The Office – Every Character Ranked

If there’s one thing everyone who loves The Office can agree on, it’s that 80% of its charm is directly because of the strength of the supporting cast.

It’s amazing how memorable some of the main and side characters are … but they weren’t all memorable for good reasons. How would I rank every notable character (i.e. they appeared in more than a couple of episodes) of The Office?

Before we begin, you can check out some of my related blog posts below:

Workplace Harassment

39 – Todd Packer

I’ve heard the argument that Todd Packer is a “small doses” sort of character, and that it’s due to his overuse that people dislike him. I disagree.

He’s inherently a bad character in the show – sometimes he’s the villain, sometimes he’s Michael’s misbehaving friend, but he’s always unfunny and annoying.

38 – Cathy Simms

Cathy was a side character introduced in Season 8 for the sole purpose of destroying Jim and Pam’s marriage, so she was always going to be hateable.

What really irks me about her is that she knew Jim was happily married to Pam and yet she pursued him anyway. Awful.

37 – Nellie Bertram

I love Catherine Tate to bits from her work in Doctor Who and the comedy stuff in rainy England, but her Office character ain’t it.

She’s borderline unwatchable in Season 8, and they neutered her in Season 9 to the point where you forget she’s there.

Office Dunces

36 – Charles Miner

It’s shocking that Idris Elba is one of the guest stars on The Office, but it’s even more shocking that the writers made him a charisma-less tyrant of a boss.

Charles Miner’s feud with Jim feels forced and petty, and I don’t feel Elba got the chance to flex either his dramatic or comedic muscles.

35 – Brian

It’s the Boom Guy from Season 9! Everyone’s favourite character! Right?

His inclusion serves only to perpetuate the Jim / Pam marriage drama and to remind viewers that the Office is a fourth-wall-breaking documentary, as otherwise he’s a forgettable dude that has little to no impact on the plot.

34 – Pete Miller

I was originally going to rank Pete – a.k.a. “Plop” – a little higher to account for his lack of screentime (he only joined in Season 9) … but then I remembered Holly had even less screentime and made more of an impression.

You can tell the writers included him for the sole purpose of recapturing the Jim / Pam romance with him and Erin, but that was too high a bar to clear.

33 – Jo Bennett

I love that they got Kathy Bates to guest star on the show, but her character is at the centre of one of The Office’s most boring plotlines.

The transition from Dunder Mifflin to Sabre is drawn-out and tedious, and Jo Bennett is just a typical, cranky CEO figure.

32 – Bob Vance

Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration. Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration. Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration. Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration. Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration. Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration. Bob Vance, Van…

His introductory catchphrase is the most interesting thing about him, other than his love of Phyllis I suppose.

31 – Roy Anderson

Roy acts as the villain for the first few seasons of the show, so in fairness he’s unlikeable by design.

I never felt like he truly loved Pam during their engagement, and his angry outbursts were far more intense than they were comedic.

Seat Fillers

30 – Clark Green

Of the two new guys introduced in Season 9, Clark makes the biggest impression by far. He’s still a bit forgettable, though.

There are some funny plotlines that refer to him as mini-Dwight or even Dwight’s son at one point, and his success with women is great.

29 – Deangelo Vickers

The creators brought in Will Ferrell to plug the Steve Carell-less gap between Season 7 and 8, but it didn’t really work.

I love Will Ferrell as both a human and a comedian, but his broad style of humour – and his pitiful exit – didn’t mesh with the show.

28 – Katy Moore

The most notable thing about Katy Moore, a.k.a. the “Hot Girl” from Season 1 that Jim ended up dating, is that she’s played by a very young Amy Adams.

She seemed like fun, and she was a necessary stepping stone in the Jim / Pam drama, but she didn’t exactly have a personality.

27 – David Wallace

David Wallace is the main corporate figure across the majority of the series, so I don’t know whether he should be treated as a villain or not.

He was always the straight man in the room, and I liked the episodes that gave us a glimpse of his family-man persona.

26 – Danny Cordray

Danny Cordray, played by Timothy Olyphant, was my favourite of the celebrity guest stars. He was still a bit hit-or-miss though.

I liked how he was a suave competitor that Michael ended up hiring, but his teased history with Pam was pointless.

25 – Hank Tate

I wish we got more of Hank, the Security Guard.

He was never a scene-stealer, and I almost forgot he existed when I was compiling this list, but his brief appearances are good.

24 – Val Johnson

Val is a late addition to the warehouse to create a new love triangle with Darryl, and not much else.

She doesn’t have much in the personality department, but she’s far from the worst thing about Seasons 8 and 9.

23 – Gabe Lewis

I found Gabe Lewis to be the most marmite character on the show – he was absolutely hilarious in some scenes, and absolutely insufferable in others.

I hated his treatment of Erin (and whenever he attempted a romance, actually) but his pettiness towards Andy and his general HR-ness made him a quirky kind of likable.

22 – Robert California

James Spader evolved from a guest star in Season 7 to a full-on regular for Season 8, and I think the writers were smart to bring in a talented guy like him after Steve Carell’s departure.

Sadly, his bizarre sex-fuelled character didn’t stick the landing. He’s nowhere near as bad as some people make him out to be, but he’s nobody’s favourite.

21 – Meredith Palmer

Much like with Gabe, I thought Meredith was the biggest mixed bag of the core cast.

She’s crass and crude, which isn’t really my style of comedy, and some of her B-plots were outright miserable, but overall she had her moments.

20 – Phyllis Vance

Of all the core Office characters, Phyllis was arguably the most forgettable.

She had a feud with Angela, she loves her husband a lot, but otherwise she’s the maternal do-gooder of the team.

Water Cooler Buddies

19 – Karen Filipelli

Karen deserved better.

The only reason people hate her is because she was an obstacle between Jim and Pam – she was lots of fun, and she had a good sense of humour too.

18 – Jan Levinson

Jan became one of the most unhinged characters on the Office, and that’s why I liked her so much.

She starts out as a corporate baddie, but once she starts dating Michael things go downhill quickly. It all culminates in “Dinner Party”, unequivocally one of the best episodes of the show thanks in part to Jan’s madness.

17 – Mose Schrute

Dwight’s farm-hand cousin, and the first indication that the extended Schrute family were more than a little odd.

We don’t see much of Mose, but the odd scene here and there is funny.

16 – Kelly Kapoor

On some days I hated Kelly. On some days I loved her. Maybe that was the point.

She’s a volatile brat who treats everyone like dirt … but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find that funny from time to time.

15 – Oscar Martinez

What I appreciated most about Oscar, the gay man of the office, was that he didn’t act as a caricature gay man at all – in fact, he was the most down-to-earth and ‘normal’ of the cast.

He could be a little uptight at points, and his affair with the Senator can only be described as a ‘dick move’, but I liked his intelligence and witty barbs.

14 – Angela Martin

Speaking of uptight and dickish, there were points in the series where Angela was an outright villain.

Her love triangle with Dwight and Andy was fiendish, her hatred of Oscar was OTT, but damn did her sincerity make me laugh.

13 – Holly Flax

From the moment you meet Holly, you know she’s Michael’s soulmate.

Her and Michael have some really great chemistry, and it’s arguably the best will they / won’t they dynamic of the show because their relationship was so turbulent!

12 – Ryan Howard

Ryan was billed as one of the main characters in the first half of the series, so it’s weird how he fizzled out in the final few seasons.

He undergoes some of the most dramatic and hilarious character arcs in the series, but he could be a little snooty and uncaring at points.

Dundie Award Winners

11 – Stanley Hudson

I was originally indifferent towards Stanley, the grumpy old man of the office, but the more time we spent with him the more I grew to love him.

His general tiredness and distain for his job is possibly the most relatable thing in the series, and his Florida Stanley persona was the peak of his character.

10 – Andy Bernard

Andy was originally a contender for top five in this list, but his decline in the last few seasons – and the final few episodes especially – knocked him down a few places.

He starts off as a weird side character, then becomes an integral part of the comedy with his amazing mannerisms and personality, then becomes a fairly underwhelming boss, and for the second half of Season 9 he becomes borderline unwatchable. That’s one helluva rollercoaster!

9 – Darryl Philbin

Darryl was a bit of a sleeper hit for The Office – he starts out as an unassuming warehouse worker, a borderline extra, but as he got given more lines and stories audiences realised how funny he was.

He blended into the core cast of characters so well after his promotion, and I like how he always had a unique perspective on the situation.

8 – Kevin Malone

A lot of times I feel TV shows always fumble in the ‘stupid character does dumb things’ department, but Kevin was endearing enough for me to like him.

He can be downright braindead at times, but at least his stupidity is fairly consistent across the series – and it’s always hilarious.

7 – Erin Hannon

Erin was a relatively late addition to the cast, joining at the end of Season 5 and fully ingratiating with the office in Season 6, but I loved her quirky personality immediately.

He naivety and unwavering joy was always so much fun to watch, and she ended up having some of the most heart-warming moments in the series.

Employees Of The Month

6 – Toby Flenderson

He hardly ever said something funny, but Toby’s presence alone was enough to elevate any scene.

Michael’s hatred of him is legendary, and any episode that involves their one-sided feud was instantly a classic.

5 – Creed Bratton

The perfect small doses character, Creed didn’t have many lines but when he spoke you knew it was about to be gold.

I can’t think of a single unfunny thing he ever said or did – whether he’s forgetting names or listing off all his crimes to the camera, I was always cracking up.

4 – Jim Halpert

The straight man of the office, and one half of arguably the greatest sitcom love story of all time.

Jim Halpert hardly ever had the funny zinger or outrageous storyline, but he was consistently reliable and relatable.

3 – Pam Beesly

The other half of the greatest sitcom love story, and the beating heart of the entire show.

Pam’s transition from impassive wallflower to driven professional is a sight to behold, and a lot of the show’s emotional moments revolve around her.

Office GOATs

2 – Dwight Schrute

One of the best changes the creators made from the UK to US versions of The Office was turning the Dwight character from a social oddity to an outright maniac.

He’s always entertaining, he has some of the best backstory and character development in the series, and he packs in a great deal of emotion too.

1 – Michael Scott

Season 1 Michael Scott isn’t to everyone’s tastes, but once the writers made him a lovable underdog from Season 2 onwards he became one of the best sitcom characters ever.

Steve Carell was the master of facial expression and line delivery, and all of Michael’s hapless plans and childish outbursts left me in stitches. The best worst boss I never had.

Aaand that’s my list! Happy New Year, and you can check out some of my latest blog posts below: