The Best Secondary Characters In “The Office,” Ranked

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The Office is and always will be one of the best shows ever to grace the small screen. With a team of the most brilliant writers, a perfect cast, and a storyline that makes you want to laugh and cry basically every episode, it’s no wonder most of us just watch this series on a continuous loop. Just finished the finale? Andy just said the whole, “Don’t you wish you knew the good ole days when you were in them?” bit? Good. Time to start that bitch over.

And while all of the main characters are, obviously, fantastic, a lot of secondary folks have something going for them as well. How the show managed to weave them into the story and plotlines is beyond me, but they make The Office even better. So, here they are, ranked from “eh” to “the best.” Disagree with me all you want because at the end of the day, as long as we can all agree Ryan and Kelly’s love story is possibly the best one on the show, then I’m happy.

14. Jo Bennett

Kathy Bates is always an extremely solid choice when it comes to any screen appearance. Somehow always managing to nail the powerful woman who is just a littleeee unhinged, Jo Bennett is a pretty decent character. That said, while Kathy does the job of southern CEO of Sabre who has an absurd amount of dogs proud, there are so many knockout characters in the show that her plotline tends to be forgotten.

13. Todd Packer

Having some of the cast of Anchorman together in the same room is a gift none of us deserve. That said, while Todd Packer is loved by Michael and uh, that’s about it, he’s easily one of the most obnoxious characters on the series, if not on television. With his awkward jokes, weird innuendos, and overall dick-ish personality, it’s no wonder that Michael eventually realized he sucks and sent him away. When it comes to being a total douchebag, Todd’s got it down.

12. Nellie Bertram

Sure, Nellie has a pretty interesting storyline, from interviewing, not getting the job, becoming president of Sabre’s special projects, stealing Andy’s job, then losing it, she made her way through the last part of the series pretty epically. She has some nice moments, like being friends with Pam and eventually ending up with a baby, but there’s just *something* about her. Sure, her character was written to be annoying, but holy shit — they fucking nailed it. Still, that doesn’t mean I like her.

11. Nate Nickerson

This dimwitted warehouse worker is hard not to love. From the moment he thought Darryl gave him some cashmere gloves, it was all over. Also, he doesn’t technically have a hearing problem but sometimes when there’s a lot of noises occurring at the same time, he’ll hear them as one big jumble. Just FYI. The only problem with his character? We don’t see nearly enough of him.

10. Mose Schrute

Dwight’s strange cousin is easily one of the funniest side tidbits of The Office. While seeing him in all of his bearded glory in the flesh is funny, hearing Dwight talk about him is even funnier. Sure, you’d lose a little magic if he wasn’t in the show, but it wouldn’t destroy the plotline or anything. Just our general happiness and well-being. Plus, the fact that the guy who played the part, Michael Schur, was a head writer and executive producer of the series, makes it a hell of a lot better.

9. Holly Flax

Holly, Holly, Holly. First and foremost, we sort of hate her, right? I mean, she broke Michael’s heart, she led him on, and finally, she’s the reason he left Scranton. But (and here’s the big ole butt), she was literally perfect for him. Like, absolutely perfect. Their love made Jim and Pam’s look mild. She was weird and passionate and just a little too immature, but that’s what made her pretty great, and a pretty shitty HR manager. The only problem? While Michael got his happily ever after, everyone else was pretty damn sad to see him leave with her.

8. Deangelo Vickers

The fact that they brought Will Ferrell in to ease the goodbyes (and ratings plunge) of Steve Carell leaving was genius. At first, it seems like Deangelo will be a great replacement for Michael. Then, naturally, because I’m sure they couldn’t afford to pay Will Ferrell’s salary for the remaining two season of the show, he got phased out. That said, the sexist, glossophobic, professional (air) juggler made quite an appearance on the series, resulting in him attempting to dunk a basketball and getting taken away in an ambulance. While his time on The Office was short, his legend sure does live on.

7. Karen Filippelli

Karen is a tricky character because, on one hand, she’s actually pretty likable. On the other hand, we all hate her because she gets in the way of Jim and Pam. She does, however, manage to bring a lot to the table in her time on the show. From winning Jim over, then befriending Pam, to telling Jim he has to pick between the two of them, she adds the perfect amount of drama to the almost-relationship that is Jim and Pam. Ultimately, though, everyone was sort of happy to hear Jim dumped her because it resulted in one of the best moments of all time: When he rushes into the interview room and asks Pam on a date. Still, considering that Karen got married and knocked up less than a year later, she seemed to be doing pretty well for herself. Besides, I hear she got a job at the Department of Parks and Recreation or something?

6. David Wallace

While David Wallace isn’t the most interesting character to ever grace Dunder Mifflin’s threshold, what he lacks in outrageousness, he makes up for in longevity. One of the longest secondary characters, David still gets a pretty full arch in the series, ultimately creating the office environment it should have been from the beginning with Dwight as the manager. While his rise and fall (and the rise again) from the ranks aren’t as interesting or dramatic as say, Andy’s, it’s a pivotal part of the series that ultimately determines most of the power dynamics. Besides, he always believed in Michael, and for that, we have to love him.

5. Jan Levinson

Michael’s on-again-off-again girlfriend is the polar opposite of David Wallace in the best ways. While she starts out as a very straight forward business woman, her fall from the graces is much more uh, pronounced, if you will, including a boob job and a booming new candle company. After having a baby that wasn’t Michael’s, she’s seen less and less of in the series. Even though she didn’t end up with our main man, she gets almost as much screen time as Holly. Besides, her lovely singing voice will follow us forever.

4. Roy Anderson

For the longest time, it seems like Roy’s character is going is to stay the same lazy, uninteresting, demi-dick guy. Sure, for a moment everyone thought he was going to come around when he and Pam get back together, but instead, he just got sprayed in the face with mace. He’d be at the top of the list if it wasn’t for his wedding. Roy has, quite possibly, the biggest character arc out of all the secondary characters. Becoming rich, getting a hot ass wife, learning the piano, and becoming a total catch — maybe he really did dodge a bullet.

3. Bob Vance, Vance Refridgeration

For the longest time, I didn’t think much of Bob Vance. Sure, he was super sweet to Phyllis and would love on her to the point where it made other people a little uncomfortable (remember when they went out to eat with Jim and Pam and ended up banging in the bathroom?). But other than that, I thought he was just a weirdo. And then, Buzzfeed released a theory about him that instantly turned him into one of my favorite secondary characters. Long story shot, he always introduces himself as “Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration” because he’s marketing himself in front of the cameras. The fact that he’s so savvy, passionate about his business, and treats Phyllis like a queen makes him a winner for sure. Plus, behind Meredith, they’re definitely the couple having the most sex on the show, so do with that what you may.

2. Gabe Lewis

The boney, Erin-obsessed, horror freak, corporate liaison, is, hands-down, one of the best newer characters on The Office. Not only is he flawlessly integrated, but between his hatred of Andy, his need for approval and validation from people at the company, and his Lady Gaga outfit, he became a better, funnier, and bolder Toby.

1. Robert California

Between his constant need to talk about sex, the fact that he asks Jo for her job and GOT IT, and his absurd metaphors, what else can I say? He’s the motherfucking Lizard King..

Image via Netflix

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Rachel Varina

if it doesn't have snack or seats, i'm not there. hate mail/Sunny references can be sent to itsrachelvarina@gmail.com

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