10 Ways The Office Went From Great To Terrible

What worked so well for the majority of The Office's run, which was taken from the original UK version, was emphasising that the employees of Dunder Mifflin were nothing more then co-workers.

Aside from Jim and Pam's unspoken feelings and Dwight's unconditional love for Michael, the dynamic was strictly busy, not pleasure. This was a step away from regular sitcoms which would go out of their way to emphasise how the characters were all best friends like the aptly titled Friends. This separated The Office from its contemporaries as instead of characters laughing at each other's witty remarks the comedy came from the awkwardness of people not laughing and the feuds between co-workers.

However, in the later seasons Michael Scott's employees went from refusing to be his friend in or outside the workplace to becoming his best friend by the time of his departure in season 7. This was most likely to make his exit more emotional as the whole office help him propose to Holly and sing him an emotional farewell song when they find out he is leaving. This only gets more unrealistic in the final season as Dwight and Jim suddenly overnight become best friends with Dwight even choosing Jim (over Mose!) to be his best man. While it is endearing to see this change of attitude it does feel tonally at odds to the characters and the earlier seasons.