The Office Became A Different Show 3 Times, But One Version Was Much Better Than The Others

Throughout its long run, The Office actually 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, with The Office’s cast rarely changing, the U.S. mockumentary The Office managed 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 of The Office’s seasons were not always the best (especially toward the end), overall, the show did really well to make it as far as it did.

Interestingly, when watching The Office for the first time, there are plenty of things that you don’t realize at the time. However, looking back, it is easy to see that The Office actually 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 interesting for 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

Steve Carell as Michael Scott in The Office pilot

The Office drastically changed three times throughout its run. The first and most well-known change in the show is the transition between The Office season 1 to season 2. The change in Michael Scott from season 1 to 2 of The Office happened 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 of The Office following season 1 actually lasted a long time.

Ed Helms Played Three Different Characters In The Office And We Didn’t Even Notice It

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As a result, the next time The Office drasticallychanged 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, and The Office actually suffered after Michael left because 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 of The Office.

The “Second Version” Of The Office Was By Far The Best One

The Office Found And Consolidated Its Identity

The second version of The Office was 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 comedy between the other characters now that they all got along. Consequently, Steve Carell’s Michael Scott performance has been cited as saving The Office, which is why the show simply wasn’t the same when he left.

The Office Eras
Seasons	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 in The Office.
The Second Change
8	Michael left The Office and 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 of The Office’s best 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 of The 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 that The Office simply 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

A scruffy and bearded Andy after returning from his boat trip in The Office

Although there were a few mistakes made during the show, which made some episodes of The Office extremely painful to watch, in general, The Office was always good at reinventing itself. For example, The Office’s episodes 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 Office always had a variety of events to keep the show interesting.

The fact that the character went through a drastic change showcased a final attempt by The Office to always keep things fresh

Character arcs were also important reinvention tools in The 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 despite Andy Bernard becoming unlikable for no reason in The Office season 9, among other problems, the fact that the character went through a drastic change showcased a final attempt by The Office to always keep things fresh, even if it ultimately failed.