The Office helped to popularize workplace sitcoms with its hilarious look at life at an office job. A big part of the reason the show worked so well was that it mixed the comedic dullness of this kind of setting with the absurdity of the characters who worked at Dunder Mifflin.
There were times when The Office felt all too familiar in how it depicted this kind of story. But there were also those moments that they totally embraced the outrageousness of this world, some of which stretch the bounds of believability. But whether it's realistic or unrealistic, The Office could always provide the laughs.
10 Realistic: Pam Fails Art School
Pam Beesly had some of the most interesting arcs of the whole series. When the show started, she was a timid and self-conscious receptionist stuck in a dead-end romance. She eventually grew more confident with herself and part of that involved her going to art school to fulfill her dream of being an artist.
However, in a rare move for a sitcom, Pam doesn't get to see her dream come true. Instead, she fails out of art school and returns to Dunder-Mifflin. It is a surprising development, but one that a lot of people can probably relate to as not everyone gets to do what they love.
9 Unrealistic: Robert California
When Michael Scott left Dunder-Mifflin, the show had the difficult task of attempting to replace its best character. To the show's credit, they decided to go in an entirely new direction with the character of Robert California.
While the character worked in small doses, the show never knew how to make him a believable character and he was instead very over-the-top. For starters, the fact that such an accomplished man would work in a place like this is crazy, and then when he convinces the CEO of Sabre to give him that position, it was clear this character was going to be cartoonish.
8 Realistic: Jim And Pam's Tension
From the very beginning of the show, fans had been rooting for Jim and Pam to get together. There was always something in the way, from Pam's relationship with Roy to Jim's relationship with Karen. Though they did eventually get together, it was not always perfect.
The final season of the show finds Jim and Pam really struggling with their marriage as Jim starts a new job. Though it was not a popular storyline with fans, it was a realistic look at how happy marriages can have their rough patches.
7 Unrealistic: Jim And Dwight Become Friends
The most entertaining relationship in the show was between Jim and Dwight. From the first episode, it is clear that these two do not get along with Dwight constantly being antagonistic to Jim and Jim pulling plenty of pranks on Dwight.
The two men find themselves as reluctant allies at times, but when the show decided to make them the best of friends in the final season, it seemed like a stretch. It felt as though this was a development the show felt was satisfying rather than something that would actually happen between two people who have hated each other for so long.
6 Realistic: Layoffs
Part of the brilliance of the show was making the business at the center of the story such a stable one. Dunder-Mifflin was a paper supply company in a world that was growing increasingly digital. This led to some great storylines of the business's uncertain future.
The fact that audiences see Michael forced to go through layoffs in the company, people worried about their jobs, and entire branches being shut down made for great tension that was believable.
5 Unrealistic: Andy As The Boss
Another development that came from Michael Scott's departure was that Andy Bernard was promoted to the regional manager position. Given that Andy was a terrible salesman who showed little to no leadership skills, it was a wonder why he got the job.
Andy's time as regional manager was filled with ridiculous developments like him running off to Florida, Nelly taking his job for no reason, Andy taking his job back, Andy leaving on a sailing trip, and getting fired again. The character quickly went from bad to worse.
4 Realistic: Dinner Party
One of the funniest and most uncomfortable episodes of the show finds Jim and Pam reluctantly attending a dinner party at the home of Michael and Jan. What follows is a cringe-worthy and hilarious awkward evening of tension.
While some of the things in this episode are a bit exaggerated for comedic effect, anyone who has been stuck in these excruciating after-work dinners or just a dinner party with an odd couple likely saw the episode as all-too-real.
3 Unrealistic: Threat Level Midnight
Michael Scott has a lot of delusions about being a comedian or movie star despite not really having any talent or drive to achieve these goals. In one episode, the office discovers Michael's spy thriller script entitled "Threat Level Midnight" which is a funny look at his unfulfilled dreams.
However, in a later episode, we learn that Michael has been gradually filming his movie over the years resulting in a finalized project. While it makes for a hilarious episode, the fact that he would have been able to pull off making a movie, even one as bad as this, is not likely.
2 Realistic: Michael Is A Good Salesman
There are countless moments throughout the series when Michael does things that would surely get a boss fired on the spot in the real world. But when wondering how Michael gets to keep his job after so many blunders, the show does provide a reason.
Fans see early in the show that, despite being immature and time-wasting, Michael is an excellent salesman. Fans see this throughout the series as he lands huge clients and keeps his branch as the company's top-performing branch.
1 Unrealistic: Michael Scott Paper Company
After having a falling out with the CEO of Dunder-Mifflin, Michael takes Pam and Ryan with him to start a competing business called Michael Scott Paper Company. The fact that he was able to get the business up and running in a matter of days and is able to compete with Dunder-Mifflin is a big stretch.
While the company ends up going broke quite quickly is a realistic development, the outcome is not. When Dunder-Mifflin tries to buy out Michael Scott Paper Company, Michael forces them to give them all their jobs back which, as David Wallace explains, ends up being a multi-million dollar buyout that simply would not happen.
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January 09, 2021 at 06:30AM
