Chosen Show: The Office (US)
A remake of the hit 2001 BBC TV series The Office (2001),
this is a mockumentary that documents the exploits of a paper supply company in
Scranton, Pennsylvania. Made up of head chief Michael Scott, a harmlessly
deluded and ignorantly insensitive boss who cares about the welfare of his
employees while trying to put his own spin on company policy. With an office
including the likes of various peers who have their own hangups, The Office
(2005) takes a look at the lives of its co-workers: bored but talented salesman
Jim, his mildly sociopathic, butt kissing enemy Dwight, mildly righteous
receptionist Pam, and indifferent temp Ryan.
Cast/Characters
Michael Gary Scott
(born March 15, 1964) is a fictional character in NBC's The Office, portrayed
by Steve Carell and based on David Brent from the original UK version of the
program. Michael is the central character of the series, serving as Regional
Manager of the Scranton branch of paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin
Inc. from season one through seven. However, he leaves Dunder Mifflin
temporarily to form the Michael Scott Paper Company during the late end of the
fifth season and shares a co-managerial position with Jim Halpert during a
sixth season arc from "The Meeting" to "The Manager and the
Salesman". In the end of the seventh season, he proposes to HR representative
Holly Flax and moves to Colorado to take care of her aging parents, leaving the
manager position to Deangelo Vickers in "Goodbye, Michael" and
ultimately to Andy Bernard in season eight.
Dwight Kurt Schrute
III (born January 20, 1968) is a character on NBC's The Office, portrayed
by Rainn Wilson and based on Gareth Keenan from the original UK version of The
Office. His character is one of the highest-ranking salesmen at the paper
distribution company Dunder Mifflin, although the series expands on his
character as bed-and-breakfast proprietor at Schrute Farms, a beet plantation,
and as the owner of the business park enclosing Dunder Mifflin. He is notorious
for his lack of social skills and common sense, his love for martial arts and
the justice system, and his rivalry with fellow salesman Jim Halpert. He has at
times risen to the position of Branch Manager of the Scranton branch, but often
serves as a second or third in command as Assistant (to the) Regional Manager.
In the final season, Dwight is finally offered the position of Manager.
James Duncan
"Jim" Halpert (born October 1, 1978) is a fictional character in
the U.S. version of the television sitcom, The Office, portrayed by John
Krasinski. The character is based on Tim Canterbury from the original version
of The Office. The character is named after a childhood friend of executive
producer Greg Daniels.[3] He is introduced as a sales representative at the
Scranton branch of paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin, before
transferring to the Stamford branch in the third season. Upon the merger of
Scranton and Stamford branches, he becomes Assistant Regional Manager, and
later co-manager alongside Michael Scott during the sixth season episode arc
from "The Promotion" to "The Manager and the Salesman".
After Dunder Mifflin is bought by Sabre Corporation, Jim is very briefly the
sole regional manager of the branch, before returning to the Sales department
until his termination in the series finale. His character serves as the
mild-mannered straight man role to Michael, although it is also defined by a
rivalrous pranking on fellow salesman Dwight Schrute and a romantic interest in
receptionist Pam Beesly, whom he begins dating in the fourth season, marries in
the sixth, and has children with in the sixth and eighth.
Pamela Morgan
"Pam" Halpert (née Beesley; born March 25, 1979) is a fictional
character on the U.S. television sitcom The Office, played by Jenna Fischer.
Her counterpart in the original UK series of The Office is Dawn Tinsley. Her
character is initially the receptionist at the paper distribution company
Dunder Mifflin, before becoming a saleswoman and eventually office
administrator until her termination in the series finale. Her character is shy,
growing assertive but amiable, and artistically inclined, and shares romantic
interest with Jim Halpert, whom she begins dating in the fourth season and
marries and starts a family with as the series continues.
Ryan Bailey Howard
(born May 5, 1979) is a fictional character on the U.S. television series The
Office. He is portrayed by the show's writer, director, and executive producer
B. J. Novak, and is based upon Ricky Howard from the original British version
of The Office (as well as Neil Godwin, during the fourth season),[1] although
his role is significantly expanded to that of a main character.
Janet "Jan"
Levinson (formerly Levinson-Gould) is a recurring fictional character from
the US television series The Office. Her counterpart in the UK version is
Jennifer Taylor-Clarke. She is portrayed by Melora Hardin. She is the Vice
President of Northeast Sales at the paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin,
directly supervising central character and Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin's
Scranton branch, Michael Scott. Her character is notable for the dysfunctional
relationship she enters with Michael following the second season episode,
"The Client", up until the fourth season episode "Dinner
Party". Michael and Jan's personas contrast to much humor in the series,
particularly in their professional attitudes and social interactions, although
Jan's erratic and sexually-domineering mental state of mind leads to her
firing.
Royson
"Roy" Allan Anderson is a fictional character from the US
television series The Office, portrayed by David Denman. His counterpart in the
original UK series of The Office is Lee. Roy Anderson is a warehouse dock
worker at the Scranton branch of fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin.
He has been engaged to the office receptionist Pam Beesly for three years when
the series begins, in a relationship where he is shown to be skeptical of, if
not completely insensitive to, her ambitions. He often shares in the
warehouse's typical blue-collar humor.
Stanley James Hudson
is a fictional character from the US television series The Office. He is played
by Leslie David Baker. Stanley has no direct counterpart in the UK series,
although his closest counterpart is Oliver. Stanley Hudson is a sales
representative for the fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. Stanley is
a serious, hardworking, but a thoroughly grumpy and disgruntled employee so
lacking in interest in his surroundings that in one cold open he fails to
notice a series of pranks being played on and around him. Stanley dislikes and
disrespects his boss Michael Scott. Stanley only thinly attempts to hide his
disgust and disrespect for Scott, who affectionately describes Stanley's
remarks as clever and sassy. Stanley, who is black, is constantly subjected to
Michael's inadvertently offensive remarks based on racial stereotypes. At
times, Stanley plays along with Michael's comments for his own benefit. In
"Performance Review", Stanley tells Michael that he learned about
women "on the ghetto" in order to secure a raise. Stanley has
generally good relations with his other colleagues, especially Phyllis Lapin-Vance
whom he often has lunch with. Stanley is a very laid back person, though when
angry he has often been described as frightening. On one occasion, coworker
Ryan Howard received a harsh scolding from Stanley after he wrongly suspected
Ryan of "sniffing around" his daughter. He confronts Ryan Howard
again in a deleted scene "Cocktails" when his daughter Melissa sees
Ryan again at Poor Richards Pub. On another occasion, Stanley uses a lug wrench
to smash Michael's car when Michael exposes Stanley's affair to the office.
Kevin Jaye Malone
is a character in the United States television series The Office. He is played
by Brian Baumgartner. Kevin's counterpart in the UK series is Keith Bishop.
Kevin is one of the few minor characters in The Office to be directly based on
a character from the British original version. He is based on Keith Bishop, who
shares Kevin's lack of communication skills (Keith became particularly popular
after an episode where boss David Brent conducts a staff appraisal, to which
Keith stoically fails to respond to questions). Kevin shares Keith's musical
interest (as a musician, not a disc jockey as with Keith), although, in
contrast to Keith, Kevin demonstrates a childish sense of humor. Additionally,
both characters are overweight.
Meredith Elizabeth
Palmer (born May 12, 1959) is a fictional character on the U.S. comedy
television series, The Office. She is portrayed by Kate Flannery, and is an
original character, meaning that she has no equivalent in the British version
of the show. Meredith Palmer is the socially inappropriate and sexually
promiscuous Supplier Relations Representative at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton
branch (however, in the first season, her job was said to be an Accountant,).
Her computer always displays the solitaire game found in the MS package. Little
is known about her early and personal life, but, over the course of the series,
some tidbits of information have been revealed. She has been married twice,
with one of her ex-husbands leaving her for a woman who works as a garbage
collector (who is addressed as "Mom" by Meredith's children). She has
two children, a son named Jake, whom she has custody of, and a daughter named
Wendy (described as "The good one") who is in the custody of one of
Meredith's ex-husbands. In a deleted scene from "Garden Party",
Meredith reveals that she is a former boxer.
Angela Noelle Schrute
(née Martin; formerly Lipton) is a fictional character from the US television
series The Office played by American actress Angela Kinsey. She is an original
character, and has no equivalent in the original British show, The Office. Angela
Martin is the head of the accounting department at the Scranton branch of the
fictitious paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin, extension 128. Cold,
condescending, judgmental and uptight, Angela frowns upon all frivolous
activity in the office, and openly expressed her disapproval of office
receptionist Pam Beesly’s flirtation with coworker Jim Halpert. She also frowns
upon any sort of superfluousness or inappropriateness in general. Like Dwight,
Angela has little sense of humour and almost never smiles or expresses happiness,
except when she is talking about her cats or is expressing derisive contempt
for her co-workers. However, she has on several occasions participated in the
office's more frivolous activities.
Oscar Jual Paul
Martinez is a fictional character from the US mockumentary-style television
series The Office played by Cuban actor Oscar Nunez. Martinez was one of the
few openly gay characters in broadcast television at the time that the series
aired. Although Núñez, who is straight, did not know his character might be gay
when he first signed on, he has no issues with the character's sexuality as long
as the material is funny. For the 2006-2007 season Gay & Lesbian Alliance
Against Defamation (GLAAD) reported he was the only LGBT (lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender) person of color character on a regular series. For the
2007-2008 season he was the "only remaining gay character on a half-hour
comedy program" and the only LGBT lead or supporting character who is a
person of color. For the 2009-2010 season Martinez was one of four people of
color LGBT regular series characters; in 2010-2011 there were six and 2011-2012
there were five.
Phyllis Margaret
Vance (née Lapin) is a fictional character on the U.S. comedy television
series, The Office. She is portrayed by Phyllis Smith, and has no specific
counterpart in the British version of the series, instead being an amalgamation
of several different office workers. Phyllis Lapin is a sales representative at
fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. She is a quiet but friendly type
who loves "girl talk" and gossip. Though she has a sweet, motherly
exterior, she can sometimes be very vindictive, often to Angela Martin and Pam
Halpert. She is often insulted and embarrassed by branch manager Michael Scott,
who frequently describes her as non-feminine and old, despite having been
classmates with her in high school.
Toby Wyatt Flenderson,
M.S.W. (born in 1971) is a fictional character on the U.S. comedy television
series, The Office. He is portrayed by the show's writer, director, producer
and showrunner Paul Lieberstein, and is an original character with no
equivalent in the original British version of the series. Toby Flenderson is
the human resources representative for the Scranton branch of paper distributor
Dunder Mifflin/Sabre. Toby is soft-spoken and generally of good disposition,
although he can be somewhat mournful about his life choices (he fell into the
field of Human Resources after leaving his training at seminary in order to
pursue the woman he'd later marry and painfully divorce). He likes his
colleagues, although he is sometimes exasperated by the excessively chatty
Kelly Kapoor. He also has a long-standing crush on Pam Halpert, which he almost
reveals at the end of Season 4 when he resigns from his position to move to
Costa Rica. Toby was intensely despised by branch manager Michael Scott,
largely because Michael had no authority over him as Toby reported to corporate
headquarters, and because Toby frequently tried to dissuade Michael from many
of his ill-conceived and impulsive ideas. Michael sums up his feelings for Toby
in the episode "Casino Night", asking, "Why are you the way that
you are? Every time I try to do something fun or exciting, you make it not that
way. I hate so much about the things that you choose to be". For Toby's
going away party Michael gives him as a gift a rock with a note attached
reading "Suck on This". Shortly after arriving in Costa Rica, Toby
suffers a zip-line accident and midway through season 5, he returns to his old
job at Dunder Mifflin, much to Michael's fury.
Kelly Rajnigandha
Kapoor (Feb 5, 1980) is a fictional character from the US television series
The Office. She is played by Mindy Kaling, who is also a writer and producer
for the show. Kelly Kapoor is a customer service representative at the Scranton
branch of fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. Kelly is the
attractive-looking office chatterbox, usually on topics that a teenager might
discuss, such as boys, dating, and celebrity gossip. She has said that she wants
to get married, and that she cannot wait to "get pregnant and have
babies." Her closest counterpart in the British series is Donna, although
they are not similar in terms of personality.
Creed Rowland Bratton,
also known as "William Charles Schneider" (claims to have been born
November 1, 1925) is a fictional character from the U.S. television series The
Office. Confusion may arise from the fact that the character is played by the
musician of the same name, Creed Bratton. The fictional Creed is partially
based on the experiences and former flower child lifestyle of the real one;
however, the character is an embellished version of the real person. Unlike
most characters of this version of The Office, he has no equivalent in the
original BBC series despite sharing similar lines in the pilot episode with the
character of Ryan Howard. Series writer B. J. Novak has said that the actual
Creed Bratton is exactly like the character he plays, except that the real
Creed is a good-hearted and likable person, while his fictional alter ego has a
very dark side to him. His resourcefulness and duplicity are his defining
traits along with his senile behavior and ignorance of the modern world.
Darryl Mathias
Philbin is a fictional character from the US television series The Office,
played by Craig Robinson. Darryl Philbin is the foreman of the warehouse of the
Scranton branch of fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin. His closest
counterpart in the British series is Glynn (nicknamed Taffy), although they do
not have the same personalities.
Andrew Baines
"Andy" Bernard (born in 1973; Walter Bernard, Jr.) is a fictional
character from the U.S. comedy television series, The Office. Andy is portrayed
by Ed Helms. He has no counterpart in the original British version of the series.
He is introduced as the Regional Director in Charge of Sales at the Stamford
branch of paper distribution company Dunder Mifflin in the third season
premiere when Jim Halpert transfers, ultimately merging with the Scranton
branch in the episode "The Merger" later in the season. He becomes
Regional Manager at the Scranton branch courtesy of Robert California in the
eighth season premiere following the departure of Michael Scott and Deangelo
Vickers, although temporarily is fired and replaced by Nellie Bertram before
his reinstatement by new CEO David Wallace. Although throughout the ninth
season, Andy's relationship with Wallace deteriorates from Andy's lack of focus
and professionalism, eventually culminating in Andy's voluntary resignation, to
his reinstatement as a salesman to his eventual firing again, after Andy begs
David Wallace to fire him in order to pursue a singing career. This all happens
over the course of one day in "Livin' the Dream".
Kelly Erin Hannon
(May 2, 1982) is a fictional character from the U.S. comedy television series
The Office. She is the office receptionist for the Scranton branch of Dunder
Mifflin, a position previously held by Pam Halpert before she (briefly) left
the company. Erin is portrayed by Ellie Kemper. She is an original character,
although her closest equivalent in the British version of the series would be
Mel the receptionist, who appears briefly in The Office Christmas specials, as
Dawn Tinsley's replacement.
Gabriel Susan
"Gabe" Lewis (born in 1982) is a fictional character on the U.S.
comedy television series The Office portrayed by Zach Woods. He is an original
character and has no counterpart in the British version of the series. He first
appears in the sixth season, where he is the Coordinating Director of Emerging
Regions for the Sabre Corporate headquarters in Florida. Towards the end of
Season 6, he is assigned to overlook the recently acquired Dunder Mifflin
Scranton branch (the most profitable of all the branches). At the end of the
seventh season, CEO Jo Bennett decides to reassign him back to Florida, due to
his personal issues within the office, over his breakup with receptionist Erin
Hannon. However, in the eighth season, Gabe is back in the Scranton office
without any on-screen explanation. A deleted scene in the Season 8 premiere had
Gabe outlining that Corporate made a bafflingly illogical deal with the
Scranton office, which would have Gabe be in Tallahassee three days a week and
in Scranton for two, resulting in having to fly every night of the work week
between the locations; in the episode "Trivia", Gabe repeats this
information in a scene that was included in the NBC broadcast. As revealed in
"Moving On", he was terminated from Sabre following the company's
liquidation, but is hired back at the Scranton branch as the new Management
Consultant by Regional Manager Andy Bernard in a gambit to make Erin
uncomfortable after she broke up with him in order to be with customer service
representative Pete Miller.
Hollis Partridge
"Holly" Flax is a fictional character from the US television
series The Office played by Amy Ryan. She was an original character, and not
based on a character from the British version of the show. Initially she served
as a replacement HR Representative for the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin
when Toby left for Costa Rica, but later developed into a friend and key
romantic interest for Michael Scott, mainly a result of their shared sense of
humor and similar personality traits, though Holly does prove to be more
rational and intelligent than Michael. The two eventually marry, move to
Colorado, and start a family together.
Robert California,
also known as Bob Kazamakis, is a fictional character on the U.S. comedy
television series, The Office. In the eighth season, he was hired as Regional
Manager of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch, a position which was formerly
held by Michael Scott for the majority of the series, but Robert managed to
convince Jo Bennett to appoint him CEO in her place. In the eighth season
finale, Robert departs from the company after David Wallace purchases Dunder
Mifflin. California is portrayed by James Spader. He is an original character
and has no counterpart on the original British version of the series.
Eleanour Donna "Nellie" Bertram is a fictional
character on the U.S. comedy television series The Office. She first appears as
a guest star in the seventh season, where she interviewed for the Regional
Manager position at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch.
Nellie Bertram is
portrayed by Catherine Tate, and is an original character, meaning that she has
no counterpart in the original British version of the series. Initially a
one-episode guest star, she was reportedly the top choice to replace Steve
Carell, but was unable to join the series, due to her commitment to the West
End production of the Shakespeare play Much Ado About Nothing. However, Tate
later returned to the role as a series regular for the second half of season
eight and continued in the role for the final season.
Clark Green is a
fictional character on the U.S. comedy television series The Office. Clark is
portrayed by Clark Duke. He is an original character and has no counterpart in
the British version of the series. Clark, along with Pete Miller, is one of two
staff members hired as customer service representatives at the Scranton branch
of fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin, replacing the outgoing Kelly
Kapoor at the start of the show's ninth and final season. Little has been
established about Clark's backstory, apart from his admitting he had
"gigantic inner ears" which prove useful when keeping balance when
slacklining. His and Pete's vague resemblance to salesmen Dwight Schrute and
Jim Halpert led to several office staff members initially referring to them as
"New Jim" and "Dwight Jr.", respectively, though Clark
would prove to have little in common with Dwight.
Peter Zachary
"Pete" Miller is a fictional character on the U.S. comedy
television series The Office. Pete is portrayed by Jake Lacy. He is an original
character and has no counterpart in the British version of the series, though
his character is noted as having several parallels to Jim Halpert, who in turn
is based on Tim Canterbury on the latter series. Pete, along with Clark Green,
is one of two staff members hired as customer service representatives at the
Scranton branch of fictitious paper distributor Dunder Mifflin, replacing the
outgoing Kelly Kapoor at the start of the show's ninth and final season.
What made you want to
watch that comedy?
What made me want to watch The Office is the high ratings it
had gotten from many different people that had either rated it online or I had
spoken to myself. I also wanted to watch it because when I was on Netflix it
came up in my suggestions and based on the description it looked like it was
going to be a very interesting and funny show so me and my sister thought we
would give it a try. We also liked the fact that it had Steve Carell in and he
is a very talented and funny actor, so we knew that if he was going to be the
lead role in the show, it would be a funny show overall.
Try to think beyond
peer influence and consider any other factors that contributed to your choice.
A factor that contributed to my choice of watching this show
was the fact that even though it had been out for many years before I first
watched it, it had never really been a big deal in my life until I’d started to
hear lots of recommendations saying to watch the show. The fact that is has
been going on for 9 seasons obviously proves that the viewers of the show like
the content enough for it to last that long. Another factor that contributed
towards my choice is the fact that I’m always looking for new things to watch,
listen to, try out etc and so I thought I’d give this show a chance as it was
something I’d never seen before and probably would’ve never thought of watching
before based on it’s content which looking back at my past record of tv shows,
wouldn’t really appeal out to me.
Did you like or
dislike the comedy? Why?
I personally liked the comedy, simply because of how simple
the show was, but funny at the same time. This show just proves that you don’t
need to go out of your way to think of something insanely big, to make a show
funny. You just need a few actors, an office and some cameras. What makes it
funny and likeable is most of the time the camera angles they use specifically
just on one character, with them pulling the most basic face. Once again, just
these angles are simple but really effective and never fail to make me laugh.
Another think I like is the characters, and what is different about this show
compared to every other show that I have watched is that I personally enjoy
every character actually in this show. Everyone plays a very key role within
the show, even if they are just sitting at a computer desk throughout the
entire show, but they still add another layer of comedy to the show and always
keep it interesting somehow. The only thing I’d say that I dislike about this
show is the amount of time some characters actually get on the screen. A lot of
characters that I enjoy watching the most, don’t really have big roles on the
show, therefore don’t get a lot of air time, but I tend to find them funnier
than some of the main characters.
What factors impacted
or your enjoyment or lack of enjoyment?
Factors that impacted my enjoyment were definitely the
actors who actually played the characters, for example Steve Carell who plays
the lead role as the manager/boss Michael Scott. Steve Carell is an excellent
actor and never fails to make me laugh, even if his character at the time comes
across to be quite annoying compared to the rest of the cast. This factor
really applies for every character in this show, as I always find them funny, even
if they’re being annoying to someone else or even if they’re just in the
background for effect. You can’t find a show as funny if you don’t particularly
like the characters and the actors playing them. A factor that did lack my
enjoyment however was once again some of the characters not having a lot of air
time. A lot of my favourites for example Ryan, don’t really get a lot of time
in front of the camera and that upset me slightly because he’s an excellent
character and adds his own personality and humour towards the show whenever he’s
featured in the episode.
