The Office: 10 Best Characters Who Appeared After Season One
2. Karen Filippelli
Love triangles are as hoary a trope as exists in the sitcom, but few have ever done it as well as The Office. The original Jim/Pam/Roy arc was damaged a little by the fact that Roy was so obviously inferior to Jim, but in season three, Karen came along, and this was even better.
Unlike her UK equivalent Rachel, Karen actually is very much a viable partner for our leading man. She’s funny, cool, and smart, and direct in a way that Pam never was, making her far more than just a rebound once Jim relocates to Connecticut. While Jim and Pam were always destined, it’s easy to root for Karen.
Rashida Jones is one of the great restrained sitcom actors, and Karen is used to great effect to highlight the innate nonsense of Scranton. Michael puts his foot in it the moment they meet, and from there she’s about the sanest person in the room.
We check back in with Karen a couple of times post-season three, and the show is smart to ensure that Pam’s bested love rival ends up with a happy ending of her own, married with a kid, and no doubt relieved to be far away from the craziness of Dunder Mifflin Scranton.