The Office is one of those shows with so many memorable moments. But what about the moments that don’t always make the “best of” compilations?
Sure, it's hard to forget The Office scenes like Michael and Holly's engagement or Jim's prank where he dresses up like Dwight. But today, we're talking about scenes that sometimes get overshadowed by more popular ones.
Here are 15 super funny moments from The Office that deserve a little bit more love.
Does Stanley Have A Mustache? (Season 8, “Welcome Party”)
The office is thrown into a heated debate over a greeting card in this Season 8 cold open. The card Phyllis and Pam picked out includes a joke about the doctors mistaking Stanley’s tonsillectomy for a mustache-ectomy, but after Jim points out Stanley doesn’t have a mustache, the entire office seemingly forgets what their coworker’s face looks like.
The room is split about 50/50 until Stanley arrives, revealing that he actually had a mustache all along. The best part of this bit is that you’ll forget what Stanley’s face looks like, too.
Gabe’s Lady Gaga Moves (Season 7, “Costume Contest”)
Michael’s insecurities are the cause of a lot of issues in the office, but Gabe’s presence in the office after Dunder Mifflin’s acquisition by Sabre causes Michael to develop a huge inferiority complex.
Worried that his employees see Gabe as their boss rather than him, Michael jumps down Kevin’s throat when he sees him having a secret discussion with Gabe in the annex. Tearfully, Kevin explains that he was only trying to give Gabe some runway pointers for his Lady Gaga Halloween costume.
Kevin's earnest apology is what really makes this moment stand out. I feel almost as bad for Kevin in this scene as I did when he spilled all that chili.
The IT Guy’s Exit (Season 6, “Whistleblower”)
On a particular IT guy’s last day at the office, the employees barely look up from their desks to say goodbye. They also forget his name, since it’s something unusual (it’s not—it’s Nick).
In retaliation, Nick reveals that as the IT guy, he’s seen everyone’s hard drives—so he goes on to expose everyone in the office for the contents of their computers. Some secrets are less innocuous than others (like Darryl telling everyone he’s not on Facebook), but Nick also reveals that Andy is the whistleblower for Sabre’s malfunctioning printers.
Nick flips off the entire office before making his final exit. It might have been one of his only scenes in the entire series, but he made it count.
Creed Gets Himself Un-Fired (Season 2, “Halloween”)
Did you know that Creed almost got fired in Season 2? After company-wide cutbacks leave Michael with the uncomfortable task of firing one of his employees, it seems like Creed might be the one to go.
Clad in a vampire costume (it’s Halloween, by the way), Creed talks his way out of getting fired by convincing Michael to fire Devon instead. Actually, Creed doesn’t have to do much convincing—he pretty much just thanks Michael for deciding to keep him on, and then leaves so Devon can be fired instead.
The real reason this one makes the list is because the entire office hears Creed and Michael's conversation, making it a little awkward when Michael invites Devon in to be fired next.
The Caprese Salad (Season 5, “Frame Toby”)
Dwight is no stranger to framing—he’s framed a raccoon for opening a Christmas present and a bear for eating out of the garbage. But in this Season 5 episode, Dwight and Michael aim to frame Toby for using drugs. It’s kinda mean, but in Michael’s words, “Sometimes the ends justify the mean.”
Michael approaches some of the warehouse workers from Vance Refrigeration in the hopes of buying some weed. It’s not until after the police are called that Michael realizes he’s been duped with a bag of caprese salad. There’s even a little bit of mozzarella still in the bag.
This bit makes the list because as soon as the cop points out the mozzarella, I start having flashbacks to Michael paying $500 for a sandwich baggie full of basil.
Dwight Stalls The Volleyball Game (“Season 5, “Company Picnic”)
Winning the company picnic volleyball tournament means a whole lot to Dwight, so when his star player (Pam) twists her ankle, it’s up to Dwight to stall the game until she can return.
Dwight’s stalling tactics leave much to be desired, though. He starts by “angrily” punting the volleyball into the woods, but when that doesn’t buy enough time, he resorts to giving a lengthy speech where he questions just how many people have to get hurt before everyone will learn a lesson. (Hint: probably more than eight).
Dwight's valiant efforts to stall the game are the highlight of this episode. The little "I'll get it" after he kicks the ball never fails to make me laugh.
Scranton, The Electric City (Season 3, “The Merger”)
An often forgotten gem from Season 3 is Michael and Dwight’s welcome video for the new employees from Dunder Mifflin Stamford. The pair regrettably choose to do a rap video, and the result is this:
It feels like Michael pulled a LOT of inspiration from The Lonely Island’s “Lazy Sunday” digital short from Saturday Night Live for this music video (Michael even named his video “Lazy Scranton”), but that’s pretty on-brand for him.
However, I think “Lazy Scranton'' is the perfect orientation-slash-music video. I’m petitioning for the city of Scranton, PA to make it their official theme song.
Jim Stages A Murder Scene (Season 8, “Talahassee”)
Lots of Jim’s pranks on Dwight are remembered as some of The Office’s greatest moments, but a lesser-known prank that deserves some hype is Jim’s murder scene at a hotel in Talahassee.
Since Jim is used to waking up at 4 a.m. with his kids, he’s out of bed well before Dwight’s early morning wake up call. That gives him plenty of time to stage an elaborate crime scene, and frame Dwight for the murder.
The icing on the cake of this prank is when Jim falls out of the closet, scaring the hell out of Dwight and his wake-up call buddy, Erin. Overall, one of Jim's more creative pranks, despite always being overshadowed by the stapler in jello bit.
Oscar And Andy Call Angela (Season 5, “Business Trip”)
While Michael spends the night with a hotel concierge, a.k.a. a Winnipeg geisha, Oscar and Andy get absolutely trashed at the bar and end up in a deep conversation about Andy and Angela’s relationship.
Giggly and drunk, Oscar chimes in while Andy demands to know why Angela is the way she is (including why she won’t sleep with him). If Andy had been a little less tipsy, he might have even remembered hearing Dwight ask Angela who’s on the phone.
Mostly I like this scene because we rarely see Oscar acting so unprofessional. Get a few drinks in this guy and you'll be drunk-dialing everyone in your contacts.
Dwight’s Radio Interview (Season 9, “The Boat”)
People who say The Office was all bad after Steve Carell’s departure are wrong. Take, for example, this scene from Season 9 that takes place after a local radio host contacts Dunder Mifflin for a segment on local businesses.
The interview gets canceled, but Dwight doesn’t need to know that. Jim and Pam stage a replacement interview for Dwight, hosted by Nellie speaking in an American accent. Darryl even provides background music on his keyboard.
Throughout the interview, they’re able to convince Dwight to strip naked, trick him into thinking he’s caused the Dunder Mifflin stock to plummet, and get him to blame the catastrophe on CEO David Wallace. Overall, a very successful radio interview, and one my favorite scenes from The Office featuring Nellie.
“Re-Ply It” (Season 7, “China”)
When Dwight buys the office building, a lot of amenities start to fly out the window so he can keep costs down. One of the first luxuries to go is ply, as in half the ply from all the toilet paper. (He’s also been watering down the soap, but that one went unnoticed.)
As the new office administrator, Pam won’t stand for it. Although her first plan to scare Dwight by threatening to move to a new building falls through, she’s ultimately able to save everyone’s butts by informing Dwight he’s breaking the law. And Dwight LOVES the law. Re-ply the paper!
Dwight and Pam are capable adversaries in this episode, but it's fun to see Pam come out on top, which is why this bathroom battle will always be one of my favorite scenes.
Dwight Interviews Mose (Season 9, “Junior Salesman”)
Dwight interviews several of his friends and family members for a new “junior salesman” position at Dunder Mifflin, but the best of these interviews by far is the one with his cousin Mose.
Mose lies on his resume, which is unfortunate, because the hiring manager is his roommate. The interview is short and sweet: when Dwight confronts him about the fibs on the resume, Mose runs out of the office. And then just keeps running.
I'll admit it, I'm a sucker for Mose. The way he runs is just so ridiculous. It's no surprise that this running scene is one of my favs.
Michael And Dwight Eat Authentic New York Sushi (Season 4, “Launch Party”)
After one of the cringiest Office scenes of all time where Dwight and Michael take a pizza delivery boy hostage, this less-remembered scene takes place in a parking lot in the Big Apple.
Michael really wants some authentic New York Sushi—which doesn’t exist, by the way—so he decides to get it, and he and Dwight drive all the way to New York to crash the corporate launch party. The party is over by the time they arrive, but the pair steal a plate of sushi and enjoy it together on the hood of Dwight’s car while talking shit about Ryan. Michael's naivety about the "New York experience" is what makes the scene one that shouldn't be forgotten.
Now I have a taste for New York Sushi.
Dwight Is The Only One Who Can Calm Cece (Season 7, “Viewing Party”)
I’m personally a huge fan of heartwarming moments that expose Dwight as a big softie. One of those moments happens at Erin and Gabe’s Glee watch party.
To set the scene, Cece just won’t stop crying. Pam is willing to do anything to get her to stop, including listening to Dwight. As it turns out, Dwight is basically a baby whisperer and Cece calms down immediately in his arms.
The idea of Dwight as an excellent baby-raiser probably would have landed this scene on our list on its own, but Dwight also has a few demands that must be met in order for him to hold Cece all night long, though. For starters, Jim has to hand-feed him beer and pizza, which is amazing.
Tube City (Season 6, “Murder”)
If you ever forget that Jim was once a co-manager of Dunder Mifflin, you’re not alone. The arrangement was short-lived, mostly because two managers are not better than one.
Michael and Jim did work out a bit of a checks and balances system, though. For example, when Michael wants to spend the day playing a murder mystery game, Jim can’t veto him. He already vetoed his last idea: Tube City, a system of hamster tubes running throughout the office.
In my opinion, Tube City was one of Michael’s finest ideas (I know I’d certainly get more work done if I was surrounded by hamsters), hence this scene's place on the list.
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