It's hard to believe that the U.S. version of The Office is nearly two decades old, and with that age comes some harsh realities of rewatching the celebrated comedy series. Throughout 188 episodes over nine seasons, The Office emerged as the premier comedy series in the United States, airing exclusively on NBC and helping solidify a string of iconic comedy series in its wake such as Parks & Recreation and Community. Running for almost a full decade between 2005 and 2013, The Office was bound to face some areas of scrutiny due to cultural and comedic evolutions that make certain aspects of the show difficult to swallow today. Despite its flaws, The Office still remains one of the most-watched shows of all time, taking the crown for the most-streamed show of 2020 with a staggering 57,000,000+ minutes streamed for the entire year. Workplace environments and protocols have certainly transformed in recent years to protect individual boundaries and power dynamics, which is the core reason why some parts of The Office may feel outdated or classic watching in 2023. Still, there is something to be said about how popular the show remains ten years after its ninth and final season, even if there are specific harsh truths that become more apparent in retrospect. Written by: Geoff Cork Narrated by: Geoff Cork Edited by: Gul Dukat #entertainment
As lovable as Michael Scott is as a character, he would make a horrific boss in real life
that most viewers of The Office would not be able to tolerate.
The characters of The Office certainly make the most of their mundane jobs at Dunder Mifflin
through their interactions and subplots, but without those, the Scranton Paper Company
would be a miserable place to work.
With very little opportunity for career growth, most of the characters remain in the same
positions throughout the entire show performing similarly menial and repetitive tasks.
Jim is often viewed as the cool character in The Office who has a direct and somewhat
cagey relationship with the viewer, pointing out the oddities and flaws of other characters
behind their backs.
While most cases are easy to side with Jim for the sake of humor, his consistent pranking
of Dwight, on and off effort in his professional duties, and in-office romantic interests make
the seemingly innocent Jim more akin to The Office bad boy.
I hate, hate, hate being left out.
It's easy for fans of Jim and Pam to overlook the flaws of each character.
However, one Pam flaw is objectively wrong regardless of the circumstances.
While Pam was engaged to Roy, she maintained her close flirtatious relationship with Jim,
which led to her cheating on Roy by kissing Jim on two separate occasions.
Dwight is the oddball who provides many of the laughs in The Office, but he is much funnier
to watch through a television screen than to experience in person.
Dwight has brought several weapons into the Dunder Mifflin office and has behaved strangely
enough to warrant suspicion.
Will Ferrell is one of the funniest people in entertainment, but his character in The
Office felt like a missed opportunity.
Ferrell brings his own brand of comedy that didn't exactly blend into the world of The
Office.
Packer is the embodiment of a problematic co-worker with a more crude sensibility than
might have been funny at the time but wouldn't fly nowadays.
Toby is unfairly targeted by Michael throughout The Office, which makes it easy to feel bad
for him.
However, that pity is quickly lost when his desperation is revealed in his relentless
pursuit of Nellie and in some ways Pam in The Office.
With the amount of attention that Andy is given in The Office, it's hard to believe
that the character isn't more likable.
He was introduced as basically a corporate suck-up, who battled some alarming anger issues
that eventually smoothed over.
Let's face it, Ryan's consistent lack of emotion is somewhat concerning, especially
in the way that he stays with Kelly despite not seeming very interested in her.
Competing with Ryan for the most unlikable character is Angela, who is morally reckless,
completely self-centered, and just plain weird.
She cheated on Andy with Dwight to a much more significant degree than Pam ever did
with Jim.
In retrospect, Michael's views on the LGBTQ plus community are certainly limited, as well
as some of his sensibilities regarding race.
Another aspect of The Office that definitely wouldn't fly today is the in-office boundary
of romantic interest being crossed every single episode.
Michael Scott was the heart and soul of The Office, which is why the show should have
ended with the departure of Steve Carell.
A show with such an irreplaceable protagonist slash antagonist is better off not risking
going on without them.
Anyone who has ever fallen asleep while binge-watching The Office certainly knows the jolt of panic
when waking up to the start of a new episode.
The undeniable melodica-driven theme song is a staple of the show, but after a few listens
it can kind of get under your skin.
