The Office, despite running for nine seasons, included certain major characters that barely interacted with each other one-to-one.The Officeis often considered among thebest sitcoms of all time, primarily due to its ensemble of characters. In fact, the show reached such a massive level of popularity that anotherTheOfficereboot showis in the works, long after the US version was crafted from the basis of the UK’s sitcom.
Difficult episodes ofThe Officeaside, the show’s nine seasons included lots of great gags and jokes that stemmed from cringe humor. A large source of this humor was the show’s characters, which played a big part in both thebest and worst seasons ofThe Office.Despite playing such a big role over the show’s nine-season, eight-year run, though, many individual members ofThe Office’s ensemble cast were kept separate. Over time, the series developed a series of cliques, in a way, that meant some major characters barely interacted with others.
So Many Character Interactions In The Office’s 9 Seasons Weren’t Shown
Despite A Focus On Character-Based Humor
Over the course ofThe Office’s nine seasons, some characters who appeared in all of them barely interacted with others. For example, a character like Darryl often interacts with the likes of Michael, Dwight, or Jim, yet barely spends any time with other members of the office. The same can be said for Stanley or Phyllis, with their character interactions often coming via group scenarios or through the lynchpins of the show like Michael, Jim, Dwight, or Pam.
Subplots inThe Officeoften focused around these four characters, with the others being supporting players.Although there were some rare instances of subplots centering aroundThe Office’s extended characters, they would more often than not be positioned as a group scenariorather than one-on-one storylines with other workers as Jim or Pam would receive, for example. Given the show’s longevity, this is certainly a shock.
The Office’s Last 2 Seasons Proved How Difficult Other Character Interactions Were
Perhaps Less Interactions Benefitted The Show
While I am shocked at how little certain characters interacted with one another, it is not lost on me that this could have been for the benefit of the show. This may have been proved byThe Office’s final two seasons, which are often considered the worst of the show. InThe Officeseasons 8 and 9, drastic character changes were made. Michael Scott left the show, with other major characters like Jim and Pam spending a lot more time outside of the titular building.
Michael, Jim, Pam, and Dwight were often the links between the various ensemble characters of the show…
Although this could have allowed for other characters to shine,The Officefumbled its chance. Michael, Jim, Pam, and Dwight were often the links between the various ensemble characters of the show, allowing for them to have storylines, albeit without more interpersonal interactions. When this was removed, the show suffered from it. As a result, it may prove to be a good thing that many ofThe Office’s side characters had fewer interactions between them, as it maintained the strong balance the show was so good at between seasons 2 and 7.
