There are 201 episodes of the AmericanThe Office, and almost every one is excellent, but these ten are the very best.The Officehas to be ranked amongthe best TV shows ever. Sure, it’s not as Shakespearean asThe Sopranosor as carefully crafted asBreaking Bad, but it’s so delightful, it has to be included.
While notevery season ofThe Officeis equal, there’s something to love in just about every one. However, it always seems that the very best episodes of the series involve the ensemble. Taking characters out of their comfort zones or putting them in life-changing situations is also a good way to have a great episode.
10Golden Ticket (Season 5, Episode 19)
“I’ve Got A Golden Ticket Idea. Why Don’t You Skip On Up To The Roof And Jump Off?”
In “Golden Ticket”, Michael has the bright idea to put Golden Tickets in random shipments of paper, which offer 10% discounts to whoever finds them. Michael, not knowing how the warehouse works, puts them all in the same shipment, and Blue Cross of Pennsylvania ends up with five, meaning they get 50% off.
The episode quickly turns into Michael trying to place the blame elsewhere, all while dressed up like Willy Wonka. It’s hilarious and feels a lot like a throwback to earlier episodes of the show despite coming in a later season. Any chance to have David Wallace laugh at a “That’s what she said” joke is also a win.
9Garage Sale (Season 7, Episode 19)
“Holly Flax, Marrying Me Will You Be?”
In “Garage Sale”, the staff at Dunder Mifflin are having a sale in their warehouse, with every employee having a table, which gives us a fun look into the home lives of the characters in a way we don’t always get to see. Dwight’s bartering journey is a clever way to make sure everyone has a chance to appear in the episode.
What the episode does so well is nail Michael’s proposal to Holly. This has been a long time coming, andit was always going to be difficult to have such a dramatic moment with such unserious characters, but “Garage Sale” pulls off a tear-jerking, funny scene that feels true to the characters.
8The Dundies (Season 2, Episode 1)
“TMI? Too Much Information. It’s Just Easier To Say TMI. I Used To Say, ‘Don’t Go There,’ But That’s Lame.”
“The Dundies” introduced a new era ofThe Office. The first season ofThe Officeis a struggle as the show is too beholden to the British series in those first six episodes, and can’t seem to find its footing. It finds it in the season 2 premiere by making Michael a lovable fool, rather than a crude jerk.
The episode goes a long way to show how Michael’s intentions are often pure, but he can’t help putting his foot in his mouth or inadvertently insulting someone. There are too many jokes to say in the episode, but we get a drunk Pam kissing Jim, and the employees sticking up for a bullied Michael.
7Garden Party (Season 8, Episode 4)
“I’d Like To Make A Toast To The Troops. All The Troops. Both Sides.”
In “Garden Party” from season 8,Andy Bernard is still in his lovable schlub phaseof the show, and in an attempt to impress his boss, and more importantly, his parents, he hosts a garden party. It takes place at Dwight Schrute’s farm, who gets his party know-how from an online guidebook.
As the book was written by “James Trickington”, an alias of Jim Halpert’s, the party is filled with hilarious eccentricities, like Dwight shouting everyone’s name as they arrive.Parties are always a treat inThe Office, and this episode manages to make sure Dunder Mifflin has Andy’s back even while he’s floundering.
6Dinner Party (Season 4, Episode 13)
“You Know, Pam, In Spain, They Often Don’t Even Start Eating Until Midnight.”
“Dinner Party” would be one of the most uncomfortable episodes ofThe Officeif it weren’t so absurdly funny. In the episode, Michael manages to trick Jim and Pam into coming to his house for dinner with his girlfriend, Jan, who is beyond spiraling at this point, and has metamorphosized into her final, outrageous form.
From the get-go, things go from bad to worse, beginning with Jim and Pam learning that Michael sleeps at the foot of the bed on an ottoman and ending with Jan breaking Michael’s beloved (tiny) plasma screen TV with a Dundie award. The episode keeps cranking up the laughs and finally moves Michael away from this toxic relationship.
5The Injury (Season 2, Episode 12)
“Ugh. I’m So Sick Of Chuck E. Cheese.”
Some episodes ofThe Officedon’t move the story forward very much, but they are just so funny, and emblematic of the show’s sense of humor, they have to be considered a top episode. “The Injury” finds Michael having burnt his foot on his George Foreman-branded grill, and his injury is now everyone’s problem.
This is Michael Scott at his funniest. He’s belligerent, bitter, and attention-starved. It’s great. From asking Pam to rub Country Crock butter on his foot to trying to jam his foot in an MRI, Michael is a jerk but stays just likable enough. Bonus points for Dwight getting a concussion that actually makes him nice to be around.
4Niagara (Season 6, Episodes 4 & 5)
“You’re That Foul Man That Kept Talking About Intercourse.”
At the beginning of the episode, Pam tells the camera that she and Jim planned their wedding for Niagara Falls because they thought it would be too far away for anyone from Dunder Mifflin to be willing to drive. Oh, how they underestimated the strange bond that connects the employees of the paper company.
It’s also the moving end of a chapter in the Jim and Pam relationship.
It’s a two-part episode filled with plenty of laughsand the Scrantonites hanging out in a much more casual environment than we’re used to seeing, which means we get dance-offs, YouTube reenactments, and Dwight complaining at the kid’s table. It’s also the movingend of a chapter in the Jim and Pam relationship.
3Finale (Season 9, Episodes 24 & 25)
“There’s A Lot Of Beauty In Ordinary Things. Isn’t That Kind Of The Point?”
The finale ofThe Officeshould be studied by other sitcoms. This finale ties up everyone’s story in a satisfying way, but it doesn’t make the mistake of giving everyone a happy ending. At the end of the day, these are normal people with normal lives, and they’ll continue living them as they always have.
Even with all these storylines to wrap up, “Finale” remains very funny, and while everyone has grown, they’re still very much the same, and the humor feels earned rather than shoe-horned.It’ll make you cry, and it will make you laughas the close to nine seasons of the incredible show.
2Casino Night (Season 2, Episode 22)
“It Belonged To My Grandfather. He Was Buried In It, So Family Heirloom.”
Michael has two dates in “Casino Night”, which, in his words, means he plans on dropping a deuce on everyone.“Casino Night” gets to the core of the Jim and Pam will-they-won’t-they romance, with Jim finally admitting his feelings and the pair sharing their first non-inebriated kiss.
It’s a touching moment that turns heartbreaking when Pam makes the mistake of choosing comfort over what she really wants. Alongside this heavy storyline is a hilarious work party event where Michael clumsily balances budding romances with Jan and Carol. Also, Creed keeps stealing poker chips; he can’t help himself.
1Beach Games (Season 3, Episode 22)
“I Just Wanna Lie On The Beach And Eat Hot Dogs. That’s All I’ve Ever Wanted.”
“Beach Games” is filled with critical character moments, like Pam coming to terms with Jim about their kiss a season ago and Michael revealing he will be leaving Scranton (not), but it’s also jam-packed with jokes, all in the unique lakefront setting that puts everyone out of their comfort zone.
In classic Michael fashion, he turns Dunder Mifflin’s beach day at the lake into a competition to determine who will be the next boss of the Scranton branch. The events include hot dog eating, egg walking, and sumo wrestling, crescendoing in one of the best visual gags ofThe Office: Andy floating away in an inflatable sumo suit.
The Office
Cast
This mockumentary comedy series observes the mundane and humorous daily lives of employees at the Scranton branch of the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. It offers insights into office dynamics, personalities, and the eccentric behavior of both management and staff, depicting an ordinary workplace with extraordinary characters.
