History YMMV / TheOfficeUS

** One single scene features an upset Michael Scott doing a Bill Cosby impersonation while listening to a Gary Glitter song with a Donald Trump book visible on his bookshelf.

* CharacterPerceptionEvolution: Karen was initially utterly despised for [[DieForOurShip coming between Jim/Pam]], but over the years since the show concluded, more fans have grown increasingly sympathetic to her due to her being a designated RomanticFalseLead and for how Jim treated her, to the point that Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer (Pam's actress, no less) took her side while discussing that plot arc in their ''Office Ladies'' podcast.

* TheScrappy: While this show has a large number of {{Hate Sink}}s, meaning many characters are ''supposed'' to be obnoxious, these characters fail to be enjoyable enough to fans to hate them even in a fun way:

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap:
** Andy is introduced as a [[HateSink thoroughly unlikable sycophant]] with rage issues. While he's continued to be portrayed as a comically awkward character, his portrayal became more sympathetic during his engagement to Angela (who cheated on him and was otherwise emotionally abusive) and by the time he ended up a main character, he was one of the most likable characters on the show, to the point that the fans were absolutely ''outraged'' by the treatment he received in the series' final season that had him as the DesignatedVillain. This also occurred by the end of Season 9 where after spending most of the final year as a total jackass devoid of his likable characteristics he got back to his nice, charming self.
** Karen was initially utterly despised for [[DieForOurShip coming between Jim/Pam]], but over the years since the show concluded, more fans have grown increasingly sympathetic to her due to her being a designated RomanticFalseLead and for how Jim treated her, to the point that Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer (Pam's actress, no less) took her side while discussing that plot arc in their ''Office Ladies'' podcast.

* TheScrappy: While this show has a large number of {{Hate Sink}}s, meaning many characters are ''supposed'' to be obnoxious, these characters fail to be enjoyable enough to fans to even hate them in a fun way:
** Deangelo Vickers, a brief successor for Michael's job, generally left audiences cold, seeing him as unfunny when the show intended for him to get laughs, charmless and rude to the other characters. He also suffered from lacking consistent writing or direction, with his personality seemingly changing from episode to episode. His appearance only lasted for four episodes, but opinions seem largely grateful for that brevity. The only positively remembered element of Deangelo is the invisible juggling scene in his second episode, and even that scene still serves as a good example of his inconsistency.

** The couple in "A Benihana Christmas" who split Dwight from the rest of the group at the restaurant seem to be genuinely ''detested'' by a significant amount of fans who -- not entirely jokingly -- venomously denounce them for not moving seats so that Dwight could join the others from Dunder-Mifflin. While they could have perhaps switched seats so as not to split the party, this overlooks the fact that Dwight is not exactly polite about asking them to move (practically demanding that the man surrender his chair rather than asking politely if he could move to allow Dwight to be seated with his friends) and that Michael orders Dwight to leave them alone. They are, at most, guilty of a minor social ''faux pas'', not the serial killers the fanbase acts like they are. And again, it's pretty telling that their biggest crime seems to be the inconveniencing of the show's resident DracoInLeatherPants.

%% ** '''NO''', GOD. NO, God, please, no, NO! NO! '''NOOOOOOOOOOO'''

%% ** The scene where Pam realizes Michael is dating her mother, as it gradually dawns on her.

** Oddly enough, the Summer 2006 web series, ''The Accountants,'' aired only at NBC.com[[note]]and sold as a bonus feature on the second season DVD release five days after the last episode was posted[[/note]] won the '''Daytime''' Emmy for Outstanding Broadband Program - Comedy, and the web series's principal performers - Brian Baumgartner, Creator/AngelaKinsey, and Oscar Nunez - [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0840149/awards?ref_=tt_awd all shared the award]], despite neither of the three ever getting a single '''Primetime''' Emmy nomination for the main series.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: While the whole writing team in general wasn't let off the hook for the more contentious aspects of the ninth and final season, fans of Andy especially deeply despise Greg Daniels for how he depicted the character under his belief that Andy was funnier as a jerkass, ignoring all the development and genuinely sympathetic aspects Andy had, as well as callously [[ShipSinking sinking the Andy/Erin ship]] by derailing Andy's character in favor making Pete, a new addition and a bland clone of Jim, a better match for Erin. Many fans continue to feel incredibly bitter over this arc years after the series concluded.

* In an InUniverse example of this trope, Holly was lead by Dwight to think that Kevin was actually mentally disabled. She believed so for months since there was little in Kevin's behavior (he talks in very simple tones and has a somewhat childlike demeanor). to contradict that.

** In the Season 6 episode "Murder", the employees played a Southern themed Murder Mystery Game. Michael and the other characters [[LargeHam hams up]] the game by using a fake southern accent, with Michael even dramatically announcing, "There has been a murder!" Fast forward a decade later, and Creator/Rian Johnson introduces the public to the Southern detective [[Film/KnivesOut Benoit Blanc]], whose accent perfectly matches Michael's fake one.

** Given Michael's {{Cloudcuckoolander}} 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]]. In "[[Recap/TheOfficeUSS4E5LocalAd Local Ad]]" Michael notes that he couldn't talk yet at the age of five. Some fans have hypothesized he might have undiagnosed Asperger's Syndrome (which makes perfect sense given his age- Asperger's wasn't even recognized as a disorder until the mid-90s).
** Dwight is also often viewed as possibly being on some kind of spectrum, due to his very stiff, humorless and LiteralMinded personality. However, the show plays with this a lot more, as many of the hints we receive about Dwight's background would seem to suggest that his issues are more the result of a very eccentric upbringing rather than any kind of personality disorder.

** The photograph of Ed Truck shaking Michael's hand, with the context usually being that the person/object associated with Michael is being praised and/or rewarded for inadvertently accomplishing something they were only vaguely aware of at best.

** Erin is this with some circles. Her fans adore her bubbly personality and enjoy her increased role in the later seasons while her detractors find her naivete nauseating and believe she's undeserving of the attention she gets. And then there's a much smaller third faction that generally likes her but felt she was better as a background character who was used more sparingly. A particular sore spot for many in the second camp and some in the third camp is her treatment of Andy during certain arcs.

** One single scene features an upset Michael Scott doing a Bill Cosby impersonation while listening to a Gary Glitter song with a Donald Trump book visible on his book shelf.

** A double whammy in "Michael's Last Dundies": Michael says that Piers Morgan took over Larry King's show after he "died"; at the time, King was still alive, but he passed away in 2021. And Piers's show that was in King's old timeslot was cancelled in 2014.

** In the episode "Gossip," Michael spreads a bunch of false rumors in an effort to destroy the credibility of the one he knew was true at the time (that Stanley was having an affair). When the staff gets together to try to trace some of the rumors, Kevin says that the rumor about him was that there was a little person inside of him working him with controls. This would later become the premise of the Pixar film ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'', whose stars included Phyllis Smith, Mindy Kaling and Rashida Jones.

** Similarly, back in "Beach Games", there is one scene where Andy and Dwight are competing against each other after Michael revealed that he's using the events as the basis for who gets his job. Cue a talking head with Oscar where he says that he'll quit if either of them are made manager. Both Andy ''and'' Dwight have held the Regional Manager position since then (Granted, Andy gets significant CharacterDevelopment first), and Oscar's still around at the end of the series.

** In season's 4 "Chair Model", Jim jokes about setting up Michael with Pam's mom. The two ended up [[IBangedYourMom dating for real]] in season 6, much to Pam's dismay.

** The Sabre company debuts a triangle shaped tablet called the Pyramid, and Ryan's presentation (given by Jim) at the opening of Sabre's first retail store puts a lot of emphasis on real-life pyramids built throughout history. In ''VideoGame/HorizonZeroDawn'', electronics/robotics manufacturer Faro Automated Solutions has a pyramid logo and its CEO holed himself up in a pyramid-shaped bunker to [[spoiler:ride out a RobotWar apocalypse that he himself was indirectly responsible for]].

** A Series/SaturdayNightLive skit claims that The Office is actually a ripoff of a Japanese sitcom. We see the supposed original where Steve Carell runs a Japanese office and has everyone participate in morning calisthenics (which actually is a thing in Japanese workplaces). In the series finale, Dwight implements this program to the workplace because he is an OccidentalOtaku.
** Ryan wanted to implement a social media function to the Dunder-Mifflin website which Jim and Dwight wonders why a paper company would need one. Nowadays, social media functions are very commonplace. Though in complete fairness to Jim and Dwight, most of these are essentially corporate accounts on pre-existing social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram etc.) that the companies primarily use for marketing and customer relations, rather than trying to make the company website double as a social networking platform in its own right as Ryan was attempting to do.

** Dwight's handlebar moustache in "Branch Wars" is intriguingly prescient, as Rainn Wilson would later go on to portray infamous moustache-twirler Harry Mudd on ''Series/StarTrekDiscovery'' (ironically, Rainn's depiction of Mudd lacks the iconic moustache in favor a of a full beard).

** In the Season 6 episode ''Murder'', the employees played a Southern themed Murder Mystery Game. Michael and the other characters [[LargeHam hams up]] the game by using a fake southern accents, with Michael eve dramatically announcing "There has been a murder!". Fast foward a decade later, and Creator/Rian Johnson introduces the public to the Southern Detective [[Film/KnivesOut Benoit Blanc]], who's accent perfectly matches Michael's fake one.

** A certain segment of Dwight's fanbase can be a bit too quick to overlook his personality flaws, over-emphasise everyone else's in regards to their conflicts with him, and use his anti-social nature (usually on the supposition -- never confirmed or seriously suggested in show -- that he is [[AmbiguousDisorder somewhere on a spectrum]]) as an overly sweeping excuse to absolve him of all fault. While Dwight has his positive qualities and does genuinely undergo CharacterDevelopment, he's still clearly presented as rather officious, obnoxious, scheming, ruthless, authoritarian, hypocritical, insensitive. stubborn, intransigent, domineering and callous, and the show makes it clear that he often brings a lot of the problems and poor treatment he receives from others on himself while usually refusing to [[NeverMyFault accept any blame or responsibility]]. It's hard not to suspect that many of those who hold Dwight in such high regard mainly do so because they don't actually have to interact with him (or because they may be closer to him personality-wise than might be entirely comfortable).

* AmbiguousDisorder:
** Given Michael's {{Cloudcuckoolander}} 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]].
** Dwight is also often viewed as possibly being on some kind of spectrum, due to his very stiff, humorless and LiteralMinded personality. However, the show plays with this a lot more, as many of the hints we receive about Dwight's background would seem to suggest that his issues are more the result of a very eccentric upbringing rather than any kind of personality disorder.

** In the Season 6 episode ''Murder'', the employees played a Southern themed Murder Mystery Game. Michael and the other characters[[LargeHam hams up]] the game by using a fake southern accents, with Michael eve dramatically announcing "There has been a murder!". Fast foward a decade later, and Creator/Rian Johnson introduces the public to the Southern Detective [[Film/KnivesOut Benoit Blanc]], who's accent perfectly matches Michael's fake one.

** In the Season 6 episode ''Murder'', the employees played a Southern themed Murder Mystery Game. Michael and the other characters[[LargeHam hams up]] the game by using a fake southern accents, with Michael eve dramatically announcing "There has been a murder!". Fast foward a decade later, and Creator/Rian Johnson introduces the public to the Southern[[Film/KnivesOut Detective Benoit Blanc]], who's accent perfectly matches Michael's fake one.

** In the Season 6 episode ''Murder'', the employees played a Southern themed Murder Mystery Game. Michael and the other characters[[LargeHam hams up]] the game by using a fake southern accents, with Michael eve dramatically announcing "There has been a murder!". Fast foward a decade later, and Creator/RianJohnson
introduces the public to the Southern[[Film/KnivesOut Detective Benoit Blanc]], who's accent perfectly matches Michael's fake one.

** Boom! Roasted.

** '''NO''', GOD. NO, God, please, no, NO! NO! '''NOOOOOOOOOOO'''
** '''False'''.
** Fact: Bears eat beets.
** '''''[[https://youtu.be/gO8N3L_aERg?t=93 OH MY GOD, OKAY IT'S HAPPENING. EVERYBODY STAY CALM! STAY F*CKING CALM!]]'''''
** WHERE ARE THE '''TURRRRTLLLES?!?'''
** Schrute Bucks.
** I DECLARE '''BANKRUPTCY!!!'''
** [[AsideGlance (looks into the camera like [they're] on ''The Office'')]]
** Seems like the kinda thing white people with dreadlocks do.
** ('''softly''') Don't.
** How the turntables...

** '''''(quietly)''''' ''I'll kill you.''
** "Shut up about the sun! SHUT UP ABOUT THE SUN!"
** "There's too many people on this Earth. We need a new plague"
** "'''''Parkour!'''''"
** Anything related to Prison Mike.

** Angela sneaking up on Dwight in "Happy Hour."

** ''THANK YOU!''
** The scene where Pam realizes Michael is dating her mother, as it gradually dawns on her.

** Jim smiling through the blinds in "Heavy Competition."

** ''DID I STUTTER?!''
** "I have a lot of questions. Number one: How dare you?"

** Michael's "brave face" from "Branch Closing."

** "Sorry I annoyed you with my friendship."
** "I... love you guys so much."

** Michael leaves in season 7 and is temporarily replaced by Deangelo Vickers, played by Creator/WillFerrell. This is doubly funny when the same year Season 7 was released (2010), the DuelingMovies ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' and ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}'' came out, both of which have Steve Carell and Will Ferrell respectively voicing the main characters with very similar plotlines.

* PeripheryDemographic: Although it's a WorkCom, with most episodes rated TV-14, and with quite a few overt sexual references, it's always been popular with kids and teens, who can still appreciate the quotable dialogue, relatable situations, goofy storylines and colorful characters. The voice acting of Creator/SteveCarell in ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe'' and Creator/MindyKaling and Phyllis Smith in ''WesternAnimation/InsideOut'' has also been a factor in attracting younger audiences to the show.

* "Sorry I annoyed you with my friendship."

* MemeticPsychopath:
** It is a recurring joke within the show's fandom that Toby is secretly the Scranton Strangler, citing that it would serve as an outlet for his stressful work environment with his unreciprocated romantic feelings for Pam and having to deal with Michael wailing on him at work.
** Creed. Not exactly unfounded given that he is shown to be a repeat criminal offender, who is implied in the show to have committed murder more than once. He is even considered one of the biggest alternatives to Toby as the true identity of the Scranton Strangler.
* {{Moe}}: Erin - we even see her in her "jammy jams".

* MemeticMutation: To say this show has produced a veritable boatload of memes would be putting it mildly.

* FountainOfMemes: Creed is arguably the most quotable.

* MemeticMutation:

** "'''''BOY HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, CAUSE I'LL HELP YOU FIND IT!'''''", this also became a meme on [=TikTok=] in 2021 with the first part of the quote ("That little girl is a child, I don't want to see you sniffing around her...") included. Users created videos featuring fictional and real life {{Age Gap Romance}}s using the sound.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Given Michael's {{Cloudcuckoolander}} 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]].

* StrawmanHasAPoint: Jim considers Josh Porter leveraging his position at the Stamford branch to get a better job at Staples and jeopardizing the Stamford workers' livelihoods reprehensible. However, given that Dunder-Mifflin is a textbook IncompetenceInc that makes cuts and loses money every year and whose upper management shows no signs of turning the company around, can you really blame him for deciding to take a job at a company that has a more stable future? This said, Jim's disdain is clearly framed as being aimed at the callous, underhanded and hypocritical way Josh went about securing the job rather his desire for more stable employment in and of itself.