5. The Office Co-Creator Stephen Merchant & Senator John McCain Both Have Cameos
Two incredibly distracting but nevertheless amusing cameos have taken place over the course of the show. Co-creator of The Office Stephen Merchant appears in the first episode of season six as an anonymous CTU employee who is handed a document by Nadia and spends maybe three seconds on screen. Ricky Gervais also filmed a brief appearance as a presidential aide, though (thankfully) it was cut. Then there's the decidedly more ridiculous appearance of Senator John McCain, who is apparently a huge fan of the show. He shows up as a CTU staffer in the seventh episode of season five, appearing for a few seconds during a split-screen shot. At least the box makes it a little less obnoxious.