10 Episodes That Turned Good TV Shows Into Classics
5. The Office - "The Dundies"
The original U.K. version of The Office is one of those rare shows that got the ball rolling straight away - each one of its fourteen episodes are little nuggets of modern comedy gold. The same can't really be said for the US iteration - the first season is rather rough around the edges, while the show's quality declined around the fifth season and nosedived following Steve Carell's departure. However, when the show was good, it was really good - and the peak began with the first episode of season 2, "The Dundies”.
The premise is simple: Michael Scott is eagerly preparing for the titular awards ceremony. As always, Michael's intentions are good - he wants the Dundies to be a night where his staff can let off some steam and enjoy themselves. However, the night only serves to show the Dunder-Mifflin boss at his worst; desperate to please, insensitive to employees, and strangely infatuated with Ryan (the reluctant recipient of the "Hottest in the Office" award). As the night wears on, Michael’s cringeworthy MC schtick turns from hilarious to tragic as we see just how deluded this man is.
As we've already observed, many episodes on this list signal a new direction for their respective series. What “The Dundies" does brilliantly is establish the interoffice culture that would be the foundation of the show’s humour from that moment on. And in retrospect, the quick kiss Pam gives Jim was a key moment in the will-they-won’t-they arc that ran through the show’s early seasons. With this episode, The Office emerged from the shadow of the original and blossomed into a superb sitcom in its own right.