When talking about sitcoms that have been praised by audiences and critics alike,The Officeis likely one of the first that comes to mind. This NBC mockumentary TV series, inspired byRicky Gervais' British production, was adapted for American television by Greg Daniels, and, in 2005, introduced audiences to the employees of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, who must deal with their irresponsible boss on a daily basis.
Steve Carell leads the cast alongside John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, and Jenna Fischer, among many other actors who have joined over the seasons. Back in 2005, nobody could have imagined thatThe Officewould become a worldwide phenomenon, especially considering the negative reviews of its first season. However, the show managed to persist, build its foundation on television, and capture the hearts of fans, who still find it relevant to this day.
Much ofThe Office’s appeal stems from the everyday situations that arise among the members of Dunder Mifflin’s colorful staff. And although the show treated us to some of the best characters on television, it’s safe to say that, had it not been fiction, many of them wouldn’t have been able to keep their jobs for too long. Take a look at 10 characters fromThe Officewe think would have likely been laid off by now.
The Office (U.S.)
10Stanley Hudson
Stanley Hudsonis a sales representative at Dunder Mifflin, played by Leslie David Baker. Although the man, in many ways, performs much better than some of his peers, there are two things that are definitely grounds for his dismissal: his unbelievable disinterest in his job, and his over-the-top hatred towards Michael Scott. Stanley is not the kind of person who enjoys his job, and his only goal is for time to pass quickly enough for him to retire. That lack of interest leads him to spend most of his time absent-minded, or even worse, solving crossword puzzles when he should be working.
Aside from his obvious disinterest, his ongoing rivalry with his boss would also have gotten him fired multiple times if Dunder Mufflin wasn’t a fictional office: every chance he gets, he shows his contempt for Michael, ignoring his orders and even disrespecting him in front of the entire staff. Though he remains ahighly relatable characterfromThe Office, he would have likely been laid off.
9Kelly Kapoor
Writer and actress Mindy Kaling playsKelly Kapoor, the customer service representative for Dunder Mifflin. This hilarious character fromThe Officegrew in popularity over the seasons for her bubbly personality and fantastic one-liners. That being said, everything the audience loves about her could have put her job on the line countless times.
Indeed, she is extremely immature, easily distracted, and often goes about her day talking about boys or spreading rumors about her coworkers. Her on-again, off-again relationship with Ryan is far more important to her than her job, and she is willing to orchestrate childish stunts to get Ryan’s attention, no matter how extreme these stunts may be.
8Ryan Howard
B. J. Novak’sRyan Howardhad his fair share of problems during his time at Dunder Mifflin, and, in fact, he was not only fired once, but alsoended up in prison. Having served as an employee in the Scranton branch for a while, Ryan got a promotion and started working in the corporate office in New York City, from which he was fired after committing fraud and landing in jail.
Following his release, Michael mistakenly rehires the man, driven solely by his bizarre obsession with him. However, this rehiring should never have happened: Ryan is an erratic and uncommitted person inThe Office, who shows no interest in his work and comes up with lame excuses to make up for his wrongdoings. It’s safe to say that anyone displaying a slightly better attitude could have easily filled his place at the company.
7Meredith Palmer
Kate Flannery playsMeredith PalmerinThe Office, one of Dunder Mifflin’s representatives. While she’s well-liked by most of her coworkers, throughout the years, she has exhibited some pretty questionable habits, many of them driven by her alleged drinking problems, which can lead her to show up to work hungover and make some really dangerous choices.
Between all of that, her addiction to porn, and the fact that she frequently ends up flashing her co-workers, Meredith’s work was on the line only once, when it was revealed that she was sleeping with a Hammermill employee as a way to get discounts on office products and Outback Steakhouse gift certificates. Considering her lifestyle choices in the office, odds are that Meredith would have been laid off by now.
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6Andy Bernard
Andy Bernardis yet another character fromThe Officewho eventually ends up getting fired, albeit much later than expected. The audience knows that Ed Helms' character is troubled from the very first moment they get to see him on-screen, although things worsen when he starts working at the Scranton branch, as his severe anger management issues become obvious.
He eventually undergoes anger management training, and he even gets a promotion and earns his colleagues' respect. However, his performance in the office does not improve: Andy is a bad salesman, a worse leader, and his lack of professionalism causes the CEO of the company to finally fire him at the end of the show.
5Jim Halpert
John Krasinski’sJim Halpertseems like the perfect man. This Dunder Mifflin sales representative is a hard worker, a good teammate, and an excellent husband to Pam. He may have one of the best performances in the office, and he’s certainly one of the most highly regarded salespeople in the company, but there is something that Jim does countless times throughout his days at Dunder Mifflin that would have cost him his job in real life:playing pranks on Dwight.
Sure, his twisted pranks are a large part of what endeared him to the audience in the first place — plus, they ultimately led to a great friendship between them — but even so, Jim has taken his obsession with pranks a bit too far at times, to the point of teasing and even endangering his co-worker.
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4Dwight Schrute
One thing’s for sure:Dwight Schruteloves his job, and, more than anything, his boss. The character fromThe Office, played by Rainn Wilson, goes to great lengths to excel, and isn’t afraid to do whatever it takes to do so. This is exactly what ends up getting him in trouble, and what would definitely have gotten him fired if the show wasn’t fictional.
The wildly popular Assistant (to the) Regional Manager made some very questionable decisions that could have cost him his job, from deliberately starting a fire to firing a gun in the office, including many others that were forever captured in memorable scenes. In spite of all this, Dwight managed to hold on to his job long enough to get away with it, and by the show’s ninth season, he landed his long-awaited promotion to Regional Manager.
3Kevin Malone
Brian Baumgartner’sKevin Malonerounds out the group of Dunder Mifflin workers who did get laid off, but much later than they should have. This member of the Accounting Department landed his job in a rather unique way: after applying for a position in the warehouse, he was hired as an accountant because Michael “saw something special in him,” even though he had no prior experience whatsoever.
Thus, Kevin joined Angela and Oscar’s team inThe Office, but he never showed any interest in improving his performance or being moderately productive at work, often breaking the rules and making thousands of mistakes. Eventually, Dwight takes over as Regional Manager and fires Kevin for his poor performance, and after working things out, the two manage to carry on with their friendship.
2Creed Bratton
How did Creed Bratton, the mostunderrated character inThe Office, first come to work at Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch? He just walked in and pretended to work there. What did he do in the office? No one really knows — not even him. But even if these weren’t compelling reasons to fire a character who wasn’t even hired in the first place, there’s something even worse that should have cost Creed his job: his criminal activities.
While his dubious attitudes are on display throughoutThe Office, by the end of it, it’s revealed that he was involved in suspicious activities, from robberies to murders, and he even stole someone’s identity to go under the radar. Creed tries to fake his death to avoid being found by the police, and even lived in an office closet for a few months, but eventually ends up getting arrested.
1Michael Scott
Rounding out this list isMichael Scott, the most inept yet lovable Regional Manager of them all. Even though Steve Carell’s character started off on the wrong foot with the audience, he managed to grow into one of the show’s favorites. So much so, that his departure in the show’s seventh season was extremely painful to endure. But while Michael did, at times, demonstrate his leadership skills, more often than not, his attitudes should have gotten him fired.
Throughout the seasons, he makes very questionable decisions and becomes a pain in the neck for his employees, who are discriminated against or sexually harassed by him. But in the end, there is one reason why he manages to hold on to his job for so long: Michael issuccessful at what he does, and it appears that Dunder Mifflin’s corporate managers are willing to deal with his shenanigans as long as things keep improving. That, and the fact that none of his employees have ever sued him for his questionable behavior.
