At this point, The Office is basically guaranteed to go down in history as not only one of the best sitcoms of all time, but also as one of the comedies that people love to rewatch and as a series that made a number of actors famous because of their roles on the nine-season hit.
Speaking of which, many of the actors we know and love from the ever-popular mockumentary about the (frequently wacky) employees at the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin paper company have starred (or popped up memorably) in a number of other movies and shows both before, during and after their time on the NBC classic. So let’s take a look at what else you can watch the cast of The Office in!
Foxcatcher
Even though Steve Carell was known as a comedic actor before he led The Office cast as the sometimes good at his job Michael Scott, it was definitely his role on the comedy that propelled him to new heights and led to opportunities for him to branch out. One such case of that was his creepy starring turn in the drama Foxcatcher, an acclaimed biographical sports thriller that saw him nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 2015.
Inside Out
It seems that 2015 was a good year for The Office cast, as this was when the Pixar mega-hit Inside Out was released, starring the voice of Phyllis Smith as Sadness. The animated film, of course, followed the personified emotions of a young girl going through a tough time, and was popular enough to get a sequel in 2024.
Away We Go
Of all The Office characters, it’s possible that John Krasinski’s Jim Halpert is the most beloved, and the actor rode that wave into 2009’s romantic road trip film Away We Go. The comedy-drama is about a couple in their early 30s trying to decide where to settle before the birth of their first child, and really should be sought out if you haven’t seen it yet.
Blades Of Glory
I know what you’re thinking, What about Pam? Well, Jenna Fischer’s Pam Beesly Halpert was, many think, the heart of the sitcom, and the actress became the heart of the ice-skating comedy Blades of Glory in 2007.
The Mindy Project
While Kelly Kapoor is one of the most memorably ridiculous staffers at Dunder Mifflin, the same can’t (totally) be said for Mindy Kaling’s OB/GYN, Mindy Lahiri, in The Mindy Project. The doctor may be analytical, friendly and good at her job, but she’s also blunt and shallow, making her fun to watch.
Bridesmaids
Because of the number of hilarious performances from the ensemble cast of the one-liner-filled comedy, Bridesmaids, you might have forgotten that Ellie Kemper (that’s receptionist Erin Hannon to you) starred in the somewhat raunchy 2011 hit as Becca, a newlywed member of the bridal party who loses some of her naivete because of the antics of the assembled group.
Parks And Recreation
Did you forget about Karen Filippelli? You know, Jim’s girlfriend who quickly realized that he was in love with Pam once they were all working together? Well, Rashida Jones was a much bigger part of Parks and Recreation, where her nurse, Anne Perkins, was a (mostly) reasonable member of the wacky ensemble.
Super
There probably aren’t a lot of us who watched the NBC workplace sitcom and envisioned any of the characters as superheroes, which is part of the point to Dwight Schrute actor Rainn Wilson taking on his reading role in Super. The dark comedy follows a short order cook who becomes a masked vigilante, and should be experienced at least once.
The Hangover
A hit comedy you’ve almost definitely seen at least once is 2009’s The Hangover, starring Ed Helms, a.k.a. Andy Bernard. Actually, no one would be surprised if you’ve seen this movie plus its two sequels multiple times.
This Is The End
Apocalyptic horror comedies don’t come around all that often, and when they do they’re rarely as insane as This Is The End. The 2013 film stars a number of notable famous folks playing versions of themselves who try to survive the Biblical event, including Darryl Philbin’s portrayer, Craig Robinson.
Leatherheads
John Krasinski also lent his talents to the George Clooney-directed, 1925-set football comedy, Leatherheads. It might not have been a big hit, but it definitely let fans see more of Krasinski’s big-screen potential early on.
Fresh Off The Boat
It hasn’t been uncommon for some of the cast to pop up on other popular shows, and that’s what we saw with Angela Kinsey (yup, she played Dwight’s eventual boo Angela) when it came to the ABC family comedy Fresh Off the Boat. Kinsey guest starred in a handful of episodes across Seasons 4 and 5 as Amy Chestnut, a nemesis for Jessica Huang.
The Lost City
It’s a bit of a wonder that Oscar managed to continue working at Dunder Mifflin Scranton, considering how professional and free of foolishness he was. But, his portrayer, Oscar Nuñez, did play an important oddball in 2022’s The Lost City, and to hilarious effect.
The Morning Show
Steve Carell continued to take on more dramatic roles after leaving The Office behind, and he kept his streak going by playing the disgraced former co-host for the first two seasons of the titular show that’s the focus of this Apple TV+ series.
The Giant Mechanical Man
While none of our beloved Office cast members have led what will come to be known as one of the best romantic comedies of all time just yet, Jenna Fischer did star in a lovely little rom-com called The Giant Mechanical Man, where she plays a struggling zoo worker who falls for a financially strapped street performer.
Family Switch
Sometimes you just need a good, fun family movie, and Ed Helms helped give us one with Family Switch. The movie, which you can watch with your Netflix subscription, gets its Freaky Friday on by having two parents (and the family dog) swap bodies with their two teens (and the baby of the family).
Galaxy Quest
Unfortunately, sci-fi and comedy simply don’t overlap that much, because when they do we end up with wondrous movies like Galaxy Quest. This now classic features Rainn Wilson as one of the decent, octopus-like Thermians, who juuuuust manage to pose as human.
Gone Baby Gone
Though she’d been a working actor for many years, most people really got to know about Amy Ryan because of her Oscar-nominated role in 2007’s Gone Baby Gone as the mother of a missing girl; a role that was quite different from her sweet Holly Flax.
The Bold Type
It’s a bad idea to get involved with your boss; that is, if your boss is like the domineering Jan Levinson, as played by Melora Hardin. However, if your boss is tough but fair and an all-around good human like The Bold Type’s Jacqueline Carlyle, then maybe things won’t go as badly for you as they did for Michael.
Silicon Valley
While Zach Woods brought even more weirdness to The Office as Gabe Woods for Seasons 6-9, he was more of a secure and stabilizing presence for the tech team on HBO’s comedy, Silicon Valley.
Ocean’s Eight
The Mindy Project hasn’t been the only way to watch Mindy Kaling outside of Scranton. In 2018 she branched out by starring as jeweler Amita in the crime comedy Ocean’s Eight, as one of the so-named group with a plan for a big jewelry heist.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Naive, nice and endlessly hopeful seems to be a specialty of Ellie Kemper. She added another such character to the one from Bridesmaids and The Office when she took on the role of former underground (literally) doomsday cult member Kimmy Schmidt as she attempted to make a life for herself in New York City after being rescued. You can watch her in all four seasons and one interactive movie on one of the best streaming services, Netflix.
The Blacklist
Anyone who enjoyed James Spader as the intimidating and mysterious Robert California, odd though he was, would probably have no problem seeing the actor as, well…mysterious, intimidating and charming criminal mastermind/FBI informant/probable sociopath, Raymond “Red” Reddington for 10 seasons of the NBC drama, The Blacklist, which wrapped its long run in 2023.
The Wire
The Wire is an amazing drama that is one of the TV shows that actually ended well, and it also made Idris Elba a household name because of his long-running role as smooth criminal Stringer Bell. Were it not for this series, we might not have gotten him as Michael’s strict (and eventually antagonistic) boss who had quite an effect on the ladies, Charles Miner. FYI, you can also see Amy Ryan in this show, beginning in Season 2.
Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness
Few fans of our favorite mockumentary could have guessed that there would be a time when superhero fans around the world would call for John Krasinski (he of the flippy Jim haircut and consistent bemused looks to the camera) to portray Marvel icon Mister Fantastic, a.k.a. Reed Richards. Well, Disney finally gave them their wish in a wildly short-lived fashion when he appeared as a version of the Fantastic Four leader in 2022’s multiverse-hopping Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness.
Six Feet Under
Yet another 2000s HBO drama has delivered another way to see someone from The Office. One of the rare family shows that’s about death in a real way, Six Feet Under helped Rainn Wilson show the world a happier, though still incredibly peculiar, character in mortuary intern Arthur Martin during Season 3.
Hot Tub Time Machine
One of the stranger time travel movies in recent memory can easily be said to be Hot Tub Time Machine, where our time travelers do, indeed, trip through time via an energy drink-powered hot tub. In both this classic comedy and its sequel, you can watch Craig Robinson experience the many benefits and dangers of time travel.
The Daily Show
A number of correspondents have passed by the news desk on Comedy Central’s politically aware pop culture program, The Daily Show. From 2002-2006, Ed Helms lent his talents to segments like Digital Watch, We Love Showbiz and This Week in God. The added bonus for you? This series launched Steve Carell’s early career, as he was also a correspondent from 1999 through 2005, and has returned several times since then as a guest.
Inglourious Basterds
We’ve already come upon some surprising portrayals from our wild and wacky Office workers, and fans were treated to another one with the release of Quentin Tarantino’s Academy Award-nominated Inglourious Basterds in 2009. While B.J. Novak’s Smithson "Little Man" Utivich was simply a loyal soldier and accomplished smart-alek, the environment he thrived in was much more stressful than anything Ryan could have survived.
Upload
Remember that dutiful movie and TV viewers can easily spot one of the Scranton denizens as they pop up in any number of other well-known projects. However, when Creed Bratton (yes, that Creed) appeared in a Season 1 episode of Amazon Prime’s Upload, he probably delivered the briefest, most hilariously gruesome guest star spot of them all.
Doctor Who
If there’s any one show in the history of TV shows that continues to provide us with a near-endless stream of cameos and guest starring roles from up-and-comers, it would be Doctor Who and its 60-year, 40-season history. And, we can actually watch a whole season (the fourth modern one) plus six specials of Catherine Tate (Nellie Bertram, Seasons 7-9) as The Doctor’s companion, Donna Noble.
The White Lotus
Last but not least, we take you to The White Lotus. This Emmy-winning HBO (Should we all just stick with HBO if we want to see our Office mates?) satire has already given us innumerable memorable characters and performances, and Season 1 saw Jake Lacy (who played Pete “New Jim” Miller in Season 9) take on the role of the easily unlikable, arrogant rich guy Shane Patton.
As you can see, The Office cast has thrived outside of the comedy that made so many of them famous!
