Michael and Toby?!?!?
This was one of my favorite story lines in the show. His subconcious and genuine hatred towards Toby was classic. No matter the situation, the simple mention of Toby’s name, furiated Michael. I love it. You’ll always find “Goodbye Toby” on my DVR.
The moment Michael drove the car into the lake because GPS told him to like he was Homer Simpson in Season 4, I knew my favorite show was in trouble. But, #12 I very much agree with Michael Scott Paper Company arc from Season 5 was GREAT.
I thought Daphne and Niles was a better will they, won’t they.
Kevin as the Kool Aid Man! God that scene with Michael as a kid is so so so so sad
Jenna Fischer is my #1 celebrity crush, hands down. I hope she gets another show so I can still see her without watching her terrible movies.
Slide 5 FTW. “Casino Night” is one of my favorite episodes of the entire show.
“Two Queens on Casino Night… somebody’s gonna drop a deuce on everyone.”
-Michael Scott
Oh man, hands down the best episode is where they team up to do joint sales calls. Stanley humiliating Ryan is beautiful and the Jim/Dwight interplay is awesome.
[youtu.be]
No mention of Jim’s pranks on Dwight, or the one-sided Michael/Toby fued?
The show starting falling off when Jim and Pam went from likable, flawed characters you could root for to the “I’m a little bit cooler and smarter than everyone else” dickheads we all know in real life.