The Office, despite running for nine seasons, included certain major characters that barely interacted with each other one-to-one. The Office is often considered among the best sitcoms of all time, primarily due to its ensemble of characters. In fact, the show reached such a mᴀssive level of popularity that another The Office reboot show is in the works, long after the US version was crafted from the basis of the UK’s sitcom.

Difficult episodes of The Office aside, the show’s nine seasons included lots of great gags and jokes that stemmed from cringe humor. A large source of this humor was the show’s characters, which played a big part in both the best and worst seasons of The Office. Despite playing such a big role over the show’s nine-season, eight-year run, though, many individual members of The Office‘s ensemble cast were kept separate. Over time, the series developed a series of cliques, in a way, that meant some major characters barely interacted with others.

So Many Character Interactions In The Office’s 9 Seasons Weren’t Shown

Despite A Focus On Character-Based Humor

Over the course of The Office‘s nine seasons, some characters who appeared in all of them barely interacted with others. For example, a character like Darryl often interacts with the likes of Michael, Dwight, or Jim, yet barely spends any time with other members of the office. The same can be said for Stanley or Phyllis, with their character interactions often coming via group scenarios or through the lynchpins of the show like Michael, Jim, Dwight, or Pam.

Subplots in The Office often focused around these four characters, with the others being supporting players. Although there were some rare instances of subplots centering around The Office‘s extended characters, they would more often than not be positioned as a group scenario rather than one-on-one storylines with other workers as Jim or Pam would receive, for example. Given the show’s longevity, this is certainly a shock.

The Office’s Last 2 Seasons Proved How Difficult Other Character Interactions Were

Perhaps Less Interactions Benefitted The Show

While I am shocked at how little certain characters interacted with one another, it is not lost on me that this could have been for the benefit of the show. This may have been proved by The Office‘s final two seasons, which are often considered the worst of the show. In The Office seasons 8 and 9, drastic character changes were made. Michael Scott left the show, with other major characters like Jim and Pam spending a lot more time outside of the тιтular building.

Although this could have allowed for other characters to shine, The Office fumbled its chance. Michael, Jim, Pam, and Dwight were often the links between the various ensemble characters of the show, allowing for them to have storylines, albeit without more interpersonal interactions. When this was removed, the show suffered from it. As a result, it may prove to be a good thing that many of The Office‘s side characters had fewer interactions between them, as it maintained the strong balance the show was so good at between seasons 2 and 7.