The Office was filled with incredible comedic characters throughout its run. We had the spectacular performance from Steve Carell in the starring role of Michael Scott, the angry and crazy presence of Dwight Schrute and the supporting brilliance of the likes of Erin, Stanley, and Creed. At the same time, there were some pretty terrible characters littered throughout.
Michael might have hated Toby, but fans hated Ryan. He was unpleasant in all of his many forms throughout the show, and it was a relief that he disappeared at the very beginning of that final season.
He Was Annoying From The Start
From the first moment we saw Ryan appear on The Office, we knew he was going to be a source of annoyance. His first role at Dunder Mifflin was as a simple temp worker. He had no interest in being there or befriending anyone and constantly complained about his situation. He was always saying how he was going to end up achieving bigger things than being just a temp. How did that work out?
And Arrogant Throughout
No matter if was when he was a temp, a corporate worker or back at the office trying to come up with terrible business plans, Ryan was the main source of arrogance in the show.
He genuinely thought he was the cleverest person in any room and that his ideas and his ideas alone were the ones worth listening to. His non-stop arrogance was probably the main reason he was so easy to hate.
And Bragged Non-Stop
Just like his arrogance, Ryan’s bragging about his various accolades and achievements was a non-stop source of annoyance throughout the show. Whether it was about all the drugs he was familiar with after his time working for corporate, his travels in Thailand (which we later found out never happened) or his constant attempts to be a womanizer while simultaneously repulsing most women.
Despite Losing His Powerful Job
Quite early on in the show, Ryan turned things around and somehow landed himself a powerful job at corporate, which made him into the boss of everyone in the office. It didn’t take long for him to lose that job and return to the office as a receptionist.
Even after his dramatic failure, he continued to brag and act as though he was some sort of powerful, influential source. In reality, his career had failed and he was back where he started.
Because He Acted Very Unprofessionally
The reason he was fired came down to a variety of very unprofessional acts that came as a result of his newfound lavish lifestyle gifted to him by a big new paycheck. He was clearly a drug user, plus it was later revealed that he was misleading the shareholders of Dunder Mifflin. One particularly satisfying scene showed him being led away from the office by police.
He Had Terrible Business Plans
During the period after his firing from Dunder Mifflin, he managed to get a job back at his old office (where for some reason Michael was obsessed with him). He came up with WUPHF: the worst business ever. It gave you a notification on every platform when you got a message. When that failed, he tried to sell jars of homemade pesto.
He Used Kelly
One of the main storylines to do with Ryan in The Office was his love affair with Kelly. The two got together towards the start of the show, even though he never seemed that interested.
One of the worst things he ever did was announce he was going to Thailand and break up with Kelly, then convince her to have sex with him again and give him some money for his travels.
And Made It Clear She Wasn’t His First Choice
Even after (and before) Thailand, Ryan made it very clear to the cameras that Kelly wasn’t his first choice, and was basically a placeholder until he found a woman he was more interested in. Luckily, Kelly met Ravi and formed a relationship that was finally healthy.
Then Wanted Her Back When She Moved On
Speaking of Kelly and Ravi, Ryan certainly wasn’t pleased that she had finally found true happiness with a man that was nice to her. At the very start of season nine, the two moved to Miami (Ohio).
Ryan, not content with having stopped Kelly from living a good life for many years already, decided he would follow them. As such, he moves there too. It got rid of him from Scranton, which was good for us, but it certainly wasn’t good for Kelly.
He Was Listed As A Main Character For Some Reason
On top of everything, Ryan is consistently (until season nine) listed as one of the main characters. Michael, Dwight, Pam and Jim are obviously the main characters. Each episode pretty much revolves around one of them, because they are the stars of the show. Ryan is nowhere near as relevant as any of those, yet he is billed as part of the main cast for the first eight seasons.