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Changed line(s) 92 (click to see context) from:
* TheIllegible: Michael has terrible handwriting. In "Company Picnic," he reads his love note to Holly and refers to them as "soup snakes."
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* TheIllegible: Michael has such terrible handwriting.handwriting that even HE sometimes struggles to decipher it. In "Company Picnic," he reads his love note to Holly and refers to them as "soup snakes."
Changed line(s) 135 (click to see context) from:
* TeenyWeenie: Michael Scott is many things, but according to Pam (who accidentally walked in on him while he was changing clothes at one point) and the warehouse crew, well-endowed is definitely not one of them.
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* TeenyWeenie: Michael Scott is many things, but according to Pam (who accidentally walked in on him while he was changing clothes at one point) and the warehouse crew, well-endowed well endowed is definitely not one of them.
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* LethallyStupid: His antics in the warehouse fall under this category. Aside from more mundane dangerous activities such as pushing a ladder out from under someone for the sake of a joke, he absolutely ''refuses'' to accept that the heavy machinery are not toys, and that he cannot and ''should'' not use them. Even when told in no uncertain terms directly to his face, multiple times.
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** He and Holly take this UpToEleven as a couple.
Changed line(s) 35,36 (click to see context) from:
* ButNowIMustGo: He gets engaged with Holly and he moves to Boulder, Colorado to live with her.
* BuxomIsBetter: Michael rarely misses a chance to remind people he likes big boobs, and two of his "cons" about Jan were that her chest was "nothing to write home about" and she was lacking in "chesticles."
* BuxomIsBetter: Michael rarely misses a chance to remind people he likes big boobs, and two of his "cons" about Jan were that her chest was "nothing to write home about" and she was lacking in "chesticles."
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* ButNowIMustGo: He gets engaged with to Holly and he moves to Boulder, Colorado to live with her.
* BuxomIsBetter: Michael rarely misses a chance to remind people he likes big boobs, and two of his "cons" about Jan were that her chest was "nothing to write home about" and she was lacking in "chesticles."" Jan is well aware of this and gets a boob job in an attempt to win him back ([[spoiler: and it works, at least for a little while]]).
* BuxomIsBetter: Michael rarely misses a chance to remind people he likes big boobs, and two of his "cons" about Jan were that her chest was "nothing to write home about" and she was lacking in "chesticles.
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Changed line(s) 132 (click to see context) from:
* StepfordSmiler: He likes to act as the funny guy who's always joking around but he's actually a deeply lonely man who DesperatelyCravesAffection.
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* StepfordSmiler: He likes to act as the funny guy who's always joking around but he's actually a deeply lonely man who DesperatelyCravesAffection.DesperatelyCravesAffection (at least until he meets his "soup snake", Holly).
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Changed line(s) 110 (click to see context) from:
** In another episode, he comments that a red wine he was drinking had kind of an "oaky afterbirth"(he HOPEFULLY meant to say "afterTASTE").
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** In another episode, he comments that a red wine he was drinking had kind of an "oaky afterbirth"(he afterbirth" (he HOPEFULLY meant to say "afterTASTE").
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Changed line(s) 110 (click to see context) from:
** In another episode, he comments that a red wine he was drinking had kind of an [[Squick "oaky afterbirth"]] (he HOPEFULLY meant to say "afterTASTE").
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** In another episode, he comments that a red wine he was drinking had kind of an [[Squick "oaky afterbirth"]] (he afterbirth"(he HOPEFULLY meant to say "afterTASTE").
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Changed line(s) 109,110 (click to see context) from:
* {{Malaproper}}: Often he uses the wrong word in a common phrase - for example in one episode he opens a casino for charity in the Warehouse; stating that he considers himself "a great [[YouKeepUsingThatWord philanderer]]". [[note]]He means "philanthropist".[[/note]]
** In another episode, he comments that a red wine he was drinking had kind of an "oaky afterbirth".
** In another episode, he comments that a red wine he was drinking had kind of an "oaky afterbirth".
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* {{Malaproper}}: Often he uses the wrong word in a common phrase - for example in one episode he opens a casino for charity in the Warehouse; stating that he considers himself "a great [[YouKeepUsingThatWord philanderer]]". [[note]]He means "philanthropist". Though, considering the amount of girlfriends and casual hookups Michael has throughout the show, the former isn't really THAT far off base.[[/note]]
** In another episode, he comments that a red wine he was drinking had kind of an [[Squick "oakyafterbirth".afterbirth"]] (he HOPEFULLY meant to say "afterTASTE").
** In another episode, he comments that a red wine he was drinking had kind of an [[Squick "oaky
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* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Compared to David Brent, his UK counterpart: David is a MeanBoss with a genuinely nasty and self-centered attitude, while Michael is more of a well-meaning StupidBoss.
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Changed line(s) 134 (click to see context) from:
* TwoFirstNames: His first and last name can both be used as a given name for a male. He shares this trait with his British counterpart David Brent.
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* TwoFirstNames: His first and last name can both be used as a given name for a male. He shares this trait with his British counterpart counterpart, David Brent.
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** A deleted scene from Fun Run takes this to an extreme- Michael seeks treatment from his PEDIATRICIAN for dehydration (even in the aired version he is shown with a sucker in his mouth).
* TeenyWeenie: Michael Scott is many things, but according to Pam (who accidentally walked in on him while he was changing clothes at one point) and the warehouse crew, well-endowed is definitely not one of them.
Changed line(s) 132 (click to see context) from:
* TwoFirstNames: His first and last name can both be used as a given name for a male.
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* TwoFirstNames: His first and last name can both be used as a given name for a male. He shares this trait with his British counterpart David Brent.
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Changed line(s) 20 (click to see context) from:
* Adorkable: When someone is friendly to Michael just because, he falls into this trope. There is absolutely no agenda when it comes down to Michael Scott.
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* Adorkable: {{Adorkable}}: When someone is friendly to Michael just because, he falls into this trope. There is absolutely no agenda when it comes down to Michael Scott.
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* Adorkable: When someone is friendly to Michael just because, he falls into this trope. There is absolutely no agenda when it comes down to Michael Scott.
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* NotSoDifferent: Despite Michael hating Toby and the two men being polar opposites, they are both very insecure, lonely and socially awkward and have struggled romantically.
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Changed line(s) 107 (click to see context) from:
* {{Malaproper}}: Occasionally he uses the wrong word - for example in one episode he opens a casino for charity in the Warehouse; stating that he considers himself "a great [[YouKeepUsingThatWord philanderer]]". [[note]]He means "philanthropist".[[/note]]
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* {{Malaproper}}: Occasionally Often he uses the wrong word in a common phrase - for example in one episode he opens a casino for charity in the Warehouse; stating that he considers himself "a great [[YouKeepUsingThatWord philanderer]]". [[note]]He means "philanthropist".[[/note]]
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** In another episode, he comments that a red wine he was drinking had kind of an "oaky afterbirth".
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* TheAce: At sales. It's mentioned several times that his sales record at Dunder Mifflin is virtually untouchable.
Changed line(s) 129 (click to see context) from:
* UltimateJobSecurity: Played with constantly. Many of his antics are seen as counter-productive and a drain on the company's resources and it's noted on several occasions that his job consists mainly of a few minor administrative tasks (which he still manages to struggle with). His job is under threat on more than one occasion during series and several of his bosses at corporate admonish him over his lack of responsibility. However it's shown on several occasions (notably in "The Client", "Initiation" and "Golden Ticket") that Michael is responsible for singlehandedly pulling in some of the company's biggest clients and his office is probably the most unified of all the branches making him far too valuable to the company to let go. Significantly, Michael only ever leaves the company of his own volition.
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* UltimateJobSecurity: Played with constantly. Many of his antics are seen as counter-productive and a drain on the company's resources and it's noted on several occasions that his job consists mainly of a few minor administrative tasks (which he still manages to struggle with). His job is under threat on more than one occasion during the series and several of his bosses at corporate admonish him over his lack of responsibility. However it's shown on several occasions (notably in "The Client", "Initiation" and "Golden Ticket") that Michael is responsible for singlehandedly pulling in some of the company's biggest clients and his office is probably the most unified of all the branches making him far too valuable to the company to let go. Significantly, Michael only ever leaves the company of his own volition.
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** He can be surprisingly crafty when he really wants something. After Jim and Pam turn down his offer to have dinner at his place too many times under the pretense of prior plans, he pretends everyone has to work late one night so they can't make plans, "angrily tells off" corporate that night and sends everyone home, then asks Jim again and reminds him that he didn't have any plans. Forced to say yes, Jim admits to the documentary crew it was a clever plan.
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** During one wedding, he even tried to make ''a man in a wheelchair standing up and walking his daughter down the aisle'' about himself.
Changed line(s) 32 (click to see context) from:
* BuxomIsBetter: Michael rarely misses a chance to remind people he likes big boobs, and one of his "cons" about Jan was that her chest was "nothing to write home about".
to:
* BuxomIsBetter: Michael rarely misses a chance to remind people he likes big boobs, and one two of his "cons" about Jan was were that her chest was "nothing to write home about".about" and she was lacking in "chesticles."
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Changed line(s) 91 (click to see context) from:
* ItsAllAboutMe: It's not that Michael doesn't care about other people... it's just that he has problems grasping the idea that not everything has to be about him. Early on, he's actually unsure of what "open-mindedness" means.
to:
* ItsAllAboutMe: It's not that Michael doesn't care about other people... it's just that he has problems grasping the idea that not everything has to be about him. If a situation centers on someone else, he'll immediately try to grab the attention or at least share the spotlight, no matter how inappropriate it is. Early on, he's actually unsure of what "open-mindedness" means.
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Changed line(s) 91 (click to see context) from:
* ItsAllAboutMe: Early on, Michael is actually unsure of what "open-mindedness" means.
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* ItsAllAboutMe: It's not that Michael doesn't care about other people... it's just that he has problems grasping the idea that not everything has to be about him. Early on, Michael is he's actually unsure of what "open-mindedness" means.
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* LargeHam: He's known for his immature, erratic and excitable goofiness or he feels passionate about something, like his job or his extreme hatred for Toby.
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* ExtremeDoormat: He wants to be beloved by his office workers and to that end he regularly brushes off almost every major and minor rule infraction committed by them, such as Jim's many pranks against Dwight or the time Dwight started a fire in the office to test the office's emergency preparedness. When he does need to discipline a worker he will be as indirect as he possibly can, as seen when Stanley openly disrespected him during a meeting and Michael spent the entire episode trying to not to chastise him and starts crying when he finally has to.
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Changed line(s) 93 (click to see context) from:
->'''Jim:''' Say what you will about Michael Scott, but he would never do that.
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Changed line(s) 34,35 (click to see context) from:
* CannotKeepASecret: Whether it's Jim's crush on Pam, Oscar being gay, or news that the branch is closing, Michael is incapable of keeping a secret for more than ten minutes, often by dropping incredibly obvious hints within earshot of others.
** And on the other hand, will never mention some things that he really should earlier because he sees them as unimportant or is trying to keep people from worrying (when regardless they should know what's going on).
** And on the other hand, will never mention some things that he really should earlier because he sees them as unimportant or is trying to keep people from worrying (when regardless they should know what's going on).
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* CannotKeepASecret: Whether it's Jim's crush on Pam, Oscar being gay, or news that the branch is closing, Michael is incapable of keeping a secret for more than ten minutes, often by dropping incredibly obvious hints within earshot of others.
** And onothers. On the other hand, will never mention some things that he really should earlier because he sees them as unimportant or is trying to keep people from worrying (when regardless they should know what's going on).
** And on
Changed line(s) 47,48 (click to see context) from:
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: There are a couple of times when he is genuinely angry, and dear Lord, he can be terrifying when that happens. The shift is big enough to get a just as angry Stanley to back down. He also shows an outright awesome level of negotiating skills when his fledgling paper company comes at odds with the new Dunder Mifflin management. Up until this point, he'd bumbled his way through every negotiation attempt, but then he suddenly demonstrates enough business acumen to completely rock David Wallace's resolve.
** To achieve this, he often needs to be backed into a corner before it comes out. When he and Pam quit, he was mess throughout the day while Pam had to get him to even get dressed. It wasn't until near the end, after he'd hired Ryan despite her protests, they failed to get financial backing, and finally Pam was near tears realizing what'd she'd given up to follow him, that Michael finally calmly and collectedly told Pam they'd be okay and that he would take care of it and her.
** To achieve this, he often needs to be backed into a corner before it comes out. When he and Pam quit, he was mess throughout the day while Pam had to get him to even get dressed. It wasn't until near the end, after he'd hired Ryan despite her protests, they failed to get financial backing, and finally Pam was near tears realizing what'd she'd given up to follow him, that Michael finally calmly and collectedly told Pam they'd be okay and that he would take care of it and her.
to:
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: There are a couple of times when he is genuinely angry, and dear Lord, he can be terrifying when that happens. The shift is big enough to get a just as angry Stanley to back down. He also shows an outright awesome level of negotiating skills when his fledgling paper company comes at odds with the new Dunder Mifflin management. Up until this point, he'd bumbled his way through every negotiation attempt, but then he suddenly demonstrates enough business acumen to completely rock David Wallace's resolve.
**resolve. To achieve this, he often needs to be backed into a corner before it comes out. When he and Pam quit, he was mess throughout the day while Pam had to get him to even get dressed. It wasn't until near the end, after he'd hired Ryan despite her protests, they failed to get financial backing, and finally Pam was near tears realizing what'd she'd given up to follow him, that Michael finally calmly and collectedly told Pam they'd be okay and that he would take care of it and her.
**
Changed line(s) 58 (click to see context) from:
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Some of his more lucid moments have Michael realizing that he doesn't receive the respect that is due to him by merit of his position if nothing else. Such moments are typically staggering enough to his normal behavior that he tends to act like a man with his job would normally, and as such, have a few [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome moments of awesome]].
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* DudeWheresMyRespect: DudeWheresMyRespect:
** Some of his more lucid moments have Michael realizing that he doesn't receive the respect that is due to him by merit of his position if nothing else. Such moments are typically staggering enough to his normal behavior that he tends to act like a man with his job would normally, and as such, have a few [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome moments of awesome]].
** Some of his more lucid moments have Michael realizing that he doesn't receive the respect that is due to him by merit of his position if nothing else. Such moments are typically staggering enough to his normal behavior that he tends to act like a man with his job would normally, and as such, have a few [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome moments of awesome]].
Changed line(s) 69,70 (click to see context) from:
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Not as much as Dwight or Andy but he does fit the criteria for Proximity, Pity, Supervision, and the rare Caring. The other workers hold an ''immense'' dislike for his antics and somewhat dread any social involvement with him. This does diminish throughout the series, partly because they become aware of why he is like this and his HiddenDepths, and partly because other managers tend to show them Michael is certainly not the worst person they could work for.
** Early in the show, of the whole office he was the only one not invited to Jim's party (even Dwight was invited).
** Early in the show, of the whole office he was the only one not invited to Jim's party (even Dwight was invited).
to:
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Not as much as Dwight or Andy but he does fit the criteria for Proximity, Pity, Supervision, and the rare Caring. The other workers hold an ''immense'' dislike for his antics and somewhat dread any social involvement with him. This does diminish throughout the series, partly because they become aware of why he is like this and his HiddenDepths, and partly because other managers tend to show them Michael is certainly not the worst person they could work for.
**for. Early in the show, of the whole office he was the only one not invited to Jim's party (even Dwight was invited).
**
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Changed line(s) 35 (click to see context) from:
* CannotTellAJoke: Well, he can tell them reasonably well in the right conditions (as seen in "The Client"), he just can't come up with good ones himself or reliably tell one when put on the spot.
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** And on the other hand, will never mention some things that he really should earlier because he sees them as unimportant or is trying to keep people from worrying (when regardless they should know what's going on).
* CannotTellAJoke: Well, he can tell them reasonably well in the right conditions (as seen in "The Client"), he just can't come up with good ones himself or reliably tell one when put on the spot. Even when he can tell it right, he immediately goes overboard and will try the same joke again and again long after if it was funny.
* CannotTellAJoke: Well, he can tell them reasonably well in the right conditions (as seen in "The Client"), he just can't come up with good ones himself or reliably tell one when put on the spot. Even when he can tell it right, he immediately goes overboard and will try the same joke again and again long after if it was funny.
** To achieve this, he often needs to be backed into a corner before it comes out. When he and Pam quit, he was mess throughout the day while Pam had to get him to even get dressed. It wasn't until near the end, after he'd hired Ryan despite her protests, they failed to get financial backing, and finally Pam was near tears realizing what'd she'd given up to follow him, that Michael finally calmly and collectedly told Pam they'd be okay and that he would take care of it and her.
** When his "Golden Ticket" idea looked like it was going to cost the company, he let David Wallace think it was Dwight and ''then'' tried to convince Dwight that it would be in his (Dwight's) best interest to take the fall.
** Often claims this in moments when he doesn't deserve it. After the "Golden Ticket" is shown to have actually gained the company exclusive rights of a huge client - and after he had basically forced Dwight to take the fall when it was considered a terrible idea, and who was now hailed for "his" idea - he literally demanded this trope.
---> '''David Wallace:''' What is it you want?
---> '''Michael:''' I'll be honest, I would like all the credit... with none of the blame.
---> '''David Wallace:''' What is it you want?
---> '''Michael:''' I'll be honest, I would like all the credit... with none of the blame.
Changed line(s) 63 (click to see context) from:
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Not as much as Dwight or Andy but he does fit the criteria for Proximity, Pity, Supervision, and the rare Caring. The other workers hold an ''immense'' dislike for his antics and somewhat dread any social involvement with him. This does diminish throughout the series, partly because they become aware of why he is like this and his HiddenDepths, and partly because other managers tend to show them Michael is certainly not the worst person to work with.
to:
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Not as much as Dwight or Andy but he does fit the criteria for Proximity, Pity, Supervision, and the rare Caring. The other workers hold an ''immense'' dislike for his antics and somewhat dread any social involvement with him. This does diminish throughout the series, partly because they become aware of why he is like this and his HiddenDepths, and partly because other managers tend to show them Michael is certainly not the worst person to they could work with.for.
** Early in the show, of the whole office he was the only one not invited to Jim's party (even Dwight was invited).
** Early in the show, of the whole office he was the only one not invited to Jim's party (even Dwight was invited).
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Changed line(s) 56 (click to see context) from:
* EveryoneHasStandards: Noted by Jim in reaction to Josh Porter abandoning the Stamford branch by accepting a better job at Staples: not even Michael would ever do that.
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* EveryoneHasStandards: Noted by Jim in reaction to Josh Porter abandoning leveraging his position at the Stamford branch by accepting to get a better job at Staples: not even Staples, thus putting his employees (who'd thought that their jobs had been saved from the cuts) unexpectedly out work: Michael Scott, for all his faults, would ever never do that.that to his people.
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Changed line(s) 22,23 (click to see context) from:
* BabiesEverAfter: When he shows up in the finale, it's mentioned that he has two cell phones because he takes so many pictures of his kids.
** He really just wanted to do the family plan, as before he didn't have five friends for a prior plan.
** He really just wanted to do the family plan, as before he didn't have five friends for a prior plan.
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* BabiesEverAfter: Has four unnamed kids with Holly by the series finale. When he shows up in the finale, it's mentioned that he has two cell phones because he takes so many pictures of his kids.
**kids. He really just wanted to do the family plan, as before he didn't have five friends for a prior plan.
**
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Changed line(s) 1 (click to see context) from:
To return to the Character page for ''Series/TheOfficeUS'', go '''[[Characters/TheOfficeUS here]]'''.
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[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:#-F]]
[[folder:#-F]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:G-L]]
[[folder:G-L]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:M-W]]
[[folder:M-W]]
Changed line(s) 118 (click to see context) from:
* WrongGenreSavvy: Generally, what is GenreSavvy in Michael's head is actually WrongGenreSavvy in the real world, and vice versa.
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* WrongGenreSavvy: Generally, what is GenreSavvy in Michael's head is actually WrongGenreSavvy in the real world, and vice versa.versa.
[[/folder]]
[[/folder]]
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* CannotKeepASecret: Whether it's Jim's crush on Pam, Oscar being gay, or news that the branch is closing, Michael is incapable of keeping a secret for more than ten minutes, often by dropping incredibly obvious hints within earshot of others.
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To return to the Character page for ''Series/TheOfficeUS'', go '''[[Characters/TheOfficeUS here]]'''.
----
[[header:Michael Scott]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MichaelScott_6980.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me."'']]
->Played by: Creator/SteveCarell
->Seasons: 1-7, 9[[note]]"Finale"[[/note]]
Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin, Scranton.
UK counterpart: David Brent.
----
* FourOneNineScam: Michael has a habit of falling for these, to the point where Pam jokes he is "sponsoring twenty Nigerian princesses."
--> '''Michael''':" ... when the son of the deposed king of Nigeria emails you directly, asking for help, you help! His father ran the freaking country!"
* AesopAmnesia: Has a mind-boggling ability to completely forget practically every lesson he ever learns almost immediately. This finally starts to turn around when Creator/SteveCarell made his decision to leave ''The Office''.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Given [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} his personality]], [[CampStraight mannerisms]] and propensity to bumble into impossibly awkward situations, it's been theorized that he has anything from being on the Autism Spectrum to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LLfLTsiDAo Histrionic Personality Disorder]].
* AttentionWhore: Michael will even try to make someone else's wedding about him.
* BabiesEverAfter: When he shows up in the finale, it's mentioned that he has two cell phones because he takes so many pictures of his kids.
** He really just wanted to do the family plan, as before he didn't have five friends for a prior plan.
* BackForTheFinale: To be the best man (or: "bestest mensch") at Dwight's wedding.
* BenevolentBoss: He likes to think of himself as one of these (and, in all fairness, he does genuinely try), but he's so bad at it that he ends up being a StupidBoss instead. Though he comes close occasionally, even having moments where he actually is helpful. (Supporting Pam after her failed art gallery show, for instance.) Also, almost every boss that replaces him when he leaves prove themselves to be incompetent, stupid, AxCrazy or downright evil, so at the very least he is the nicest by comparison if nothing else.
* BigNo: When Toby returns, Michael loses his shit.
* BirdsOfAFeather: With Holly. Both are dorky individuals who love making jokes and doing impressions. They also can be InnocentlyInsensitive.
* BunnyEarsLawyer:
** He's the single most successful salesman in Dunder-Mifflin history, and every time we see him make a sale, he is incredibly good at pitching and selling the company's service and has a great rapport with almost all of his clients. This is why corporate had him promoted to Regional Manager, a position which he seemed to have been a perfect fit [[IncrediblyLamePun on paper]], but is largely [[ThePeterPrinciple incapable of doing properly.]]
** Due to (or despite) his strange and distracting managerial style, the Scranton branch goes from being the worst performing branch in the company at the beginning of the series, to the ''most'' successful branch by season 5.
** He is genuinely able to act as a man in his position should (as Roy's attempted attack on Jim and the watermark incident prove), it's just a matter of untangling him from his skewed beliefs enough to get him to do so.
* ButNowIMustGo: He gets engaged with Holly and he moves to Boulder, Colorado to live with her.
* BuxomIsBetter: Michael rarely misses a chance to remind people he likes big boobs, and one of his "cons" about Jan was that her chest was "nothing to write home about".
* CampStraight: He's slim and almost always wears suits, which an old video shows to have been true since he was a child. In high school, the majority of his peers assumed that he was gay due to his mannerisms and unusual interest in his appearance.
* CannotTellAJoke: Well, he can tell them reasonably well in the right conditions (as seen in "The Client"), he just can't come up with good ones himself or reliably tell one when put on the spot.
* CatchPhrase: "ThatsWhatSheSaid!"
* ChandlersLaw: He repeatedly misuses this at improv classes, on the grounds that you can't top pulling out a gun for drama.
* CharacterDevelopment:
** The later seasons have steered him back in the right direction, especially season 7, it being his last season and everything.
** He is a very calm and collected person at Dwight's wedding, showing how much his kids have matured him.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He completely lives in his own world, where things work a bit differently than they do in real life. It's what makes his attempts at being a BenevolentBoss backfire most of the time.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Often, for example when Oscar is outed as gay and Michael wonders if Gil, Oscar's "roommate" knew.
* TheCon: He mentions not being able to attend college because he lost his savings in a pyramid scheme.
* ContemplateOurNavels: Prone to this, especially in talking head segments at the end of episodes.
* CripplingOverspecialization: Experience in sales done with a few repeat clients in a highly personal manner doesn't translate into telemarketing very well since telemarketing involves rapid fire calling rather than building a personal rapport, as Michael finds out in "Money". Also a key part of his character, considering he was promoted to Regional Manager because of his sales skills, which didn't exactly convert to managerial skill in his new position.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: There are a couple of times when he is genuinely angry, and dear Lord, he can be terrifying when that happens. The shift is big enough to get a just as angry Stanley to back down. He also shows an outright awesome level of negotiating skills when his fledgling paper company comes at odds with the new Dunder Mifflin management. Up until this point, he'd bumbled his way through every negotiation attempt, but then he suddenly demonstrates enough business acumen to completely rock David Wallace's resolve.
-->'''David:''' Here's the situation. Your company is four weeks old. I know this business. I know what suppliers are charging. I know you can't be making very much money. I don't know how your prices are so low, but I know it can't keep up that way. I'm sure you're scared. Probably in debt. This is the best offer you're gonna get.
-->'''Michael:''' I'll see your situation and I'll raise you a situation. Your company is losing clients left and right. You have a stockholder meeting coming up and you're going to have to explain to them why your most profitable branch is bleeding. So they may be looking for a little change in the CFO. So [[MyDefenseNeedNotProtectMeForever I don't think I need to wait out Dunder Mifflin]], I think I just need to wait out ''you.''
** When Sabre's "sales is king" policy makes the sales staff [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism act like a bunch of cocky jerks only concerned with money]] (Phyllis even called Michael "numb-nuts"), he decided to not reward them, and instead gave the leads to the other employees, who proceeded to hide them around the office.
* DependingOnTheWriter: How much he is sympathetic or an unlikable jerk. The episodes "Dinner Party" and "Chair Model" are great examples: in the first, he is portrayed as a sympathetic man suffering from a BastardGirlfriend, while in the latter, which is the next episode, he completely ignores his employees problems, demands that they find a date for him and then insults said dates when they do not live up to his high standards.
* DesperatelyCravesAffection: This is what drives Michael to his antics in the office and why he simply can't be a boss.
* DirtyCoward: Whenever there's a fire in the office, Michael is always the first to run out, not caring how his employees are doing.
* DisabilityAsAnExcuseForJerkassery: Falls into this when he suffers from a ''very'' mild burn on his foot and ends up using a wheelchair. Throughout the episode, he acts as if it was ten times worse than Dwight getting a concussion from a car accident earlier.
* DontExplainTheJoke: He loves to subvert this trope.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Some of his more lucid moments have Michael realizing that he doesn't receive the respect that is due to him by merit of his position if nothing else. Such moments are typically staggering enough to his normal behavior that he tends to act like a man with his job would normally, and as such, have a few [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome moments of awesome]].
* EveryoneHasStandards: Noted by Jim in reaction to Josh Porter abandoning the Stamford branch by accepting a better job at Staples: not even Michael would ever do that.
* EverythingIsRacist: Especially when trying to approach Stanley, Darryl, or Oscar.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Sanguine.
* FourthDateMarriage: He's a major believer in "love at first sight" and tries to rush many of his relationships. He proposes to Carol on only their ninth date, and is soundly rejected. He eventually averts this by taking Jim's advice to slowly court Holly, whom he does have an instant connection with, and allows their friendship to slowly turn into a relationship.
* FreudianExcuse: He never experienced love or friendship growing up and attempts to have the office act as a surrogate family to compensate.
-->'''Young Michael''': When I grow up, I want to have 100 kids, so I can have 100 friends and nobody can say no to being my friend.
* FriendToAllChildren: He is very fond of children and wants to have his own kids.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Not as much as Dwight or Andy but he does fit the criteria for Proximity, Pity, Supervision, and the rare Caring. The other workers hold an ''immense'' dislike for his antics and somewhat dread any social involvement with him. This does diminish throughout the series, partly because they become aware of why he is like this and his HiddenDepths, and partly because other managers tend to show them Michael is certainly not the worst person to work with.
* FriendlessBackground: Much to his chagrin. He even states the lunch lady was his only friend in the fourth grade at school.
* GeniusDitz: For all of his incompetence, when Michael is good at something, he's ''really'' good at it. Particularly sales, ice skating, and being great with kids.
* TheGlovesComeOff: When he isn't trying to impress everyone, he's a good worker and boss. This confused Jim as he made a pie chart analysing his work schedule and shows that Michael spends more time avoiding work than actually doing it. When he does work, it's enough to keep his job. In "Did I Stutter" he lays down the law on Stanley by telling him that he finally accepts Stanley's hatred of him but regardless of the animosity, Stanley cannot speak to him in such an aggressive manner under any circumstances.
* HasAType: All his most important love interests (Jan, Carol, Holly) are blondes. He also briefly dated Pam's mom who was blonde as well.
* HiddenDepths:
** "Moroccan Christmas" shows he's great at making drinks.
** For all his faults as a boss, he's a ''fantastic'' salesman.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: One example is Kevin, who originally applied for warehouse worker. Michael hired him as an accountant because he saw something in him. He saw wrong. Another example is Todd Packer, who Michael was the only one who saw him as a friend. [[spoiler: Subverted in the episode of the same name, where Michael decides that Todd has gone far enough]].
* IdiotBall: Even for Michael, driving his car straight into a lake in ''Dunder Mifflin Infinity'' just to prove a point about technology (specifically, that the GPS that led him into the lake was unreliable) was unbelievably stupid.
* IdiotHoudini: If it was real life, he would be fired within the year, ''at most''. Or better, not be promoted at all. In ''The Office'', he manages to stay regional manager at least seven years.
* IfItsYouItsOkay: With Ryan.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: Is fond of doing this when it's grossly inappropriate. He finally gets it right when he delivers it to Gabe in regards to Erin in "Viewing Party".
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: His stated reason for becoming a salesman, and the reason why he acts the way he does.
* TheIllegible: Michael has terrible handwriting. In "Company Picnic," he reads his love note to Holly and refers to them as "soup snakes."
--> That can't be right. We're ''soul mates''.
* ImportantHaircut: In the series finale, [[spoiler:Michael's hair is very visibly graying. A minor running gag in the show that was mostly left relegated to deleted scenes was that Michael dyed his hair to appear younger. Now that he's settled down and happy, Michael doesn't need to do this anymore.]]
* InnocentBigot: He says the most insulting things to minorities such as Stanley and Oscar (the only black and Hispanic/gay persons in the office, respectively) but he constantly gets away with it because he really does mean well.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: A large component of his sense of humor. Made worse by the fact that his underlings (constantly) point how much his jokes offend them, he refuses to change his choices of joke-worthy material.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Early on, Michael is actually unsure of what "open-mindedness" means.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's always cruel to Toby for no reason and, in general, he's selfish, shallow, and obnoxious whether he realizes it or not. However, he unquestionably is a.......
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He might be selfish, but his employees all consider him a genuinely nice guy at heart and will rally around him when he needs it. Take his guilt over the Prince Family Paper Company, for a start. In turn, if the wellbeing of his employees is on the line, Michael will always step up to do the right thing. Lampshaded by Jim when a rival branch manager sells out his employees for a promotion:
->'''Jim:''' Say what you will about Michael Scott, but he would never do that.
* KarmaHoudini: Also depends on the story. Really only in the legal sense is he a Houdini, as the show makes it rather clear that most of the people he knows try to avoid being around him if they have a choice in the matter, so he suffers in that regard.
* KickTheDog: Whenever Toby is around, mostly in regard to his divorce.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Michael invading Stanley's privacy and telling the office that he cheated on his wife. Despite the fact that Michael is portrayed as being in the wrong for invading his privacy, it's hard to feel too bad for Stanley when Michael tells everyone that he cheated on his wife. Because, after all, ''he's'' the one who cheated on his wife to begin with.
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: This might be one of his defining character traits: he's remarkably ignorant of most things to the point of delusion (one shining example shows him claiming to be a regular in all of New York's fineries, and then promptly listing all of the tourist trap restaurants in Times Square as his favourite locales), but it doesn't stop him feigning brilliance on whatever subject he's talking about.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: His relationship with Pam is sort of like a crazy big brother. Protective and loving, but she has most of the responsibility. Best seen when he shows up at her art show when no one else does, and tells her how proud he is of her.
* {{Malaproper}}: Occasionally he uses the wrong word - for example in one episode he opens a casino for charity in the Warehouse; stating that he considers himself "a great [[YouKeepUsingThatWord philanderer]]". [[note]]He means "philanthropist".[[/note]]
* ManChild: He often comes across as a clueless teenager in an adult's body. Lampshaded by Pam, who notes that Jan basically has to treat him like a 10 year old.
* TheMatchMaker:
** Subverted in that Michael believes he's the one who first put Jim and Pam together. After they have their first child and attempts to do the same to the rest of the office.
** He tried to be this for Erin and ''Kevin'' in one episode, even after Erin tells him that she likes Andy. As usual he was [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter completely wrong.]]
* MeanBoss: An interesting example where he ''tries'' to be a BenevolentBoss (and at times is), but his giant ego and immaturity make him greatly disliked by his workers.
* {{Metaphorgotten}}: When he tries to describe Dwight's betrayal in "The Coup":
-->'''Michael:''' Business is like a jungle, I am like a tiger, and Dwight is like the monkey that stabs the tiger in the back with a stick. Does the tiger fire the monkey? Does he transfer the monkey to a different branch? (eyes light up) Pun! There is no way of knowing what is going on inside the tiger's head. We don't have that kind of technology.
* MistakenForGay: According to Phyllis: She and Michael's classmates in high school thought he was gay due to the outfits he wore.
* MistakenForPedophile: The former TropeNamer; he picks "Little Kid Lover" as his dating username to show that he's good with children, and the poor guy doesn't realize what it ''really'' implies until it's too late.
* NeverMyFault: When someone (usually Pam) explain that a problem happened because of him, he'll quickly deny it and/or turn the blame on the person in question.
* NoSocialSkills: He does not think before he speaks. When in a counseling session with Toby, he even [[BlatantLies claimed to have been raised by wolves at one point.]] It would have certainly explained a lot.
* OneHourWorkWeek: Michael manages to pull this trope off despite the show taking place at his job. He seemingly has no administrative duties and has all the time he wants to spend on his frivolous hobbies, activities and meetings. "The Fight" explains that his main responsibility is to simply sign a few papers at the end of every week, which he always childishly puts off to the last minute.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Erin, who doesn't have parents.
* ThePeterPrinciple: A textbook example. He was and still is a great salesman, which is how he got promoted to management, a job for which he has absolutely no aptitude.
* PointyHairedBoss: A perfect example of ThePeterPrinciple in action. He was a very good salesman who got promoted to regional manager, a job in which he is completely in over his head. He does have his moments of clarity, in which he's actually the BenevolentBoss he so desperately wants to be, but those moments are few and far in between.
* PutOnABus: Towards the end of season 7. But he returns BackForTheFinale to be Dwight's best man at his wedding.
* ShipperOnDeck: He has been a huge Jim and Pam fanboy since the day Jim told him about his feelings for Pam.
* SleepingWithTheBoss: His rather rocky extended relationship with his boss Jan.
* SmallNameBigEgo: He vastly overestimates the amount of impact he has on his employees.
* StepfordSmiler: He likes to act as the funny guy who's always joking around but he's actually a deeply lonely man who DesperatelyCravesAffection.
* TookALevelInKindness: In Season 2 he starts doing things for his office like taking them out to Chilli's for the Dundies, and hosting a casino night. Michael also shows his sensitive side around kids in this season. By the end of the series, he is a very different character.
* TwoFirstNames: His first and last name can both be used as a given name for a male.
* UltimateJobSecurity: Played with constantly. Many of his antics are seen as counter-productive and a drain on the company's resources and it's noted on several occasions that his job consists mainly of a few minor administrative tasks (which he still manages to struggle with). His job is under threat on more than one occasion during series and several of his bosses at corporate admonish him over his lack of responsibility. However it's shown on several occasions (notably in "The Client", "Initiation" and "Golden Ticket") that Michael is responsible for singlehandedly pulling in some of the company's biggest clients and his office is probably the most unified of all the branches making him far too valuable to the company to let go. Significantly, Michael only ever leaves the company of his own volition.
* UnfortunateImplications: In-universe. He does not stop and think that some of the well-intentioned things he's saying could be potentially offensive. Like choosing "Little Kid Lover" as a username.
* UngratefulBastard: On various occasions. Even when his workers go along with his crazy ideas, he'll often wind up complaining, yelling, and acting like a SpoiledBrat.
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Varies throughout episodes.
* VerbalTic:
** "That's what she said" veers into this on occasion, especially in "The Deposition", where he does it in response to something he said himself and doesn't even seem to realize he's doing it.
** When he's lying or being forced to agree to something, he tends to mutter "yesh," and for the most part, this fools nobody.
* WrongGenreSavvy: Generally, what is GenreSavvy in Michael's head is actually WrongGenreSavvy in the real world, and vice versa.
----
[[header:Michael Scott]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/MichaelScott_6980.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:300:''"Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me."'']]
->Played by: Creator/SteveCarell
->Seasons: 1-7, 9[[note]]"Finale"[[/note]]
Regional Manager of Dunder Mifflin, Scranton.
UK counterpart: David Brent.
----
* FourOneNineScam: Michael has a habit of falling for these, to the point where Pam jokes he is "sponsoring twenty Nigerian princesses."
--> '''Michael''':" ... when the son of the deposed king of Nigeria emails you directly, asking for help, you help! His father ran the freaking country!"
* AesopAmnesia: Has a mind-boggling ability to completely forget practically every lesson he ever learns almost immediately. This finally starts to turn around when Creator/SteveCarell made his decision to leave ''The Office''.
* AmbiguousDisorder: Given [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} his personality]], [[CampStraight mannerisms]] and propensity to bumble into impossibly awkward situations, it's been theorized that he has anything from being on the Autism Spectrum to [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LLfLTsiDAo Histrionic Personality Disorder]].
* AttentionWhore: Michael will even try to make someone else's wedding about him.
* BabiesEverAfter: When he shows up in the finale, it's mentioned that he has two cell phones because he takes so many pictures of his kids.
** He really just wanted to do the family plan, as before he didn't have five friends for a prior plan.
* BackForTheFinale: To be the best man (or: "bestest mensch") at Dwight's wedding.
* BenevolentBoss: He likes to think of himself as one of these (and, in all fairness, he does genuinely try), but he's so bad at it that he ends up being a StupidBoss instead. Though he comes close occasionally, even having moments where he actually is helpful. (Supporting Pam after her failed art gallery show, for instance.) Also, almost every boss that replaces him when he leaves prove themselves to be incompetent, stupid, AxCrazy or downright evil, so at the very least he is the nicest by comparison if nothing else.
* BigNo: When Toby returns, Michael loses his shit.
* BirdsOfAFeather: With Holly. Both are dorky individuals who love making jokes and doing impressions. They also can be InnocentlyInsensitive.
* BunnyEarsLawyer:
** He's the single most successful salesman in Dunder-Mifflin history, and every time we see him make a sale, he is incredibly good at pitching and selling the company's service and has a great rapport with almost all of his clients. This is why corporate had him promoted to Regional Manager, a position which he seemed to have been a perfect fit [[IncrediblyLamePun on paper]], but is largely [[ThePeterPrinciple incapable of doing properly.]]
** Due to (or despite) his strange and distracting managerial style, the Scranton branch goes from being the worst performing branch in the company at the beginning of the series, to the ''most'' successful branch by season 5.
** He is genuinely able to act as a man in his position should (as Roy's attempted attack on Jim and the watermark incident prove), it's just a matter of untangling him from his skewed beliefs enough to get him to do so.
* ButNowIMustGo: He gets engaged with Holly and he moves to Boulder, Colorado to live with her.
* BuxomIsBetter: Michael rarely misses a chance to remind people he likes big boobs, and one of his "cons" about Jan was that her chest was "nothing to write home about".
* CampStraight: He's slim and almost always wears suits, which an old video shows to have been true since he was a child. In high school, the majority of his peers assumed that he was gay due to his mannerisms and unusual interest in his appearance.
* CannotTellAJoke: Well, he can tell them reasonably well in the right conditions (as seen in "The Client"), he just can't come up with good ones himself or reliably tell one when put on the spot.
* CatchPhrase: "ThatsWhatSheSaid!"
* ChandlersLaw: He repeatedly misuses this at improv classes, on the grounds that you can't top pulling out a gun for drama.
* CharacterDevelopment:
** The later seasons have steered him back in the right direction, especially season 7, it being his last season and everything.
** He is a very calm and collected person at Dwight's wedding, showing how much his kids have matured him.
* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: He completely lives in his own world, where things work a bit differently than they do in real life. It's what makes his attempts at being a BenevolentBoss backfire most of the time.
* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Often, for example when Oscar is outed as gay and Michael wonders if Gil, Oscar's "roommate" knew.
* TheCon: He mentions not being able to attend college because he lost his savings in a pyramid scheme.
* ContemplateOurNavels: Prone to this, especially in talking head segments at the end of episodes.
* CripplingOverspecialization: Experience in sales done with a few repeat clients in a highly personal manner doesn't translate into telemarketing very well since telemarketing involves rapid fire calling rather than building a personal rapport, as Michael finds out in "Money". Also a key part of his character, considering he was promoted to Regional Manager because of his sales skills, which didn't exactly convert to managerial skill in his new position.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: There are a couple of times when he is genuinely angry, and dear Lord, he can be terrifying when that happens. The shift is big enough to get a just as angry Stanley to back down. He also shows an outright awesome level of negotiating skills when his fledgling paper company comes at odds with the new Dunder Mifflin management. Up until this point, he'd bumbled his way through every negotiation attempt, but then he suddenly demonstrates enough business acumen to completely rock David Wallace's resolve.
-->'''David:''' Here's the situation. Your company is four weeks old. I know this business. I know what suppliers are charging. I know you can't be making very much money. I don't know how your prices are so low, but I know it can't keep up that way. I'm sure you're scared. Probably in debt. This is the best offer you're gonna get.
-->'''Michael:''' I'll see your situation and I'll raise you a situation. Your company is losing clients left and right. You have a stockholder meeting coming up and you're going to have to explain to them why your most profitable branch is bleeding. So they may be looking for a little change in the CFO. So [[MyDefenseNeedNotProtectMeForever I don't think I need to wait out Dunder Mifflin]], I think I just need to wait out ''you.''
** When Sabre's "sales is king" policy makes the sales staff [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism act like a bunch of cocky jerks only concerned with money]] (Phyllis even called Michael "numb-nuts"), he decided to not reward them, and instead gave the leads to the other employees, who proceeded to hide them around the office.
* DependingOnTheWriter: How much he is sympathetic or an unlikable jerk. The episodes "Dinner Party" and "Chair Model" are great examples: in the first, he is portrayed as a sympathetic man suffering from a BastardGirlfriend, while in the latter, which is the next episode, he completely ignores his employees problems, demands that they find a date for him and then insults said dates when they do not live up to his high standards.
* DesperatelyCravesAffection: This is what drives Michael to his antics in the office and why he simply can't be a boss.
* DirtyCoward: Whenever there's a fire in the office, Michael is always the first to run out, not caring how his employees are doing.
* DisabilityAsAnExcuseForJerkassery: Falls into this when he suffers from a ''very'' mild burn on his foot and ends up using a wheelchair. Throughout the episode, he acts as if it was ten times worse than Dwight getting a concussion from a car accident earlier.
* DontExplainTheJoke: He loves to subvert this trope.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Some of his more lucid moments have Michael realizing that he doesn't receive the respect that is due to him by merit of his position if nothing else. Such moments are typically staggering enough to his normal behavior that he tends to act like a man with his job would normally, and as such, have a few [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome moments of awesome]].
* EveryoneHasStandards: Noted by Jim in reaction to Josh Porter abandoning the Stamford branch by accepting a better job at Staples: not even Michael would ever do that.
* EverythingIsRacist: Especially when trying to approach Stanley, Darryl, or Oscar.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: Sanguine.
* FourthDateMarriage: He's a major believer in "love at first sight" and tries to rush many of his relationships. He proposes to Carol on only their ninth date, and is soundly rejected. He eventually averts this by taking Jim's advice to slowly court Holly, whom he does have an instant connection with, and allows their friendship to slowly turn into a relationship.
* FreudianExcuse: He never experienced love or friendship growing up and attempts to have the office act as a surrogate family to compensate.
-->'''Young Michael''': When I grow up, I want to have 100 kids, so I can have 100 friends and nobody can say no to being my friend.
* FriendToAllChildren: He is very fond of children and wants to have his own kids.
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: Not as much as Dwight or Andy but he does fit the criteria for Proximity, Pity, Supervision, and the rare Caring. The other workers hold an ''immense'' dislike for his antics and somewhat dread any social involvement with him. This does diminish throughout the series, partly because they become aware of why he is like this and his HiddenDepths, and partly because other managers tend to show them Michael is certainly not the worst person to work with.
* FriendlessBackground: Much to his chagrin. He even states the lunch lady was his only friend in the fourth grade at school.
* GeniusDitz: For all of his incompetence, when Michael is good at something, he's ''really'' good at it. Particularly sales, ice skating, and being great with kids.
* TheGlovesComeOff: When he isn't trying to impress everyone, he's a good worker and boss. This confused Jim as he made a pie chart analysing his work schedule and shows that Michael spends more time avoiding work than actually doing it. When he does work, it's enough to keep his job. In "Did I Stutter" he lays down the law on Stanley by telling him that he finally accepts Stanley's hatred of him but regardless of the animosity, Stanley cannot speak to him in such an aggressive manner under any circumstances.
* HasAType: All his most important love interests (Jan, Carol, Holly) are blondes. He also briefly dated Pam's mom who was blonde as well.
* HiddenDepths:
** "Moroccan Christmas" shows he's great at making drinks.
** For all his faults as a boss, he's a ''fantastic'' salesman.
* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: One example is Kevin, who originally applied for warehouse worker. Michael hired him as an accountant because he saw something in him. He saw wrong. Another example is Todd Packer, who Michael was the only one who saw him as a friend. [[spoiler: Subverted in the episode of the same name, where Michael decides that Todd has gone far enough]].
* IdiotBall: Even for Michael, driving his car straight into a lake in ''Dunder Mifflin Infinity'' just to prove a point about technology (specifically, that the GPS that led him into the lake was unreliable) was unbelievably stupid.
* IdiotHoudini: If it was real life, he would be fired within the year, ''at most''. Or better, not be promoted at all. In ''The Office'', he manages to stay regional manager at least seven years.
* IfItsYouItsOkay: With Ryan.
* IfYouEverDoAnythingToHurtHer: Is fond of doing this when it's grossly inappropriate. He finally gets it right when he delivers it to Gabe in regards to Erin in "Viewing Party".
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: His stated reason for becoming a salesman, and the reason why he acts the way he does.
* TheIllegible: Michael has terrible handwriting. In "Company Picnic," he reads his love note to Holly and refers to them as "soup snakes."
--> That can't be right. We're ''soul mates''.
* ImportantHaircut: In the series finale, [[spoiler:Michael's hair is very visibly graying. A minor running gag in the show that was mostly left relegated to deleted scenes was that Michael dyed his hair to appear younger. Now that he's settled down and happy, Michael doesn't need to do this anymore.]]
* InnocentBigot: He says the most insulting things to minorities such as Stanley and Oscar (the only black and Hispanic/gay persons in the office, respectively) but he constantly gets away with it because he really does mean well.
* InnocentlyInsensitive: A large component of his sense of humor. Made worse by the fact that his underlings (constantly) point how much his jokes offend them, he refuses to change his choices of joke-worthy material.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Early on, Michael is actually unsure of what "open-mindedness" means.
* {{Jerkass}}: He's always cruel to Toby for no reason and, in general, he's selfish, shallow, and obnoxious whether he realizes it or not. However, he unquestionably is a.......
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: He might be selfish, but his employees all consider him a genuinely nice guy at heart and will rally around him when he needs it. Take his guilt over the Prince Family Paper Company, for a start. In turn, if the wellbeing of his employees is on the line, Michael will always step up to do the right thing. Lampshaded by Jim when a rival branch manager sells out his employees for a promotion:
->'''Jim:''' Say what you will about Michael Scott, but he would never do that.
* KarmaHoudini: Also depends on the story. Really only in the legal sense is he a Houdini, as the show makes it rather clear that most of the people he knows try to avoid being around him if they have a choice in the matter, so he suffers in that regard.
* KickTheDog: Whenever Toby is around, mostly in regard to his divorce.
* KickTheSonOfABitch: Michael invading Stanley's privacy and telling the office that he cheated on his wife. Despite the fact that Michael is portrayed as being in the wrong for invading his privacy, it's hard to feel too bad for Stanley when Michael tells everyone that he cheated on his wife. Because, after all, ''he's'' the one who cheated on his wife to begin with.
* KnowNothingKnowItAll: This might be one of his defining character traits: he's remarkably ignorant of most things to the point of delusion (one shining example shows him claiming to be a regular in all of New York's fineries, and then promptly listing all of the tourist trap restaurants in Times Square as his favourite locales), but it doesn't stop him feigning brilliance on whatever subject he's talking about.
* LikeBrotherAndSister: His relationship with Pam is sort of like a crazy big brother. Protective and loving, but she has most of the responsibility. Best seen when he shows up at her art show when no one else does, and tells her how proud he is of her.
* {{Malaproper}}: Occasionally he uses the wrong word - for example in one episode he opens a casino for charity in the Warehouse; stating that he considers himself "a great [[YouKeepUsingThatWord philanderer]]". [[note]]He means "philanthropist".[[/note]]
* ManChild: He often comes across as a clueless teenager in an adult's body. Lampshaded by Pam, who notes that Jan basically has to treat him like a 10 year old.
* TheMatchMaker:
** Subverted in that Michael believes he's the one who first put Jim and Pam together. After they have their first child and attempts to do the same to the rest of the office.
** He tried to be this for Erin and ''Kevin'' in one episode, even after Erin tells him that she likes Andy. As usual he was [[HorribleJudgeOfCharacter completely wrong.]]
* MeanBoss: An interesting example where he ''tries'' to be a BenevolentBoss (and at times is), but his giant ego and immaturity make him greatly disliked by his workers.
* {{Metaphorgotten}}: When he tries to describe Dwight's betrayal in "The Coup":
-->'''Michael:''' Business is like a jungle, I am like a tiger, and Dwight is like the monkey that stabs the tiger in the back with a stick. Does the tiger fire the monkey? Does he transfer the monkey to a different branch? (eyes light up) Pun! There is no way of knowing what is going on inside the tiger's head. We don't have that kind of technology.
* MistakenForGay: According to Phyllis: She and Michael's classmates in high school thought he was gay due to the outfits he wore.
* MistakenForPedophile: The former TropeNamer; he picks "Little Kid Lover" as his dating username to show that he's good with children, and the poor guy doesn't realize what it ''really'' implies until it's too late.
* NeverMyFault: When someone (usually Pam) explain that a problem happened because of him, he'll quickly deny it and/or turn the blame on the person in question.
* NoSocialSkills: He does not think before he speaks. When in a counseling session with Toby, he even [[BlatantLies claimed to have been raised by wolves at one point.]] It would have certainly explained a lot.
* OneHourWorkWeek: Michael manages to pull this trope off despite the show taking place at his job. He seemingly has no administrative duties and has all the time he wants to spend on his frivolous hobbies, activities and meetings. "The Fight" explains that his main responsibility is to simply sign a few papers at the end of every week, which he always childishly puts off to the last minute.
* ParentalSubstitute: To Erin, who doesn't have parents.
* ThePeterPrinciple: A textbook example. He was and still is a great salesman, which is how he got promoted to management, a job for which he has absolutely no aptitude.
* PointyHairedBoss: A perfect example of ThePeterPrinciple in action. He was a very good salesman who got promoted to regional manager, a job in which he is completely in over his head. He does have his moments of clarity, in which he's actually the BenevolentBoss he so desperately wants to be, but those moments are few and far in between.
* PutOnABus: Towards the end of season 7. But he returns BackForTheFinale to be Dwight's best man at his wedding.
* ShipperOnDeck: He has been a huge Jim and Pam fanboy since the day Jim told him about his feelings for Pam.
* SleepingWithTheBoss: His rather rocky extended relationship with his boss Jan.
* SmallNameBigEgo: He vastly overestimates the amount of impact he has on his employees.
* StepfordSmiler: He likes to act as the funny guy who's always joking around but he's actually a deeply lonely man who DesperatelyCravesAffection.
* TookALevelInKindness: In Season 2 he starts doing things for his office like taking them out to Chilli's for the Dundies, and hosting a casino night. Michael also shows his sensitive side around kids in this season. By the end of the series, he is a very different character.
* TwoFirstNames: His first and last name can both be used as a given name for a male.
* UltimateJobSecurity: Played with constantly. Many of his antics are seen as counter-productive and a drain on the company's resources and it's noted on several occasions that his job consists mainly of a few minor administrative tasks (which he still manages to struggle with). His job is under threat on more than one occasion during series and several of his bosses at corporate admonish him over his lack of responsibility. However it's shown on several occasions (notably in "The Client", "Initiation" and "Golden Ticket") that Michael is responsible for singlehandedly pulling in some of the company's biggest clients and his office is probably the most unified of all the branches making him far too valuable to the company to let go. Significantly, Michael only ever leaves the company of his own volition.
* UnfortunateImplications: In-universe. He does not stop and think that some of the well-intentioned things he's saying could be potentially offensive. Like choosing "Little Kid Lover" as a username.
* UngratefulBastard: On various occasions. Even when his workers go along with his crazy ideas, he'll often wind up complaining, yelling, and acting like a SpoiledBrat.
* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Varies throughout episodes.
* VerbalTic:
** "That's what she said" veers into this on occasion, especially in "The Deposition", where he does it in response to something he said himself and doesn't even seem to realize he's doing it.
** When he's lying or being forced to agree to something, he tends to mutter "yesh," and for the most part, this fools nobody.
* WrongGenreSavvy: Generally, what is GenreSavvy in Michael's head is actually WrongGenreSavvy in the real world, and vice versa.
