Top 10 Best Characters From The Office (U.S.)

The Office (U.S.) turns a Scranton paper company into the kind of place you somehow miss, even though working there would probably destroy your will to answer a phone. You get petty rivalries, awkward meetings, workplace crushes, bizarre traditions, and enough bad management decisions to make HR quietly leave the building.

What makes the show stick with you is how specific everyone feels. The charmers have flaws, the weirdos have soft spots, and even the people you would avoid in the break room can steal a scene before the copier warms up. Dunder Mifflin is messy, ridiculous, strangely sweet, and packed with personalities that make ordinary office life feel like controlled chaos with a fax machine.

This list celebrates the characters who made Scranton worth revisiting, from the pranksters and romantics to the rule obsessives, oddballs, and human question marks who turned paper sales into comedy gold. Cast your vote for the ones you think deserve the top spot.

The Top Ten

Michael Scott

Michael Gary Scott is a fictional character from the NBC television series The Office. He is portrayed by Steve Carell and is based on David Brent from the original British version of the show. Michael is known for his often inappropriate behavior, but also for his earnest attempts to connect with his... read more

Michael was such an oblivious individual. He was obnoxious and got in the way of his coworkers. But as the series went on, he became endearing and sweet. He was hilarious and fun. Everyone grew to love him.
He was the core of the show, and it didn't feel the same when he left. I hoped throughout those two seasons he was gone that he would come back. I'm so happy he came back in the final episode.
I really liked him and Holly together because she was the only one who really got his sense of humor. She liked all the same things as him. She got all his references. I also like how she knew when to stop though, something Michael needed a lot of help with.
His antics with Dwight were ridiculously funny and I smiled almost every time Michael was on screen. It's kind of funny how I really hated him in the beginning and got really pissed off, but then I grew to appreciate him. I just love his character so much. I hope that there is an Office reboot and that Steve Carell is a part of it.
Dwight Schrute

"Whenever I'm about to do something, I think, 'Would an idiot do that?' And if they would, I do not do that thing."
"Who is Justice Beaver?"
"I love catching people in the act. That's why I always whip open doors."
"'R' is among the most menacing of sounds. That's why they call it 'murder' and not 'mukduk.'"
"When someone smiles at me, all I see is a chimpanzee begging for its life."
"You better learn your rules. If you don't, you'll be eaten in your sleep."
"Why are all these people here? There's too many people on this earth. We need a new plague."
"In the end, the greatest snowball isn't a snowball at all. It's fear. Merry Christmas."
"All you need is love. False. The four basic human necessities are air, water, food, and shelter."
"I am ready to face any challenge that might be foolish enough to face me."
"To avoid illness, expose yourself to germs, enabling your immune system to develop antibodies. I don't know why everyone doesn't do this. Maybe they have something against living forever."
"In an ideal world, I would have all ten fingers on my left hand, and the right one would just be left for punching."
"Security in this office park is a joke. Last year I came to work with my spud gun in a duffel bag. I sat at my desk all day with a rifle that shoots potatoes at 60 pounds per square inch. Can you imagine if I was deranged?"
"I don't believe you, continue."
"I overslept. Damn rooster didn't crow."
"You couldn't handle my undivided attention."
"I saw 'Wedding Crashers' accidentally. I bought a ticket for 'Grizzly Man' and went into the wrong theater. After an hour, I figured I was in the wrong theater but I kept waiting. Cause that's the thing about bear attacks... they come when you least expect it."
"I am faster than 80% of all snakes."
Jim Halpert

James Duncan Halpert is a fictional character in the U.S. version of the television sitcom The Office, portrayed by John Krasinski. Jim is known for his witty personality, frequent pranks on coworker Dwight Schrute, and his romantic relationship with Pam Beesly. The series aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013... read more

I really enjoy the edge Jim always seems to have over Dwight with regard to pranks. This kind of faded through the later seasons, and while it was good to see Jim's character fleshed out a little more, I missed watching him prank Dwight for Pam's amusement.

He's amazing. He plays the straight man in the series, often a very challenging role, especially in an ensemble comedy, but he is able to make me laugh every time.

I LOVE Jim! Watching him mess with Dwight is what made me like the show in the first place. He is the perfect combination of funny and sweet.
Pam Beesly

I bonded the most with Pam over the show. I absolutely don't understand the criticism towards her here. Maybe more down-to-earth than Jim, Pam sees some of the greatest development throughout the show.
To sum it up, I'll just quote Michael: "I would never say this to her face, but she's a wonderful person and a gifted artist."
And that's coming from the guy at number one. There are so many memorable moments with her: her rant at beach day, talking back and forth with Jim when they were out of sync, her not wanting to have the baby because she was scared, her animating the ending of the Dunder Mifflin ad, the beloved romantic development she had with Jim, the incentive she gave to watch the show early on, when Michael hugged her at the art gallery, the panning to her drawing at the end of the show, which is enough to make a man cry. All of this wouldn't be possible without Pam.
Michael cherished her, Dwight said she was his best friend, and Jim literally loved her. If Michael is the funny boss, Dwight the weirdo worker, and Jim the relatable prankster, Pam is the lovable artist heading the office and she absolutely deserves her spot here.
Creed Bratton

Gabe: I have conducted my investigation and the leak was Andy.
Andy: Based on what?
Gabe: Oh, I don't know, just all the evidence. It just really seems like it was you.
Jim: I think this is unfair. We don't for sure know it was Andy.
Andy: Yeah, for all we know it could be Jim.
Pam: It could be even you, Gabe.
CREED: Ok, I think we can say it was either Gabe or Angela... It was Angela! Get her, boys!

Creed feels like a dude who wandered in off the street and got a job without anybody noticing. His "experiences" are mesmerizing, completely random, and make me laugh every single time.
Kevin Malone

Kevin is by far the funniest character in the entire show. His facial expressions never fail to make me fall out of my chair laughing. The fact that he has no filter and just says whatever is on his mind results in some extremely funny moments.
One of the best moments of the entire show might have been when he dropped the chili in season 5. Kevin is one of the funniest characters I have ever seen in any TV show, and he deserves to be WAY higher on this list than #7!

Just plain awesome, that's Kevin! His expressionless faces and his lack of reaction when Michael said to him, "You could live without arms and legs because you do nothing, Kevin." And during Dwight's fire drill in Stress Relief Pt. 1, I just completely died of laughter as he smashed the vending machine and ransacked it. Kevin is simply the best character on The Office, hands down!
Andy Bernard

I was trying to think of my favorite Office character before settling on Andy Bernard. They turned him into a complete jerk in season 9, but looking past that (and pretending that season 9 never happened in this case), he truly had one of the more heartwarming arcs.
He started out as a bit of a jerk, but then became a new man, and a funnier man. He then turned into a very likable character when he fell in love with Erin, which was one of the better relationships in The Office. And then, when Michael left, he became a great boss. After that, everything kind of fell apart, to be honest.

Andy's easily one of the most likable characters after Michael leaves. Jim is great, but Andy's much more of a complex character in the show. The writers put so much effort into Andy and everything that happened to him as a whole.
Andy and Erin's relationship was great, and the office was at a turnover once he became regional manager. He's like a mixture of Michael, Dwight, and Jim all at once. He's great and, in my opinion, the best character.
Stanley Hudson

Stanley doesn't take crap, but I enjoy that he works for his family and retirement. I love how he looks forward to crosswords and Pretzel Day, and all he really cares about is working for a life where he doesn't have to work. I also love it when he goes off on people. It's a beautiful thing.

"Every day, I wake up in a bed that's too small, drive my daughter to a school that's too expensive, and then go to work at a job where I get paid too little. But on pretzel day... well, I like pretzel day." Possibly the best line from The Office.
Erin Hannon

Erin is the one character who is actually nice to others. She is so sweet and hard-working. I think the relationship she has with Michael is better than the relationship he had with Pam.
She is also really interesting and one of the more fleshed-out characters in the show. Plus, she's hilarious.
And with that, I will end this comment with this quote by the one and only Erin Hannon:
"I don't know if Michael likes Gabe that much, but there's this thing on Glee called a mashup where you take two things that don't go together and they make a great song. Take Gabe, take Michael, you get 'Gaymike'."

I adore her father-daughter relationship with Michael. She is caring and funny! They did need a new receptionist. Pam is great but was getting a bit boring sometimes.
Darryl Philbin

I respect Darryl for all the crap he puts up with. Him getting his own office upstairs is one of my favorite moments in the series, and I'm glad Jo Bennett noticed Darryl's potential.
Darryl takes his work seriously as well, and I really enjoy the friendship he strikes up with Andy.

Remember in the Rabies Awareness episode? They were talking about rabies, and Darryl was feeding that squirrel. And Darryl was like, "He's so happy!" That's why he is my favorite.

Yeah, Darryl is great. He may be one of the most "normal" characters in the show, but I think his dexterity and dry sense of humor really balance out the show.

The Newcomers

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Ted Kassar
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Cathy Simms

The Contenders

Angela Martin

Angela is actually so funny. I find myself dying of laughter every time she says a line. She is extremely blunt with people, making her hilarious, and every sentence she says is exactly to the point and concise. She is SO funny.

"There is poop raining from the ceiling! Poop!" Angela's sense of humor was different, but it was one of the funniest. I loved seeing her relationship with Dwight.

I don't really know why I like her so much, but she is definitely my favorite.
Toby Flenderson

To me, he's the only decent human being in the show, and everyone hates him just for being a reasonable person. (I'm right around where he moved to Costa Rica.)

If I had two bullets and I was in a room with Hitler, Bin Laden, and Toby, I would shoot Toby twice.

If it were up to Michael, I suspect Toby would be at the very bottom.
Kelly Kapoor

"Ryan used me as an object" is the best line from The Office ever.

"Do you have a question, Kelly?"
"I have a lot of questions. How dare you?"
Oscar Martinez

Oscar is one of my favorite characters, and extremely underrated. I love his friendship with Kevin, his interactions, and his personality. I love that he is smart and I love his snarky remarks.
While the character arc with the senator portrayed Oscar in a bad light, I still adore this character. He should be rated higher on this list.

I have a lot of respect for Oscar, as he is one of the only characters who really takes his job seriously. He's an underdog type, very smart, and overqualified for accounting.
Ryan Howard

Because Ryan started the fire.

Ryan should be WAY higher. He is so funny. I like him in "The Injury."

He slightly resembles BJ Novak, the guy who created the show. I wonder why.
Holly Flax

She's truly Michael's soulmate, even if she sometimes tries too hard to be like him, which isn't necessary and sometimes annoying. She seems a little insecure and strange sometimes.

A beautiful character that makes Michael so much funnier and brings a nice sense of humor to the office. Also, enough of Toby. Jeez, just thinking about him makes me vomit.

Michael's wife and the best girl out of all the girls Michael's dated.
Mose Schrute

The way he runs and never says much is hilarious. Also, the one time he put Angela in the trunk of his car is funny.

Love Mose, particularly the scene in the background where he hit Andy in the head with the football.

I like how Mose runs away after he gets caught.
David Wallace

After Dwight, Michael, and Creed, it should be David. Jim and Pam are funny because there's Dwight. Oscar is noticeable because of Kevin. I'd vote for Karen over Pam anytime. Andy is an awkward character. Erin is extremely dumb to watch.
Phyllis Lapin

Definitely the most underrated character! You have to pay attention to her facial expressions!

She is probably the least appreciated character on the show. She is amazing.
Nellie Bertram
Meredith Palmer

Definitely lost quite an amount of brain cells to alcohol, to say the least.

How is Meredith 42nd? She and Creed are the funniest!
Robert California

Okay, so not a lot of appreciation for Robert California on this page. Well, Robert really made a difference to me! With Michael gone, they needed someone to make the show just as weird and unpredictable, which he did, but in a different way. Actually, I think he was way more unpredictable than Michael in the sense that you always knew when Michael was going to do something stupid, but you never knew when Robert was going to have a stroke of genius. Well, he is actually a genius.
By the way, am I the only one who caught the reference when he said to Andy, "You don't even know my real name. I'm the Lizard King"? This could be a reference to the conspiracy theory that a lot of the world's most powerful people are, well, lizard aliens. I don't personally believe in this, but hey, maybe one of the show's writers came in to work blazed or something.
Nevertheless, Robert California is the S***.
Karen Filippelli

Could have had a lot more impact and been sophisticated and interesting, but she mostly seems like just another person existing.

Very underused character, unfortunately.

She and Jim were really good together too.
Jan Levinson

Sheer genius - plays the straight-laced boss brilliantly and then transforms the character into a sex-crazed, slightly insane dominatrix-type partner. I bet she had real fun playing the role.

I found the dinner party hilarious, with Jan playing off her issues with the guests and Michael.
Todd Packer

How does he have such great reviews? He is known for making the show terrible! That's what he is supposed to do!

Easily the funniest character on the show. I can't remember a time when he was on screen that I wasn't laughing my ass off.

This guy goes all out with his little moments in the show. #GreatCharacter