The Office: 5 Things Season 1 Did Well (& 5 It Didn't)
The first season of The Office was only 6 episodes long. It aired in 2005 and was the American adaptation of the British show of the same name. Dunder Mifflin Paper Company has now found itself embedded in pop culture. The first season saw the introduction of almost all the main characters of the show.
The first season received mixed reviews from critics and viewers when it first aired but opinions have changed a lot since then. Going on for 9 seasons in total, fans now look back quite fondly at Season 1 for setting the tone of the show as a whole. Here are some of the hits and misses in Season 1.
10 HIT: The Jello Prank
Similar to the British episode, Season 1 of The Office sees this classic prank played out. Jim puts some of Dwight's (and then Michael's) stationery in Jello. The resulting dessert resulted in a lot of "pudding" humor of "custard" and "flan" jokes.
This is one of the many pranks that Jim plays on Dwight throughout the show. But this is the first taste viewers get of the nature of Jim's pranks, and the dynamic between them. It also shows how Jim really enjoys the fact that Pam is also very taken by his pranks.
9 MISS: Kevin Talks Differently
It will be especially noticeable for fans of the show how Kevin's style of talking is very particular. In fact, it is compared to Cookie Monster in one of the later seasons. But Kevin doesn't exactly talk in this manner in the first season. In the very first episode, fans will notice how normally Kevin talks.
By the next couple of episodes, we can see the slow change towards what is now remembered as Kevin's iconic style of talking. Since the first season heavily focuses on the main characters, we don't get to see too much of characters like Kevin as well.
8 HIT: Michael Gets A Well-Deserved Slap
The "Diversity Day" episode is highly rated and is known as a series-defining episode. However, a rewatch today will make viewers quite uncomfortable with the outrageousness of the humor in this episode. However, the writers sort of redeemed themselves by making sure that Michael is slapped and rightly so by Kelly, towards the end of this episode.
Michael Scott is a character that was extremely obnoxious in the first season, with not much of the softness that later comes to be associated with him. And it is fun to watch the main character of the show get slapped like that.
7 MISS: Michael Scott's Characterization
Season 1 contains a Michael Scott that has all the brashness and obnoxiousness of the Michael Scott of the later seasons, with none of the loveable qualities. While in the later seasons, Michael is toned down considerably and evokes sympathy even, Michael of the first season does not of that.
He makes outrageously inappropriate jokes, extremely politically incorrect statements, and more. He is not kind to his office staff and is incredibly self-centered as well. The first season has a Michael Scott that is altogether a memorable character, albeit a not very nice one.
6 HIT: Jim-Pam Pranking Partnership
Season 1 lays the ground for the amazing pranking partnership between Jim and Pam. Their chemistry is sparkling and very evident. Their alliance against Dwight is extremely amusing to witness. Their individual pranks are also carried forward by the other.
This collaboration between them continues to grow through seasons but the first season showed the freshness of such a pranking relationship. Jim and Pam are very loveable characters and their pranking relationship is easily loved by viewers. Dwight is their main target and the dynamics between the three of them form a very important part of the show.
5 MISS: Meredith Isn't As Outrageous Or As Fun
Fans of the show remember Meredith as the outrageously independent woman who didn't care what anybody thought about her or said to her. She liked living her life to the fullest and wasn't the least bit embarrassed about it.
But this is not the Meredith we see in the first season. Meredith of Season 1 has very little screentime, and she doesn't seem to be half as spunky as she later is. She's very quiet and seems to be easily upset over things Michael says.
4 HIT: Guest Appearance By Amy Adams
The last episode of the first season is titled "Hot Girl." Written by Mindy Kaling, this episode sees Amy Adams make a guest appearance as a purse salesperson. This is an incredibly funny episode where we see Michael and Dwight vie for the "hot girl." Where both of them fail, Jim succeeds.
With his quick charm and sense of humor, he easily asks her out, after an uncomfortable viewing of Pam and Roy making up. Right from the beginning, it is very evident that Jim is smitten by Pam, but he makes a valiant effort to not pine after her by asking out the purse salesperson.
3 MISS: The Really Small Season
Season 1 of The Office had only 6 episodes. Compare this with the other seasons on the show which had at least 20 episodes per season. With just 6 episodes, Season 1 lacks depth. It is unable to give enough screentime and storylines to the characters on the show.
While some are simply sidelined, some others like Michael become caricatures because of the restricted 6 episode run of the first season. This small season doesn't allow the showrunners to create elaborate plots and they are instead restricted to very gimmicky episodes.
2 HIT: The Popularization Of Cringe Style Comedy
Season 1 of The Office laid the foundation of this style of cringe comedy. The obnoxiousness, the awkwardness, the weirdness were all captured perfectly thanks to the mockumentary style of filmmaking. The viewers were faced with a show where they felt second-hand embarrassment for many characters and couldn't believe the things that they were laughing at.
With no laugh track, Season 1 of The Office popularized a style of comedy that played up the cringe quality of humor. Michael Scott and Dwight Schrute are etched in popular imaginations as the torch-bearers of this style of comedy, and the first season leads the way in this regard.
1 MISS: The Lack Of Character Development
As mentioned earlier, the really small season barely scratched the surface of the main characters, forget the other characters. And even of the main characters, the first season does not show any type of character development or growth. There are no character arcs in the first season. In fact, Season 1 appears to be a loosely tied collection of 6 individual episodes.
It makes sense that the writers and showrunners were finding their way around these characters and the show as a whole, but for the casual viewer, Season 1 lacks any serious character development.