After the global success of The Office, fans have been begging for a reboot or spinoff since the show wrapped up in 2013. But would the show make it as a sitcom in 2020? Steve Carell (Michael Scott) has said numerous times that as much as he loved his time on The Office, it would not do well in today's world, and he's right.
The jokes, storylines, and behaviors of some of the characters may be funny but what the world has deemed appropriate and inappropriate has shifted tremendously over the years. Seasons one and two of The Office were especially gutsy, filled with jokes that either pushed the envelope or crossed the line. From diversity day to some concerning comments, here are ten moments from The Office's early days that probably wouldn't make it on TV in 2020 today (or in the workplace, for that matter).
10 Everything About Diversity Day (Season 1; Episode 2)
It's hard to believe that an episode as controversial as 'Diversity Day' was only The Office's second ever episode! After Michael's impression of a Chris Rock bit goes wrong, corporate sends in a professional to talk to the Scranton branch about race. Sadly, Michael has no idea that the entire lesson is directed at him.
Michael decides to take the topic of race into his own hands and creates an uncomfortable game for the employees to play. He sticks notecards with a specific race, gender, or religion written on it on the heads of his staff. To help the wearer guess what's written on their card, the other participants had to describe the keyword's associated stereotypes, leading to some predictably offensive and cringey moments. As unsuitable as the episode is today, it's a good lesson in what not to do in the workplace.
9 Michael's Racial Stereotypes (Season 1; Episode 5)
In the episode 'Basketball,' Michael puts together a basketball game between the office and warehouse workers. The loser would have to work on Saturday while the winner walks away with the glory and bragging rights.
While Michael was creating his team, he chose Stanley "obviously," which confused the office. Stanely didn't like basketball and wasn't good at the sport; Michael just assumed he was good because he was Black. He was also blatantly rude to Kevin because of his size and assumed he wouldn't be any good, even though Kevin had a great shot!
8 Michael's Sexist Comments (Season 1; Episode 5)
To continue with Michael's poor behavior in 'Basketball,' he also didn't let the women play for stereotypically gender-related reasons. Phyllis was one of the first people to say she wanted to play in the game. She used to play in high school and really enjoyed basketball, so why not play in the middle of the workday?
Sadly for Phyllis, Michael didn't let her play and assumed that based on her physique and athleticism, she wouldn't be any good. Surprisingly for him, Phyllis was really good at basketball and would have been an amazing asset.
7 Those Inappropriate Dundies (Season 2; Episode 1)
Created by Michael Scott, the Dundies -- which appear in the appropriately second season premiere 'The Dundies' -- was a made-up award show to give recognition to his hardworking employees. However, Michael's awards weren't always appropriate.
While it's all in jest, a modern-day office shouldn't have a "Hottest in the Office" award. Nor should it have a "Tight A**" award, or a "Kind of A B**ch" award. Awards are typically given for the good things in a person, not bad things and offensive remarks they have no say in.
6 Todd's Offensive Gay Jokes (Season 2; Episode 2)
Fans quickly learn that Todd Packer is one of the worst characters in The Office. He's homophobic, sexist, misogynistic, and honestly, the list goes on.
The episode "Sexual Harassment" was appropriately Todd Packer's first time on the show, and it painted him in the exact light one would assume he gives. As soon as he sees Jim, he makes a rude comment about his sexuality and makes gestures to other men in the office that are downright offensive and demeaning.
5 Todd's Terrible Opinions Of Women (Season 2; Episode 2)
Also in "Sexual Harassment," Todd makes disturbing comments towards the women in the office. As he's talking to Michael in front of everyone, he talks about the recent firing of another employee at the office. He explains that the man was sleeping with his assistant and that she ended up turning the whole thing around "just to be a b**ch."
He also called women bimbos, regardless if they were "blonde" or not. No one else in the office thought Todd's jokes were funny. Even Michael -- who has his fair share of terribly insensitive moments and quotes -- was only laughing out of awkwardness, not because he agreed.
4 Jim Takes His Feelings For Pam Too Far (Season 2; Episode 6)
In "The Fight," Dwight and Michael are at each other's throats and are ready to prove their strength at Dwight's dojo. Pam and Jim were both equally excited to watch Dwight and Michael go head-to-head, but Jim's excitement turned unfit for their friendship. Jim ended up picking Pam up as if they were also fighting, which she found funny at first.
But once she realized everyone was looking at them (and that her shirt had lifted a little), she became incredibly uncomfortable and told Jim to put her down. Jim ignored her at first until he realized the joke was one-sided. Seeing a man pick up a woman without her consent after she clearly told him "put me down" is something that's taken very seriously today.
3 Michael Scoffs At Depression (Season 2; Episode 8)
When Michel has his own performance review around the corner, he decides to have performance reviews for the whole office. To prove to Jan how seriously he takes the desires of his employees, he hosts a meeting where he opens up the employee's suggestions. However, the suggestions were very old, proving that Michael doesn't listen to their concerns, nor does he take them seriously.
When he opens one suggestion that says there should be better outreach for employees fighting depression, Michael assumed it was a joke. However, Phyllis reminded him there used to be an employee at Dunder Mifflin who killed himself because of depression. If Michael took this topic seriously, a life could have been saved.
2 Michael Hits On Stanley's Daughter (Season 2; Episode 2)
Michael sees himself more as a comedic best buddy instead of everyone's boss. He doesn't want to be the guy bringing the bad news or making work a serious environment but when corporate is watching Michael's every move, he learns there are things he just can't (and shouldn't) joke about.
With this mindset, Michael casually tells Stanely that he shouldn't have to hide the picture of the attractive young girl in a Catholic school girl's uniform from his desk just because it was inappropriate. Stanely abruptly tells Michael that the picture is of his daughter who attended private school, not a pinup model aimed to "turn him on."
1 Michael Makes Sexual Jokes About His Boss (Season 2; Episode 16)
In the episode 'Valentine's Day,' Michael can't help but tell other regional managers that he's sleeping with Jan, the company's Vice President and his boss. Sleeping with someone as beautiful and powerful as Jan would have given Michael major brownie points from his friends, however, his announcement about their relationship was ill-timed and poorly done. Michael had deep feelings for Jan but instead of being emotionally sincere, said a rude comment about them sleeping together.
To make matters worse, his comments about Jan were turned on him and he had to have a conversation with David Wallace about sexualizing a superior. A moment like this proves that Jan has a hard time having people take her seriously just because she's a woman.
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September 07, 2020 at 05:30AM
