10 Ways The Office Went From Great To Terrible
"No God! Please No! Nooooooo!"
The Office US is the ultimate example of how to successfully remake an already brilliant TV series. While the American show's first episode (and most of its first season) was literally copy and pasted from the original British version, the show's second season managed to establish the distinctive comedic tone and style of the beloved sitcom.
After the shaky start the show managed to retain the elements that people loved from the original while adding something new for an American audience and in the process creating some stellar TV. However, like even the best shows it managed to outstay its welcome after Steve Carell - who brought Michael Scott to life - left at the end of season 7.
Alongside Carell deciding to leave after seven seasons there were several other reasons that led to the fall of the once great American sitcom. From the overreliance on guest stars like Will Ferrell, Idris Elba and James Spader to the increasingly ridiculous cliffhangers (will Jim have an affair?), here are the many ways The Office went from great to terrible...
10. Dragging Out Jim And Pam's Relationship
With over 20 episodes per season The Office US was able to expand on the central Jim/Pam love story more so than Tim/Dawn's relationship which was only given 14 episodes to breathe. However, this also meant that the writers had to fill up the 188 episode run with an ever evolving relationship between the two.
One argument is that when Jim and Pam finally get together at the beginning of season four the gripping emotional rollercoaster was well and truly over. While the show could not have credibly continued the will-they-won't-they dynamic any longer - arguably they had already stretched it out for too long over the previous 50 episodes - as soon as they got together the drama was over.
While seeing the two together and happy throughout the next five seasons was charming the show was at its strongest when teasing us with the possibility of them being together but not allowing us to see it. This was definitely the strength of The Office UK which made the great decision to end on Tim and Dawn kissing in the final episode knowing that it could never top this moment.