'The Office': From gossip frenzy to wedding mishap, 10 funniest episodes that never fail to leave us in stitches
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Thanks to its humorous narrative and relatable characters, NBC's 'The Office' has maintained its popularity among viewers even 11 years after its end.
The nine-season mockumentary series explores the daily grind, workplace politics, and social dynamics at the Dunder Mifflin branch.
With bone-tickling humor, likable characters, and a plethora of embarrassing situations, it's no wonder that the mockumentary continues to make people laugh.
So, whether you're intending to revisit the series or are a first-time viewer, we've curated a list of the ten funniest episodes of the series sure to make you laugh.
Stress Relief
'Stress Relief' is easily one of the funniest episodes of the show. The fourteenth episode of Season 5 follows Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), who decides to test the office's readiness for a fire by holding an unexpected drill.
However, his plan of a drill starts an actual fire in a garbage can, sending the office staff into a frenzy as they try to rescue themselves. The commotion erupts as the staff race to flee, with Stanley Hudson (Leslie David Baker) suffering a heart attack due to the stress, further complicating matters.
The episode delves into professional stress and uncomfortable interactions in a dysfunctional office setting with a high dose of chaos that will leave you in splits.
The Dundies
The opening episode of Season 2, 'The Dundies', focuses on Michael Scott's (Steve Carell) self-created award ceremony, where he seeks to increase staff morale by recognizing their successes with handcrafted awards.
The categories include 'Hottest in the Office' for Ryan Howard (BJ Novak) and the 'That's What She Said' Award, a self-explanatory nod to Michael's catchphrase.
This episode introduces key characters and teases a relationship between Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer).
Dinner Party
Without a doubt, one of the funniest episodes of the show is the thirteenth episode of Season 4 of the sitcom.
Michael, desperate for social acceptability, invites Jim and Pam, along with Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) and Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), to a couples' dinner party at his apartment with his girlfriend Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin).
However, from the start, everything goes awry. Michael's apartment is disorganized, the cuisine is unflattering, and the tension between Michael and Jan is obvious.
The episode effectively depicts Michael and Jan's troubled relationship and has buckets full of amusing moments.
Customer Survey
The whimsical episode, which is part of Season 5, open with a statement that Dunder Mifflin would undertake a customer satisfaction survey. The team is keen to get favorable comments, which they hope will reflect well on their performance.
When the survey results arrive, the staff is startled to see that Dwight has gotten the highest customer rating.
This revelation shocks and irritates Jim, who has been attempting to undermine Dwight's authority as the office's top salesperson. Jim becomes more competitive with Dwight, aiming to exceed him in sales.
The interplay between Jim and Dwight is essential to the episode, highlighting their constant rivalry and competitive nature.
Broke
In its twenty-fifth episode of the fifth season of the series 'Broke' delves into the friction that is building up between Dunder Mifflin and Michael Scott Paper Company (MSPC).
David Wallace (Andy Buckley), realizing that Dunder Mifflin is losing business to MSPC, views Michael's firm as a danger and decides that the cheapest solution is to buy out MSPC.
Michael whose company is already losing money is anxious but Jim's gentle persuasion convinces him to sell MSPC to Dunder Mifflin.
This episode showcases Michael's ambition and shifting relationships at Dunder Mifflin and lays the groundwork for future confrontations and the eventual return of a familiar figure.
The Negotiation
This Season 3, Episode 19, depicts the development of many major plotlines in a tense atmosphere, with humor and an unexpected act of bravery.
Roy Anderson (David Denman), Pam's ex-fiancé, confronts Jim in the office after learning about Jim's kiss with Pam, but Dwight Schrute steps in and subdues Roy with a burst of pepper spray.
The vapors from the pepper spray also impact Jim, Pam, and a few other workers, causing brief havoc in the workplace.
The episode also revealed Michael's vulnerability, as he feels unappreciated by corporations. So, he decides to go to headquarters and ask for a raise for himself.
Goodbye, Toby
If you've seen 'The Office', you're probably aware of Michael's dislike for HR representative Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein).
When Toby's departure is announced, Michael throws him a grand farewell party. During the leaving party, Michael bids a remarkably serious and meaningful goodbye and even gives Toby a watch.
The episode was both amusing and startling as it successfully introduced Dwight and Angela's relationship.
Conflict Resolution
In the twenty-first episode of the sitcom's second season, Michael dons the hat of a peacemaker to resolve office conflicts, but his efforts backfire hilariously and cause even more tension.
Michael discovers a stack of old, unresolved employee complaint forms and is inspired to take on the role of a conflict resolution expert. Instead of dealing with issues discreetly, Michael publicly reads all of the complaints, revealing past conflicts among coworkers.
This includes Angela complaining about Pam's wedding planning during office hours. The episode exemplifies comedy by exposing underlying tensions within the office and exploring some unresolved conflicts between the characters.
Booze Cruise
In episode eleven of the second season of the series, the staff of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton takes to the high seas for a boozy work retreat.
As the cruise journey progresses, Michael struggles to maintain control and keep the staff engaged in the training seminar.
Jim, after the encouraging words of Michael, finally gathers the courage to confess his feelings to Pam, but she reveals that she is already seeing someone else, leaving our loverboy heartbroken.
The episode skillfully combines humor with moments of vulnerability and introspection, making it a memorable and impactful installment in the series.
Threat Level Midnight
Michael finally discusses his passion project, a movie named 'Threat Level Midnight', with the Dunder Mifflin staff in the seventeenth episode of the seventh season of the series.
The staff meets in the conference room to watch Michael's movie, which he created during his tenure as regional manager. The office crew responds to the movie with laughter, surprise, and skepticism.
They are taken aback by Michael's ambition and originality but also amused by the film's poor production quality and bizarre narrative.
Throughout the screening, we fans also learn more about Michael's background and intentions for creating the film. It is revealed that he made the movie to deal with his loneliness and need for attention, such a sad side of our quirky, branch head Michael.
'The Office' is now streaming on Peacock