10 Ways The Office Went From Great To Terrible

For the majority of The Office the cast remained largely the same from the main characters to the supporting cast in the background. However, after Carell's departure there was a few new additions that were met with a less than enthusiastic response on the whole.

There had been several new cast additions before this during season three in the form of Andy Bernard and Karen Filippelli when Dunder Mifflin's Scranton and Stamford branches merged. These new personalities were meant to create drama which culminated in Andy's breakdown and Karen and Jim's rocky relationship. However, season 8 had the unenviable task of attempting to fill the shoes of Michael Scott which it did by promoting Andy Bernard to the position of Regional Manager and introducing James Spader's intensely creepy Robert California as an overseeing presence.

The decision to try and add so many new characters such as California and later Catherine Tate's Nellie and the young duo Pete and Clark (or New Jim and Dwight Jr) seemed to be fighting an uphill battle from the start. As well as all being fairly bland and forgettable characters it seemed a misstep to try and introduce them in the final few seasons when the show already had a plethora of beloved characters that they could have focused on instead.