The absence of Michael Scott was felt immediately after Steve Carell departed as The Office’s series lead toward the end of its seventh season. “Goodbye, Michael” is one of the sweetest, saddest episodes of the show and after Michael was gone, the rest of the season was dedicated to determining his replacement.
Of course, there was no replacing Carell as the star of The Office, but the final two seasons with Ed Helms sitting in the boss’ chair aren’t all bad. There was a noticeable decline in quality, but a decline in quality from being one of the best shows on TV means there’s a long way to fall.
Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager (Season 7, Episode 24)
Jim turns down the opportunity to act as Michael’s temporary replacement while corporate looks for a permanent one, then the job is promptly offered to Dwight, who immediately starts running the office like a dictatorship.
The stakes are raised when Dwight accidentally fires a gun in the office and has to convince the employees he’s been alienating to protect him by not telling Jo.
Search Committee (Season 7, Episode 25/26)
In the two-part seventh-season finale “Search Committee,” Jim, Gabe, and Toby assemble a team to decide who the next regional manager of the Scranton branch will be.
In addition to setting the stage for The Office without Steve Carell, “Search Committee” featured a ton of A-list cameos interviewing for Michael’s job, including Jim Carrey, Ray Romano, Ricky Gervais (briefly reprising his role as David Brent in a video interview), Will Arnett, and Warren Buffett.
The Incentive (Season 8, Episode 2)
When Robert California enforces a near-impossible financial target on Andy, he tries to incentivize his employees by offering them prizes in a points system. However, no one is interested in any of his prizes, so he offers to let them tattoo his butt instead.
Andy then has to try to de-incentivize his staff when they all pool their points together and become more productive than ever so they can tattoo a “‘Nard Dog” on Andy’s butt-cheek.
Garden Party (Season 8, Episode 4)
When a video of Andy’s dad singing with his brother (played hilariously by guest star Josh Groban) at a garden party goes semi-viral, Andy decides to throw his own garden party at Schrute Farms so he can recreate the moment with himself in his brother’s place. The episode explores the tragic undertones of Andy’s family life and makes him a more sympathetic character.
The funniest subplot in the episode sees Dwight following the advice of a book on garden party etiquette that was written by Jim under the pen name James Trickington.
Doomsday (Season 8, Episode 6)
In the season 8 episode “Doomsday,” Dwight creates a program that will get all his co-workers fired if they make too many mistakes. When they go over the mistake quota, Pam desperately tries to get Dwight to call it off while Jim meets Robert California on the squash court and tries to delete the email.
The episode has a great cold open, too, as Andy sings “Closing Time” at the end of every day and everyone in the office eventually gets sick of hearing it.
Pool Party (Season 8, Episode 12)
Robert California invites the Scranton branch’s employees over to his house in season 8’s “Pool Party,” and almost every character in the ensemble has something hilarious going on.
While Robert California might be a polarizing figure in The Office fan base, with some loving him and others hating him, “Pool Party” is one of the episodes in which his character really works.
Work Bus (Season 9, Episode 4)
When the office is out of action, Dwight hires a bus to act as a roving workplace in season 9’s “Work Bus.” Jim spends the episode trying to convince Dwight to take the bus to a pie stand as a romantic gesture to Pam.
Directed by Bryan Cranston, the episode has some great performances, like when Jim climbs up on the roof of the bus to console Dwight.
Promos (Season 9, Episode 18)
While Parks and Rec and Modern Family didn’t do anything literal with their mockumentary format, The Office went out of its way to tell viewers that what was being shot was a real in-universe documentary that was going to air on PBS.
When the first promos for the doc are released in season 9’s “Promos,” everyone in the office is shocked to learn that they were even being filmed when they didn’t realize it, and have to reflect on themselves.
A.A.R.M. (Season 9, Episode 22/23)
When Dwight becomes the regional manager, he makes Jim the new assistant to the regional manager. Then, Jim suggests holding a tournament to decide who will be the assistant to the assistant to the regional manager, or “A.A.R.M.”
Dwight ends up giving the job to himself. Is there anything more Dwight Schrute than being the assistant to his own assistant?
Finale (Season 9, Episode 24/25)
The series finale episode of The Office is one of the most satisfying in TV history. Against all odds, the writers capped off a disappointing final season with an incredibly moving ending. The finale begins at a Q&A session following the airing of the in-universe documentary.
Then, the employees of Dunder Mifflin come back together for Dwight and Angela’s wedding. From Michael’s surprise appearance to Erin’s reunion with her birth parents, “Finale” is filled with emotionally charged moments.