Throughout its long run,The Officeactually became a completely different show, changing up its tone three different times, but one version of the show was much better than the others. Despite being set in one location, withThe Office’scastrarely changing, the U.S. mockumentaryThe Officemanaged to make it to nine impressive seasons, airing over 200 episodes. The reliance on a character-driven narrative was a risky one, and while some ofThe Office’sseasons were not always the best(especially toward the end), overall, the show did really well to make it as far as it did.
Interestingly, whenwatchingThe Officefor the first time, there are plenty of things that you don’t realize at the time. However, looking back, it is easy to see thatThe Officeactually transformed itself multiple times. With pivotal characters, like Steve Carell’s Michael Scott, leaving the series, and character arcs coming to a close,it makes sense that the mockumentary would need to change up its formula in order to keep things interestingfor viewers. That being said, some arcs were significantly better than others, and it is easy to see which was the best.
The Office Drastically Changed 3 Times During Its 9-Season Run
From Season 1-2, When Michael Left & The Final Season
The Officedrastically changed three times throughout its run.The first and most well-known change in the show is the transition betweenThe Officeseason 1 to season 2. Thechange in Michael Scott from season 1 to 2 ofThe Officehappened because it was difficult to find the character at first. Showrunner Greg Daniels explained that “he was not a good character in the first season,” and so Daniels took steps at the end of each episode to make Michael a more likable character. This version ofThe Officefollowing season 1 actually lasted a long time.
Ed Helms Played Three Different Characters In The Office And We Didn’t Even Notice It
The three personalities of Andy Bernard that Ed Helms played in The Office were so different that they felt like completely separate characters.
As a result, the next timeThe Officedrasticallychanged its tone was seasons later when Michael left the show. As such a prevalent character who had redeemed himself over time, fans were sad to see the beloved Dunder Mifflin manager leave the show, andThe Officeactually suffered after Michael leftbecause there wasn’t another leading character strong enough to replace him, yet the show managed for a while. However,the third and final changehappened at the very end of the show after Robert California left, as season 9 delivered one of the worst seasons ofThe Office.
The “Second Version” Of The Office Was By Far The Best One
The Office Found And Consolidated Its Identity
The second version ofThe Officewas by far the best one as the show finally found and consolidated its identity following its rocky season 1 start. After showrunner Greg Daniels worked to make Michael Scott a more likable character following criticism in the first season,Michael became a brilliant lead character on the show and there was a lot more opportunity for comedybetween the other characters now that they all got along. Consequently,Steve Carell’s Michael Scott performance has been cited as savingThe Office, which is why the show simply wasn’t the same when he left.
Description
1
Michael Scott wasn’t a well-received character and his brash personality made him highly unlikable.
The First Change
2-7
The show found its identity and characters worked well together to create some of the most entertaining moments inThe Office.
The Second Change
8
Michael leftThe Officeand the show found a decent replacement with Robert California.
The Third Change
9
Robert California left, Andy’s characterization changed, and Dwight became the boss.
Some ofThe Office’sbest characters appeared after season 2- including characters like Andy, who lasted until season 9 - and the show really discovered its tone of comedy following Michael’s season 1 personality change. As a result,the second version ofThe Office(which lasted for the majority of the series from seasons 2-7) is arguably the golden age for the show. As a result, unfortunately, both ratings and viewer opinions show thatThe Officesimply doesn’t work without Michael Scott, as season 1’s bad personality and Michael’s exit affected the show majorly, especially in the divisive season 9.
Despite A Few Mistakes, The Office Always Knew How To Reinvent Itself
Even Season 9 Tried To Keep Things Fresh
Although there were a few mistakes made during the show, which madesome episodes ofThe Officeextremely painful to watch, in general,The Officewas always good at reinventing itself. For example,The Office’sepisodes weren’t always set inside the office, as there were sometimes special episodes such as Michael Scott’s fun run face, wedding episodes, or even just simple sales visits to Dunder Mifflin customers. Therefore, despite the boring concept of revisiting the same characters in the same place every episode for 9 seasons,The Officealways had a variety of events to keep the show interesting.
The fact that the character went through a drastic change showcased a final attempt byThe Officeto always keep things fresh
Character arcs were also important reinvention tools inThe Office. Although Andy’s final arc is one of the most disliked character arcs on the show, it also demonstrated a trend that coincided with the show’s changes, as Ed Helms actually played three versions of his character during the show due to the constant shakeups. In fact, even despiteAndy Bernard becoming unlikable for no reason inThe Officeseason 9, among other problems, the fact that the character went through a drastic change showcased a final attempt byThe Officeto always keep things fresh, even if it ultimately failed.
