Who would have thought that a documentary series on the daily life of workers in a paper company would be such a hit? But it was. The Office premiered in 2005 and was renewed for a total of 9 seasons, ending in 2013. The American sitcom was made under NBC and was redesigned for American audiences from the original which is a British series of the same name. produced by the BBC.
In the series, a film crew follows the workers of a fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper company based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, covering their mutual relationships in the office. The Office premiered on March 24, 2005 on NBC and after its premiere the first season received mixed reviews. However, four seasons later and everyone was excited about the show. Its nine seasons constitute 201 seasons with the last episode airing on May 16, 2013.
The show brings together many stars and improv actors such as Steve Carell, Jenna Fischer, John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Angela Kinsey and so many others. The look of the ensemble roster continued to change over the course of the season, with the likes of Steve Carell and BJ Novak moving from lead roles to appearances on the season finale.
So who are The Office set and characters and where are they now?
Roles and personas in the office: where are they now?
Steve Carell – Michael Scott
One of the biggest names in distribution is Steve Carell, who represents Michael Scott, regional manager of the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in Scranton. One of Michael’s defining traits is his often misunderstood and misinterpreted sense of humor, which has too often led him to the backlash of his employees and superiors. He was the show’s central character until season 7, when he left to start his own paper company. He made guest appearances in the ninth and final season, earning him a total of 139 episodes.
Steve Carell has been around since 1991 and has been very busy since he left. The Office in 2011. He has voiced Gru in the Despicable Me films since 2010. In 2018, he appeared in three films: Beautiful Voice, Vice, and Welcome to Marwen. Carell received her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2016.
Rainn Wilson- Dwight Schrute
Wilson is one of only seven of the cast members who have appeared in the show’s 188 episodes. He plays Dwight Schrute, who is portrayed as a high-ranking salesman and assistant to Steve Carrell’s character, Michael Scott. Dwight is also an avid businessman who loves the American justice system and has an interest in martial arts. Although he’s always wanted a leadership position at Dunder Mifflin, Schrute clearly lacks the people skills and people intelligence required to fulfill the role exemplified by his rivalry with Jim Halpert. He is eventually offered to regional management on a permanent basis in the season finale.
Rainn Wilson has been around since the late 1990s. He has been involved in a multitude of television and film projects, as well as theater productions. Aside from his stellar portrayal on The Office which earned him three Emmy nominations, the actor, director, screenwriter and producer has appeared in more than 50 television projects. Most recently, he’s been on Star Trek: Discovery (2017), Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017); and The Mega (2018).
John Krasinski – Jim Halpert
Krasinski’s character, Jim Halpert is a calm, composed and smart sales rep at the Scranton branch. He then became assistant regional director, co-manager, then regional director for a brief time. Halpert starts dating, then gets married and starts a family with Pam Beesly, a receptionist at the office, starting in the fourth season. His job as a sales representative ends in the last season.
John Krasinski’s acting career has only progressed since The Office. He received a plethora of nominations and awards – over 20 of them – from different organizations and award ceremonies such as the Primetime Emmy Awards, Teen Choice Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Awards. Some of his popular films include Dreamgirls (2006); It’s Complicated (2009); The Muppets (2011); and most recently A Quiet Place, and Jack Ryan in 2018. Time also featured John on their 2018 list of 100 Most Influential People in the World.
Jenna Fischer – Pam Beesly
Aside from being Jim Halpert’s love interest, Jenna’s character started out as an introverted, simple, and laid-back receptionist at the stationery store. Although she remains amiable, Pam begins to learn to be assertive as her roles within the company evolve from receptionist to saleswoman to office administrator.
Jenna Fischer started acting in 1998 with the film Canal 493. She had already participated in about 13 television projects, including Case classified (2004) and LolliLove (2005). Besides The Office, Fischer has also been involved in a series of projects with cast members such as Krasinski and Carell, the latter of whom also wrote the introduction to her first published work. The Actor’s Life: A Survival Guide. The book was published in 2017.
BJ Novak – Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard is hired as a temp on the show’s opening episode. From the start. He is clearly dissatisfied with his job at Dunder Mifflin and dislikes his relationship with his boss, Michael Scott. This disdain for his boss later spreads to other employees when he is hired on a permanent basis. He begins to become increasingly nonchalant, divisive, and egotistical as the series progresses. At some point in Season 4, he is arrested for defrauding and misleading shareholders by posting fictitious sales figures.
Novak is also the show’s co-writer, director, and co-executive producer. He played Howard for 168 episodes of its nine seasons. A Harvard graduate, Novak first dabbled in comedy and was discovered by Greg Daniels, who would later tie him up in the show’s cast. Novak is good friends with the other band members, especially John Krasinski, who was his high school buddy. Novak has been in other films such as Unaccompanied Minors (2006); The Internship (2013); The Amazing Spiderman 2 (2014); and The Founder (2016).
In 2013 he signed a publishing contract under which he published three books. His latest writing The Alphabet Book Without Pictures was published in 2017.
Angela Kinsey – Angela Martin
Another character from all episodes, Angela Martin. Unlike the other characters who preceded Angela on this list, she is in no way a replica of the British sitcom equivalent, but an original from the American adaptation. She’s easily the coldest character on the show. Angela’s lack of humor and disdain for her co-workers is clearly visible throughout the show. She is particularly very opposed to any flirting, display of emotion or slacking off in the office. That’s why she puts Pam Beesly and Jim Halpert at the top of her hate list because of their office romance. She is responsible for accounting for the Dunder Mifflin branch in Scranton.
Kinsey has worked with some of the cast from The Office on other film sets. She worked alongside BJ Novak on the set of the 2007 film License to Sea. Angela previously worked as an intern for NBC. Late night with Conan O’Brien and took improv lessons when she moved to Los Angeles. After the series ended, Angela put her enhanced acting portfolio to good use. The actress has since appeared in several films, including eight (3 films and 4 television appearances) in 2018.
Phyllis Smith – Phyllis Vance
Like Angela Kinsey, Phyllis Smith plays a character with the same first name as her real one. Phyllis Vance is a sweet woman with a maternal appearance and nature. She’s a sales clerk at the company and enjoys talking occasionally with almost everyone except Angela Martin. She went to high school with her boss, Michael Smith, but the two are never on good terms, as Michael takes almost every opportunity to berate her.
Phyllis Smith hasn’t done many movies. Besides The Office, her most well-known work came in 2015 when she played the voice role of Sadness, a character in the animated film Inside Out. Since 2016, she regularly plays the role of Betty Broderick-Allen within Netflix. The OA.
Mindy Kaling – Kelly Kapoor
Kelly Kapoor is the office chatterbox and can be described as a teenager in an adult body. She is often seen throughout the series talking about mostly trivial topics that would excite a younger demographic. Kapoor is an Indian American who is the product of an arranged marriage with three other sisters.
Mindy Kaling played Kapoor in a recurring role in the first two seasons, she moved into the regular season in the third installment and was invited to appear in the season finale. Since the show, she has developed an enviable portfolio with roles in Inside Out (2015), alongside Phyllis Smith; Wreck-It Ralph (2012); A Wrinkle in Time (2018) alongside Oprah Winfrey; and Ocean’s 8 (2018) alongside Sandra Bullock, Anne Hathaway and Rihanna.
How can you watch online?
Since the series’ unconventional approach has been such a hit, it’s not inconceivable that there are myriad ways and platforms to watch the series online.
The most popular online streaming alternativesNetflix, Amazon Prime, DirecTV and on the NBC website. There are other platforms to consider like Sidereel, TV, Daily Motion, Stan, Hotstar, and Lightbox. However, on some of these platforms, you can only access clips and not full episodes. For others, like Netflix, DirecTV, and Stan, you’ll encounter a paywall before you can access the movie, although you’ll likely have a free trial period ranging from 7 to 30 days.