Ranking the top 50 Office Characters

Okay, just so everyone knows how I got here – I originally was only to rank the characters who appeared in over 10 episodes – but that would leave off characters like Jo Bennett and Charles Miner, and that felt strange – so in order to accommodate that, I dropped it down to 7 episode. That took me to 43 people, and that felt odd, so I then just found 7 other characters who were important to the show, but less than 7 episode (I think the least is 3). The ranking criteria is a mixture of character and performance – but is basically the characters I liked to watch the most to the least – but really, most of them are pretty great.

 

50. Jordan Garfield (Cody Horn) (3 Episodes, Season 7) – Poor Jordan, never stood a chance. She came in late in Season 7 – after Michael left – and was gone in just three episodes, as they clearly didn’t think they needed her once Robert California took over. Horn was fine in the role – her highlight may be bonding with Pam as they had to protect all the clients from having to talk to Creed. I cannot help but wonder if perhaps she was designed to be what Cathy was in Season 8 – and the just decided to go in another direction. Whatever happened, Horn and Jordan were never really given a chance to become a real character, and is one of the most forgettable characters in the run of The Office.

 

49. Hannah Smotridge-Barr (Ursula Burton) – (6 Episodes, Season 3) – Other than Karen and Andy, Hannah was the last of the Stanford employees to last in Scranton. But Hannah never really was given a chance to be much of a character – she is clearly miserable from the beginning of her time to the end, she looks with disdain on everyone in the branch – and even if some of that is deserved (they do stare at her breastfeeding) – she also never really tried to fit in. It isn’t Burton’s fault that you basically forget Hannah – she seems designed to just be there for the first half of the season so they can slowly pick off the Stanford people one at a time. In the end, she does what she is there to do – but it’s hard to think of too many more forgettable Office characters who appeared in this many episodes).

 

48. Esther (Nora Kirkpatrick) (5 Episodes, Season 9) – Esther shows up in Season 9 for a brief run as Dwight’s girlfriend, and perhaps even fiancé - I wonder if the purposed spinoff about Dwight’s beet farm had of taken off had they ended up together. As it stands now, she’s basically there to infuriate Angela – and provide that brief speedbump in their relationship down the stretch before the ending we were hoping for. She is a lot of fun – but there comes a point where they are clearly done with her, and it just kind of ends.

 

47. Rolf (James Urbaniak) (4 Episodes, Seasons 5-6, 9) – Okay, so Rolf is barely a character on The Office – he shows up in just four episodes, and for the most part, it’s basically bit parts. But he’s always funny when he does show up – as he is basically playing a more extreme version of Dwight – which Dwight cannot help but admire, even as everyone else cannot stand him.

 

46. A.J. (Rob Huebel) (3 Episodes, Seasons 5,7) – Holly’s boyfriend during her time in Nashua doesn’t really get much to do. The show basically establishes him as a nice guy – he’s kind, he treats Holly well, they seem reasonably happy together – but without the love that Michael and Holly have. It’s hard to hate him, because he’s so inoffensive – but it’s hard to really like him either.

 

45. Bob Vance (Robert R. Shafer) – (25 Episodes, Season 2-7, 9) – Poor Bob Vance, he just isn’t that interesting a character. They basically wrote him as a one joke character – as he introduces him as “Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration”, over and over again, and even as he hangs around, and even marries Phyllis fairly early in its run, doesn’t really get any other personality other than that through 25 episodes - other than he clearly hates Michael, Dwight and Andy, and his and Phyllis’ sex life is apparently very healthy. Everyone who knows The Office knows immediately who Bob Vance is – but I doubt they can tell you much other than that one line.

 

44. Brian (Chris Diamantopoulos) (5 Episodes, Season 9) – The final season of the show made the decision to give us a peak behind the curtain – address the documentary and its crew in a way it had never done before – leading up to the airing itself. Brian representing that peak – the sound guy who we see stepping into comfort Pam when Jim yells at her about the recital, or protecting her from the warehouse guy who comes to attack her. It is hinted that he loves her, without ever quite following through on it. I do love how the show gave us that peak in Season 9 – but it’s more of an all-encompassing love, rather than Brian specific.

 

43. Val Johnson (Ameenah Kaplan) (14 Episodes, Seasons 8-9) – I cannot help but wonder that had The Office been able to find a way to be in a post-Michael world, and continue for years, if they would have done more with Val. They basically fired the entire warehouse staff in Season 8 to get her into her role as foreperson, and then worked hard to bring her and Darryl together – but once Season 9 begins, and it’s the ending, they pretty much abandon her – she shows up once in a while, but there’s not much there. It’s a shame because there was some promise here – and I liked Kaplan’s performance. But she basically ends up being kind of forgettable.

 

42. Cathy Simms (Lindsay Broad) (12 Episodes, Season 8) – I feel bad for Cathy, who never really got a chance on the show. She was brought in for the After Hours episode – where she tries to seduce Jim, and gets rejected again and again, and she is great in that. But she’s there for 11 other episodes, where quite frankly, she is more often than not lost in the background. I also understand that they cut a scene where we would have found out she just got out of an abusive relationship, which wouldn’t excuse what she did, but would make it more understandable. So Lindsay Broad never really had a chance to do much with this character – who is essentially an object for 11 out of 12 episodes, and then mocked in the 12^th one (and it’s not her last one) – and doesn’t even get any sort of send-off at all – she just never returns from Florida, and is never mentioned again. For someone who is such a key part of one of Season’s 8 best episodes, she deserved better.

 

41. Helene Beasley (Linda Purl) (9 Episodes, Season 6-7, 9) – Pam’s mom shows up several times during the latter half of the season – but her highlight episode is clearly Season 6’s Double Date – when Michael takes her, Jim and Pam out for Helene’s birthday, and then dumps her when he finds out how old she is. She is wonderful there – even if it still basically remains the Michael, Jim and Pam show for that episode. Her other highlight is Season 7’s Sex Ed, her last scene with Michael. Other than that, she’s mainly a background character at Halpert/Beasley family functions. Her character is great – but oddly, probably the best when she isn’t there, and Pam and Michael argue about her.

 

40. Donna Newton (Amy Pietz) (5 Episode, Seasons 6-7) – Donna shows up late in Season 6 to give Michael a final girlfriend before he gets back together with Holly. She is the manager of the bar they go to for happy hour, and she and Michael hit it off there, and get together soon after – only for him to discover that she is married, and he is the other man when he suspects she is cheating. Her best episode is Body Language, when she comes into the office for a sales pitch, and everyone debates with Michael if she’s into him or not (although, he’s quite amusing in a quick phone call in Sex Ed in Season 7). To be honest, I always think this storyline is rushed, and is basically filler – but Pietz is still very good in the role.

 

39. Dangelo Vickers (Will Ferrell) (4 Episode Season 7) – Ferrell was clearly brought in to add some star power in the the run-up, and immediate aftermath of Carrel’s departure. You cannot deny them comic chemistry together – and they have moments where it works. But he’s only around for 4 episodes – Training Day is a bit of a letdown after the engagement the previous episode (the bar cold open is Ferrell’s best in the episode), his best overall episode is probably Michael’s Last Dundies, and still he isn’t what you remember about that episode, he’s a third wheel in Goodbye Michael, and then he gets one stand-alone episode, and ends up with brain damage. Ferrell is, of course, a great comedic actor – but part of me wonders if the writers didn’t come up with this character, and cast Ferrell, to show the direction The Office wasn’t going to go in post Carrel, because the character never really works (seriously, if you don’t like a season of Robert California, imagine a whole season with Vickers – it’s a nightmare scenario).

 

38. Katy Moore (Amy Adams) (3 Episodes, Seasons 1-2) – Seriously, if Amy Adams didn’t get nominated for multiple Oscars – her first, around the time she was on the show, we’d probably remember Katy a little less than we do. She shows up in the Season 1 finale, selling purses, with all the guys in the office wanting to ask her out – and Jim “winning”. She shows up, barely, in The Fire, basically to show how bad she is for Jim, and then on Booze Cruise, where he cruelly dumps her. Seriously, two of her three episodes are all time Office classics – and yet her character is more of a prop than a character. Adams plays it well, but there’s only so much you can do with it.

 

37. Gabe Lewis (Zach Woods) - (51 Episodes, Season 6-9) – Poor Gabe, they never really figured out what to do with him. He was probably at his best in Season 6 – as the go-between for Jo and the Scranton office, and always being on the outside looking in, never quite being included. Season 7 had him date Erin – in a storyline that never really made much sense, and just showed him to increasingly be an asshole, but a meek one – probably one of those guys who would go online and complain that women don’t like “nice guys”. He probably should have left when Jo did at the end of Season 7 – but they extended him into Season 8, even though he really didn’t have much of a point that season. Woods is a talented comedic actor to be sure – but The Office never cracked Gabe – and at some point, just seems like they stopped even trying to.

 

36. Todd Packer (David Koechner) (16 Episodes, Seasons 2-3, 6-9) – Todd Packer is an hard character for lists like this – I never really enjoyed him as a character, but then again, that is precisely the point of him – Todd Packer is insufferable for everyone not named Michael Scott, and Koechner plays that perfectly. He needed to be used sparingly however – and they mainly understood that, as he never appeared in more than 4 episodes in a single season. His best episode probably is the one called Todd Packer – where it becomes clear even to Michael sees through him as he becomes insufferable even for him.

 

35. Carol Stills (Nancy Carrel) (8 Episodes, Seasons 2-3, 7, 9) – Carrel’s talented real-life wife played his first real love interest, aside from Jan, starting as Michael’s real estate agent selling him his condo. Out of all his love interests, she seems the most normal – a regular divorced mom, looking for love, who thinks Michael is normal – until she gets to know him, and he takes things from 0-60 real fast. Still, she remains calm with Michael throughout all their interactions, if increasingly irritated with him. She’s not in A Benihana Christmas much – but her scene dumping Michael is her best moment on the show. It was always welcome to see her back – even if she was stuck playing the straight-man throughout.

 

34. Hank Tate (Hugh Dane) (23 Episodes, Seasons 2-9) – The security guard at the office park, Hank showed up a few times every season, basically just to giving withering looks to the crazies at Dunder Mifflin, or give a sarcastic comment. This isn’t a deep character by any means, but he is incredibly funny almost every time he shows up – perfectly played by Dane. It’s hard to pick the best Hank episode, because he essentially does the same thing every time – but it’s always so amusing it’s impossible to complain.

 

33. Josh Porter (Charles Esten) (8 Episodes, Seasons 2-3) -  Josh was used basically as a counterpoint to Michael during the first third of Season 3 – with Jim at Stamford, working for manager Josh. Josh was the more normal boss, who did what he was supposed to, and looked down on Michael, without ever doing so vocally in front of everyone. But ultimately, he revealed himself to be the type of person that Michael isn’t – one that would hang all his employees out to dry in order to improve his own position. It’s not a particularly deep performance – but I think Esten captures something more universal in why so many hate their bosses – because we know that, deep down, they don’t care about us at all.

 

32. State Senator Rob Lipton (Jack Coleman) (14 Episodes, Seasons 7-9) – The State Senator is clearly a very important character in the last three seasons – so much tension in the office revolves around him – but Jack Coleman doesn’t quite get as many opportunities to shine in the role as you may think. Still, it is a pitch perfect performance as the closeted Republican hypocrite, leading to a perfect send-off for him in his final appearance, as seen on TV, which is just downright funny.

 

31. Hidetoshi Hasagawa/ Madge Madsen/ Calvin aka Glenn – and ALL Warehouse Workers (Hidetoshi Imura/Karly Rothenberg/Calvin Tenner) - (30 episodes combined, Seasons 1-9) – Basically, these three represent all the warehouse workers who showed up throughout the run of the series. They are often in the background – occasionally getting a good line, or do something good in the background. The highlight of these three is probably when Hidetoshi gets a monologue at the end of Happy Hour to explain why he left Japan. The fact that Calvin aka Glenn aka Lester appeared in 15 episodes over 6 seasons, but had three different names, show how much attention they got from the writes. Still, as a group, the warehouse workers could often be quite funny – so as a group, they deserve some respect.

 

30. Robert California (James Spader) (25 Episodes, Seasons 7-8) – It’s hard to fault James Spader for Robert California not quite working – they basically hired him to be the creepy guy he specializes in, play it completely straight, but have it be funny because of what he says, and the context. And Spader does that. And in episodes when Robert California is a supporting character – one who shows up for a few minutes and episode, he can actually work the way they want him to – being an agent of chaos, the type of rich guy who isn’t good at his job, but who floats through life without consequences. Had he been utilized like say David Wallace – a few times of seasons, he could have lasted it years. As a regular he was just too much.

 

29. Jo Bennett (Kathy Bates) (8 Episodes, Seasons 6-7) – Bates, unfortunately suffered a little bit from coming in during the second half of Season 6, which is when The Office was trying to figure out what to do with itself, and I’m not quite sure they ever figured out what she should be. Because Bates is a brilliant actress of course, Jo is an interesting character – and a fun one, with her accent, her sayings, her dogs, etc. – but given just how good of an actress she is, this feels like a missed opportunity for there to be a truly great character.

 

28. Nellie Bertram (Catherine Tate) (34 Episodes, Seasons 7-9) – I’m not sure they ever quite figured out how to use Tate, and her unique comic talents on the show. In the Season 7 finale where she interviews for Michael’s job, and throughout most of Season 8, where she leads the team in Florida, then conspires to take Andy’s job, they seem to want her to be as insufferable as possible – and Tate is more than up to the challenge. In Season 9, they tried to soften her a little – tried to get her to bond with Pam a little, and become exasperated with Toby, and it works – kind of – but she also becomes less memorable as a result.

 

27. Clark Green (Clark Duke) (19 Episodes, Season 9) – There are two things true about Clark – one, is that I don’t really think he was necessary, Season 9 could have been fine without him, and two, I kind of wish we got to see more of him, because grew on me throughout the middle of the season, before he was basically left behind for the more major characters. Still, when paired with Dwight, Clark could be hilarious. Had this show gone on a few more seasons, Clark could have climbed his way up this list.

 

26. Pete Miller (Jake Lacy) (21 Episodes, Season 9) – Most of what I just said about Clark can apply to Pete as well – although I think he established himself earlier, and you really can see him becoming the new Jim of The Office – at least in the few opportunities he was given to do that. He fits with Erin – and he handled Andy well, and overall, is just a likable presence. Was he necessary? Not really – but I enjoyed him anyway.

 

25. Nate Nickerson (Mark Proksch) (19 Episodes, Seasons 7-9) – Mark Proksch’s Nate is one of my favorite background characters in the Office – showing up here and there throughout the last three seasons of the show, always being a pathetic, deadpan delight. He starts as Dwight’s worker at the building then graduates to warehouse worker. The show knew just how to use his character -briefly, a scene or two here and there, and he was always hilarious.

 

24. Charles Miner (Idris Elba) (7 Episodes, Season 5) – The ever charming Elba had to turn that natural charisma way down to play Charles Miner – a man who is a deliberately boring character, which explains why he takes an immediate dislike to not just Michael, but Jim as well. He made a good opponent for Michael – someone Charles really should have been able to beat, but Michael still got the best of him, and gradually, Elba shows just how petty Charles really was. It’s odd he never really got a send-off – presumably, he was fired along with everyone else at corporate in season 6 – but we don’t get any word of it. Elba played him well – and it was nice to see someone not charmed by Jim, but it’s hard to be a top tier character when you are deliberately designed to be a stick in the mud.

 

23. David Wallace (Andy Buckley) (37 Episodes, Seasons 2-6, 8-9) – Andy Buckley is wonderful as David Wallace in Seasons 2-6, when he is the CFO of Dunder Mifflin, and basically has to oversee Michael – as the trio of Jan/Ryan/Charles who are supposed to, can never quite do it. He creates a portrait of basically a good businessman, exasperated by what he has to go through, but not seeing another option. I also enjoyed him playing the drums after he lost his job. They brought him back near the end of Season 8, and then through Season 9, and he’s fine – without quite getting the same opportunity to be great. Still, his staying power is impressive.

 

22. Mose Schrute (Michael Schur) (13 Episodes, Seasons 3-9) – Pretty much the only acting role of Michael Schur’s great career – this Office writer who went on to create Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn 99 and The Good Place is wonderful each and every time he shows up as Dwight’s very special cousin Mose. There isn’t much to the character really – but eventually in every episode he will break into a run, and that’s worth it. Deep character? No. But is he one you will ever forget? No.

 

21. Roy Anderson (David Denman) (32 Episodes, Seasons 1-3, 5-7, 9) – I always felt a little bad for Roy, who was set up immediately as an antagonist, because we want Jim and Pam together, and Roy is in the way. But Roy isn’t really a bad guy – he’s a little clueless, he takes Pam for granted a little, but without Jim there, then they probably would been like many people – get married, have a couple of kids, then get divorced, etc. Even when he gets violent, he does have a reason to be upset with both Jim and Pam (although he handled it very poorly to be sure). I particularly liked him in Season 3, when he wants Pam back, and is just kind of sad, and says things that aren’t true (my favorite about how he thinks Pam’s art is sexy). He is played well by Denman, a sympathetic character, who will still root against. It’s nice to see him back in Season 9 – happy and successful, and hopefully, a better person.

 

20. Karen Filippelli (27 Episodes, Seasons 3-7) – Like Roy, you do feel kind of bad for Karen, even if you don’t want her to end up with Jim. Still, she and Jim work well together in Stamford, and perhaps had the branches not merged, they could have been happy together. But once they’re all back in the same office, things get awkward. Jones plays the character well – funny, sarcastic, and smart, basically a good person, who is just in the way of the love story we want. Like Roy, it’s nice to see her end up happy, because she deserved that. You liked her, but you wanted her to go away.

 

19. Holly Flax (Amy Ryan) (17 Episodes, Seasons 4-5, 7) – Amy Ryan is, of course, a brilliant actress – most often in heavy projects like Gone Baby Gone, so it’s great to see her not just in a comedy, but allowed to be goofy in a comedy. The show does a great job of showing us just how perfect for Michael Holly is- which was necessary – but I do kind of wish they had done more to define her as a character unto herself, which they never really do. Her first run of episodes is designed to break Michael’s heart, and her second run is to get them together, so she never quite becomes a full person. Still, she was always a delight to watch – and it takes something special to make you think she is perfect for Michael Scott.

 

18. Erin Hannan (Ellie Kemper) (102 Episodes, Seasons 5-9) – I enjoyed Kemper’s Erin quite a bit during her time on the show – she is always so chipper, friendly and happy – but it masks a deeply unhappy upbringing, and longing for something more (I have to think this is why they cast her in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). It’ odd though that while I like her in the show, and think she became an integral part of it, she never quite like a member of the group inside the office itself – that she was outside the core, looking in, and I cannot figure out if it was intentional or not  - it could also be that for the most part, she wasn’t part of the show at its absolute peak).

 

17. Ryan Howard (B.J. Novak) (168 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – I’m torn on Ryan in many ways – because on one hand, I never really liked him, I found him obnoxious in a way that was never really made sympathetic or understandable, unlike both Michael and Andy. But on the other hand, that is exactly the way his character is supposed to be – the show sees him much the way Pam does, as a prick who she doesn’t like very much. And the show seemed to know how to best utilize him as well – as a supporting character, someone who showed up for a few moments in each episode, but very rarely had episodes built around. Novak was always wonderful in the role, and he could be funny. But he was a character I liked more, the less he was utilized.

 

16. Meredith Palmer (Kate Flannery) (187 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – Meredith is perhaps a notch below the most of the other office mates, if only because there was never much depth there. She was an alcoholic the whole time, and made fun of for how many men she slept with – the refreshing part being that she didn’t care, and fully embraced those roles – and her son, who we saw once as a child, who may be psychotic, and later as a teenager with a lot of tattoos. I don’t know if there was much there to Meredith – and she didn’t often get the one-liners that elevated other swallower characters. Yet, it is still a great performance by Kate Flannery, marked by her willingness to do just about anything for a laugh.

 

15. Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling) (161 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – Mindy Kaling looked to be having an absolute blast playing Kelly Kapoor during her run on the office. She didn’t often get whole storylines built around her, but she often got great moments, great one-liners – ones that continue to be memes to this day. Her on-again, off-again romance with Ryan was something that ran through her entire run, and often brought out the best in both of them – their pettiness, their self-absorption, etc. – although it was great to see her finally able to break free of him in season 9. There was never much depth to Kelly – she played a character obsessed with superficial things – but she played it to absolute perfection.

 

14. Phyllis Vance (Phyllis Smith) (188 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – Phyllis always felt like a little bit of a mystery to me – and I mean that in a good way. She was the one female salesman who lasted the whole series, and she never seemed to play the cutthroat games of the others, but just quietly went along, always making her sales. There was also the little peaks inside her relationship with Bob Vance – elevated by the fact that for the most part, Bob Vance was dull onscreen, but then Phyllis would make a comment that gave you a peek inside a more perverse relationship. Smith was able to use her stereotypical mom-like exterior to great use throughout the run of the show – her best comments almost always being made quietly. She was a fine character, to have play out in the background.

 

13. Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) (152 Episodes, Seasons 3-9) – Honestly, it took a little while for Helms’ Andy to grow on me. He was deliberately made to be off-putting when his role began in Stamford as Jim’s co-worker, and when he gets to Scranton, and has to deal with his anger issues. Still, he is a different kind of person lacking in self-awareness from Michael, and they often played off each well – and eventually, he does grow on you. In Season 8, he really is able to hold everything together, even as Robert California threatened to detail things that year. I’m not a huge fan of how they portray him throughout Season 9 (his abrupt shift in attitude towards Nellie sometime between the Season 8 finale and Season 9 premier is the first strange thing about him) which is probably what keeps him out of the top 10. They land it well, but most of that season he is insufferable.

 

12. Darryl Philbin (Craig Robinson) (120 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – Robinson’s Darryl was at somewhat of a disadvantage, because while he was there from the beginning of the series, he didn’t really get to be a regular until later on in the run – when he moved from the warehouse into the office in Season 6, when the show started to become uneven. Still, it’s hard not to love Darryl, who knew precisely how to play Michael to get what he wanted, and their scenes often brought out the best in Robinson. In later seasons, they seemed to like to pair him with Andy – for a similar type of dynamic. Robinson had a great, easy going presence to him – but they complicated him as he went along – with his daughter, with his disappointments, etc. Robinson’s talents were evident – and they eventually figured out how to use him, so he became one of the best characters in the later years.

 

11. Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein) (141 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – Poor Toby. You couldn’t help but feel bad for him when Michael picked on him mercilessly – sometimes cruelly – because even though you liked Michael, you knew Toby didn’t deserve it. I’m not sure poor Toby ever caught a break – he had a crush on Pam, but that kept going nowhere, his dream of moving to Costa Rica went nowhere, he was stuck in the annex with Kelly and Ryan and even if the rest of the office was never as mean to him as Michael was, they didn’t really include him either. As played by Paul Lieberstein though, Toby was often hilarious – the sad sack Eeyore of the bunch, who often had hilarious, sad one-liners. Poor Toby.

 

10. Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) (177 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – As an accountant, I always had a soft spot for the Dunder Mifflin accounting department – and although Oscar ranks the third of three here, I still loved him. He was always a great foil for Michael – who picked on him for both being Mexican and, later, gay. Nunez perfectly played Oscar as the frustrated smartest guy in the room – he knows more than anyone else, but never really got to be in control, for other reasons (even when given the chance, he cannot quite bring himself to say it – like in Shareholder’s Meeting). He was uptight, but still somehow lovable – often cast in the role of straight man, but also capable of being quite funny.

 

9. Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton (180 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – Creed was never designed to be a deep character – 9 seasons, 180 appearances, and he is still basically a comic enigma. He basically shows up to make a quick quip in his one-to-one interviews to the camera, or do something hilarious in the background. We basically know nothing about Creed – and that helps to make him as funny as he is, and also as interesting as he is. There is hardly a moment when Creed speaks that isn’t hilarious. Strangely, the first appearance you remember him for – in Season 2’s Halloween, where he talks Michael out of firing him, is one of the episodes he talks the most in. He is the perfect example of a character who when used sparingly is wonderful – and the writers knew it.

 

8. Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) (188 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – Something that struck me as I re-watched the show this time is that Stanley may well be an older version of Jim – a few decades longer doing a job he’s good at, but doesn’t love, and resigned to see it through. Aside from Jim, no one had more, amazing side-eye looks at the camera when something stupid was going on, and he could also always be counted on for a great one-liner. Perhaps it shows the importance of Dwight to Jim – as this is Jim’s future without someone to prank. That’s just a theory of course – overall, Stanley is, of course, a great character – always in the background, with his crossword puzzle, the guy in the office who just wants to get in and get out as quickly as possible. Leslie David Baker is a deadpan genius.

 

7. Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey) (188 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – It takes some skill to play a character who is essentially a stick in the mud, and yet make her both insufferable, lovable, and very funny at the same time. Angela is the most judgmental of all the Office characters – she looks down at everyone from the start, pretty much to the end (she is so proud of her husband, the Senator). Yet, as much as you sometimes dislike Angela – you always feel sympathy for her as well. Her chemistry with Rainn Wilson is great, and it’s always great to see her and Jenna Fischer play off each other as well. Angela took a long, roundabout way to get where she should be – but I’m happy that in the finale, she ended up there.

 

6. Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) (188 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – No one is more surprised than I am that out of all the officemates outside the main four that Kevin ended up being my favorite during this re-watch (my money was on Stanley). But Brian Baumgartner’s Kevin made me laugh more consistently than just about anyone on the show. I love how indignant he can get, how angry he gets over small things, and how he just doesn’t seem to understand some very basic things. He could be as wonderfully comic as anyone with his looks to the camera (that smile that creeps across his face). Also, more than just about any of the supporting office players, there seems to be a whole secret life Kevin is living – with his band, with his gambling addiction, with his fiancé, who he just isn’t engaged to at one point (he doesn’t want to talk about it). Baumgartner is an absolute riot throughout.

 

5. Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) (43 Episodes, Seasons 1-7, 9) – Out of all the occasional characters in the show, Melora Hardin’s Jan is, to me, the clear best one. Part of it is based on her absolutely brilliant performance in the best office episode ever – Dinner Party (seriously, that episode is perhaps Carrel’s best performance in the show, and Hardin is his equal throughout – a true accomplishment). But it’s more than that. It is her journey, from when she begins and we think she is a serious, competent businesswoman (which perhaps she was at one time – and perhaps became again) – to her absolute bottoming out with Michael, to picking up the pieces again. Because she wasn’t a consistent presence always, there was always this feeling of a tornado of activity going on with her when she wasn’t around. My only complaint – I wish she were given a slightly better end point. But overall, Jan is the best character in the office who wasn’t around all the time – and Hardin’s performance is a gem.

 

4. Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) (188 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – Jim is certainly among the most beloved characters on the show – which is why his actions throughout Season 9 cause so much distress in people, because they don’t want to think of him as an asshole. Still, from the time he and Pam get together in Season 4 through Season 8, he is basically perfect – so it’s nice to see him smudged a little. Besides, there was always something not quite perfect about him anyway – and I appreciate how they writers did that. In the role, Krasinski is just about perfect – it’s strange to me that he never got an Emmy nomination for the role. Krasinski is perfect here, and Jim is a great character. It’s hard to be one half of the perfect couple – but somehow, this works.

 

3. Dwight K. Schrute (Rainn Wilson) (188 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – It really is a testament to Wilson’s performance that he was able to make Dwight Schrute into more than a cartoon character – which he easily could have been. You can see why Dwight can be annoying to be sure – but Wilson makes him both insufferable and lovable, gullible, and smart, competent and crazy, and somehow all of these things at the same time. He is also clearly the character who grows the most out of anyone throughout his nine seasons – his actions in the finale make complete and perfect sense – but would have been unthinkable to the Dwight of seasons 1 and 2. Yes, as the series went into the post-Michael era, the writers sometimes made Wilson go over-the-top – which he did to perfection even if you wish they didn’t push it that far. Still, Dwight is a great sitcom character - and one that becomes far more complicated then you ever would have thought.

 

2. Pam Beasley (Jenna Fischer) (188 Episodes, Seasons 1-9) – Pam Beasley is one of the most lovable characters in any TV show ever. Yes, she could be insecure and indecisive, but that just makes her even more relatable. She was always the heart of the show – the one you rooted for the most, whether it was in Season 2 when Jim was in love with her and she couldn’t see it, or season 3 when she was being rejected. Hell, I thought the show – especially in the finale – was WAY too hard on her for doubting Jim (he acted like a jerk for a while there). She is also responsible for some of the very best, most heartwarming moments in the entire show. I don’t think there is a moment that brings me more joy than the end of Season 3 when Jim asks her out, and she’s flustered – it is a truly great moment.

 

1. Michael Scott (Steve Carell) (140 Episodes, Seasons 1-7, 9) – Michael Scott is what made The Office great – really what elevated a very good sitcom to legendary status, and Carrel’s performance is perfect. That first seasons isn’t always great – they are figuring out the line between Michael being a jerk, and just being well-meaning but clueless. But from Season 2, this become one of the best performances in sitcom history -his six Emmy nominations in a row, for which he shamefully never won, were well-deserved. Carrel and Michael left a massive hole when they left – and while it was admirable how they tried to fill it, it’s also clear that they couldn’t. The Office ranks among the best network sitcoms of all time – and while the entire ensemble cast is brilliant, it’s hard to see that happening without Carrel and Michael Scott.