Anmol Ahuja
‘The Office’ remains one of the most iconic shows to have graced our television screens, ever, and even five years hence since the last episode aired, I find myself going back to it time and again, just for the sheer joy of watching the most adorable bunch of misfits sit in an office of a paper selling company, their antics never not funny, and their irreverent exchanges, never not hilarious. Memes and GIFs from the office virtually own the internet space even today, and its inside jokes, once a part of your life and tongue, will stay for times to come. So here, we attempt to rank the best characters from the show in increasing order of lunacy, wit and the level of zany they bring to the show, or well, simply for being adorable. Let us know, which character from ‘The Office’ are you?
“Sometimes I’ll start a sentence and I don’t even know where it’s going. I just hope I find it along the way.”
-Michael Scott
Honorary Mentions:
Holly Flax: Seriously, brownie points to the makers for creating and bringing to fruition the character of Holly Flax, the adorable dork who is just so perfect for Michael, they’d give Jim and Pam a run for their money.
David Wallace: Solely for the fact that he created a vacuum for kids’ toys called ‘Suck-It’.
Jo Bennett: Because who doesn’t like a strong willed, badass lady with that southern accent?
15. Ryan Howard
One of the main producers of the show, and forever known as the temp Michael took under his wing. Ryan’s journey as a character has been one hell of a ride to say the least. From a temporary worker at Scranton to a hotshot in corporate, to a bootstrapped entrepreneur for WUPHF.com working out of the maintenance room to just slacking off in the office, we have the ‘fire(d) guy’ opening our list. His moments of dissent with Michael, and his on and off relationship with Kelly are definite character highlights.
14. Angela Martin
She loves cats to an extent that’s almost uncomfortable, has contracts for relationships, is uptight, cold, (did someone say b**ch?) and occasionally a bully too, not to mention her almost constant face expression that could pierce through your soul if you didn’t believe in Jesus. What’s not to like? The best thing about her character is that there is probably much more to be found beneath the ice, things like genuine feelings and care, but that would be just too much digging.
13. Phyllis Vance
Her being the same age as Michael yet being treated as the office grandma always cracks me up. Yet, this was a role she never completely forewent. Her reaction, when offered to take over as the head of the party planning committee, is priceless. Speaking of which, does anyone know where I can get an anti-gravity machine?
12. Creed Bratton
This guy had the most epic one-liners on the entire show, and that’s really saying something. Jokes about his sketchy history and old age are the absolute best. Remember the one time Ryan saved the internet and the world from Creed’s thoughts by opening a word document with the address on top, passing it off as a blog?
11. Oscar Martinez
The glorified accountant, and probably the only one in the office who took his job seriously throughout. Although sometimes an “insufferable know-it-all”, he was the singular voice of reason at Dunder Mifflin and the bearer of all things colour in the office. Moments where Michael and the crew intended to show how accepting they were of his sexuality and ethnicity by doing something that showed exactly the opposite always got me chuckling. His facial expressions in the episode ‘Gay Witch Hunt’ are absolute comedic gold. After Michael’s, ofcourse.
10. Meredith Palmer
The only other character who could give Creed a run for his money in terms of a sketchy history and life after office, Meredith is also an alcoholic and a borderline porn addict. For some reason though, the only things I am reminded of when her character comes to mind is that hit in the hip she took from Michael’s car, and when Dwight wrapped her head up in a bag to catch a bat. Also, quite possibly the fact that her work screen ALWAYS displayed solitaire and almost everything she said was wildly inappropriate, and hilarious.
9. Darryl Philbin
“Daryl Philbin is the most complicated man that I’ve ever met. I mean, who says exactly what they’re thinking? What kind of game is that?” -Kelly Kapoor
The source of all incorrectly pronounced black slangs by Michael. The prankster-pranked relationship between Darryl and Michael is my second favourite on the show, only next to Jim and Dwight, ofcourse. This man legit had some of the best straight faced insults on the show. When not being legendary, his turn as the caring father wanting to spend quality Christmas time with his daughter was seriously heartwarming.
8. Stanley Hudson
This man just refuses to give two damns about anything. (Well, other than Pretzels!) Not one to stutter, moments that made Stanley Hudson laugh weren’t actually all that funny, but his laugh made them immensely pure and precious. The way he rolled his eyes at probably everything currently makes him the most relatable character on the entire show. Those eyes show they’ve had enough of everything.
If asked, it would be difficult choosing one scene that could completely define a character on the show. However, for Stanley, it would be the scene where the office tries finding out if there was a limit to which Stanley wouldn’t notice things. Word to the wise: never, ever take away his crossword puzzle from him.
7. Kevin Malone
If the first thing that comes to your mind upon hearing the mention of his name isn’t the chilli spilling scene or that notorious double chinned giggle, are you even sure we are talking of the same guy? Kevin might be a little dim, but that seriously did not impede with his ability to crack inappropriate jokes at inappropriate times. Remember Pam’s contractions during the last stages of her pregnancy? I always cut the guy some slack though. I mean, he wanted to eat a pig in a blanket, in a blanket. Even by Kevin Malone standards, that is hard to come by.
6. Kelly Kapoor
“Yeah, I’ve a lot of questions. Number one, how dare you?”
Two things that Kelly Kapoor was the uncrowned queen of, probably in all of Scranton: unbound sass, and an undying need for attention, by whichever means necessary. Kelly Kapoor, ironically so, is every trash-talking white girl, maybe ever. Sorry, smack talk. Her Diwali party was absolutely B-A-N-A-N-A-S, complete ofcourse with Michael’s killer moves. Forever the source of probably all the drama at Dunder Mifflin, her office mates may have learned to zone her out, but for us, she can keep the teenager talk going, maybe forever.
5. Andy Bernard
I can’t think of a better actor than Ed Helms for the role of Andy Bernard. If you were to take a drink everytime Andy said he was from Cornell, or mentioned his Acapella group, or did one himself, you’d be passed out within the runtime of most of the episodes he’s in. The guy is immensely, enviably talented with a near perfect falsetto, although all that talent didn’t necessarily guarantee the nard dog was a hit among the ladies.
It takes a lot of courage as a performer to constantly take jokes upon oneself the way Andy did. Here’s hoping that the scrotum recovery came along well, buddy.
4. Pam Beesly
The reason I am absolutely in love with Pam’s character is how immensely and completely she has grown, from a self-doubting receptionist, to a doting mother & wife, and a happy person overall. The makers have encompassed that gradually, but beautifully. Starting episode 1, you pine for Jim and Pam to end up together, restoring faith in the universe everytime they do, even if temporarily so. She is smart, caring, and responsible, and moments where she actually has a win feel absolutely well deserved. Needless to say, her best moments are always with Jim. This is not to take away from her character, but a couple that perfect for each other? There has got to be something that both of their characters got right.
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3. Jim Halpert
“Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.”
The ultimate prankster, and the most charming character on the show, hands down. His relentless pranks on Dwight account for most of my favourite moments from the show. Coupled with that, his disarming smile and facial expressions are always spot on. While all the pranks are elaborate and hilarious, for me, Jim imitating Dwight (and getting some in return!) will forever be the epitome of their office rivalry. On the other hand, I have no qualms in admitting that Jim has raised the bar ridiculously for husbands, fathers, and even co-workers for us men. I am still wondering though, how does one manage to put office stationery in jell-o so effortlessly?
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2. Dwight Schrute
Okay, I admit, I lied when I earlier said men must look up to Jim. Dwight Schrute, this superior specimen from an evolved species is what all men must aspire to be. Assistant (to the) regional manager, owner of Schrute farms and Scranton Business park, the salesman with the best sales record at Dunder Mifflin, volunteer sheriff, a public notary (vide which he enters into contracts, rather than relationships, and ends them with a cordial handshake), a survivor, trained in Karate, Senpai at the Dojo, owner of all sorts of weaponry that he has hidden all over the office (you know, in case of an emergency?), and a hit among the ladies too. (Take that, Jim!)
Dwight is the perfect antithesis of what Jim is as a character, and the reason why their exchanges are hilarious the way they are. His undying loyalty to Michael and to Dunder Mifflin make him the perfect ‘second in-command’. However, I couldn’t be more thankful to Dwight’s character and the writers, for it is because of them that Mose Schrute exists, who, if you ask me, is an absolute victory as far as character writing goes.
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1. Michael Scott
Not just on the show, Michael Gary Scott is easily among the best television characters ever created. An emotional powerhouse, Michael is the character you love to hate in the first few seasons, and vice versa in the following ones. Kudos to Steve Carrell who is exceptional as the Dunder Mufflin Regional Manager, there’ll never be another one like you.
The king of misunderstood pop culture references, and for dealing insults that he didn’t realise until too late, Michael Scott is the guy you go to if you wish to make a certain gathering of people awkward and uncomfortable. Not to mention, he is also an insanely gifted filmmaker. For real, I would pay top buck to see all the stock footage of ‘Threat Level Midnight’ in theatres. Why haven’t they released this already?
However, deep down, perhaps deeper, he considered Dunder Mifflin and its employees to be his family, which is also why his farewell was one of the most heartbreaking things to air on television. It was definitely among the hardest things to watch despite the fact that you could see it coming all along. (That’s what she said, Zing!)
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