Content Warning: This article contains references to sexual misconduct, harassment, and homophobia
The Office isn’t shy of colorful characters. From Dwight using his beet farm as a B&B to Creed's eccentric advice, there’s no end to the show’s zaniness.
But given just how many characters with big personalities were introduced over the nine years, which is dozens, not all of them landed with the fans. Even though these characters are just as funny as the others, it doesn’t mean they’re likable. Between Toby’s humdrum presence, Gabe’s bizarre obsession with horror, and Todd Packer’s inherent sexual misconduct, some characters make it hard for fans to love them.
Robert California
Knowing that it was going to be hard to fill Michael Scott’s shoes, the search committee took it seriously when looking for a suitable candidate for Regional Manager.
It was tough for audiences to come to with Robert California, as he was vindictive and even tried to have Dwight take the fall for the failure of the pyramid line. However, as time progressed, he did grow on a lot of the show’s fans. Proclaiming himself to be the "Lizard King" and using fear tactics as a power move, he won the hearts of many viewers. And at the end of the day, Robert California was Dunder Mifflin’s best manager.
Toby
Out of all of the characters in The Office, Toby is the most realistic and one that viewers are most likely to find in that type of workplace. He’s a humdrum HR worker and the only character to carry the torch of the self-deprecating British humor of the BBC original series.
However, not only was he a thorn in Michael’s side, but Toby annoyed Reddit fans of The Office too. There are times when he has been annoying simply for comedic effect, but he genuinely has the worst character traits too, such as having no self-confidence and being jealous all of the time. Worst of all was when he crossed the line with Pam by putting his hand on her knee.
Jan
There wasn’t a single thing about Jan that was likable. Even after she had left Michael’s life and Dunder Mifflin was long behind her, she was still hanging around, irritating audiences, by singing to her daughter.
Although she was the most professional character in the first season, Jan was bad news from the start, and when she did let her personal life bleed into work life, it didn’t just rain, it poured. What peeved off fans the most was that as she treated Michael terribly and even took his diary to her deposition as evidence. She never respected Michael at all, which was why fans found it so easy to hate her.
Gabe
Just as is the case with Toby, the reason why it was hard to like Gabe was that he was in a position at the company where he had to lay down the law. But what's worse is that he genuinely doesn’t find anything funny and he almost finds enjoyment in shutting people down. However, it isn’t just his lack of a sense of humor that makes him hard to like, as characters like Kevin and Oscar don’t have a sense of humor but they’re still funny.
What makes it so tough to like Gabe is that his hobbies are so creepy in a non-endearing, non-Creed-like way. Not only that, but given how obsessed he was with Erin and the way he treated Andy, many fans on The Office think Gabe should have been reported for harassment.
Nellie
In many ways, Nellie was the worst addition to The Office's Dunder Mifflin. Before she was a regular member of the cast working at the Scranton branch, she appeared infrequently as a lazy Sabre employee, and fans even hated her then. She was rude, had deceitful ways of climbing the company ladder, and tried to get Dwight fired.
It’s almost easy to fall into Nellie’s trap and feel sorry for her because she doesn’t fit in, but at the same time, she gets special benefits that other employees don’t, and she can’t have it both ways. It probably doesn't help that Nellie arrives late to the show when fans had already formed strong relationships with the other characters.
Deangelo Vickers
As Deangelo Vickers was the character to directly take over Michael as Regional Manager of the Scranton branch, Steve Carell’s departure was still fresh in fans’ minds. That may have contributed to the fact that not everybody could completely get on board with the Texan character.
Although he was played by improv master Will Ferrell, many thought the character was nothing more than a pale imitation of Michael. They both had quirky interests and they both thought they were great at basketball when they weren’t, which was the literal downfall of Deangelo. However, when all is said and done, many Office fans believe Deangelo was still a better manager than Andy.
Andy
When Andy was first introduced in season 3, he was immediately on fans’ bad side, as he was a suck-up and it took him a long time to fit in at Scranton. The character’s worst moments came when Michael left The Office, as the series, for a brief period of time, became all about Andy.
Each episode followed a similar format. As was the case with so many episodes in season 8, Andy wouldn’t know how to manage the team but then found a way to overcome it, learn a valuable lesson, and the employees would respect him a little more. However, by season 9, all character development was undone and he became a jerk again. As great as The Office is, Andy is one of the few instances of the writers not having a clear vision for the character.
Charles Miner
The main reason why fans hate Miner is because Michael hates Miner. But in fairness, Charles Miner wasn’t supposed to be a likable character in the slightest. Miner was painted as a bad guy simply because he didn’t put up with any of Jim’s pranks and made employees commit to doing their work.
However, this hatred is unwarranted since, at the end of the day, he was brought in because of how messy the work ethic of the Scranton branch was. The only thing he did wrong was doing his job right.
Todd Packer
Todd Packer is essentially Michael Scott, only he has all of Michael’s bad qualities and none of his good qualities.
When he isn’t around the office sexually harassing all of the coworkers, Todd is shouting homophobic slurs or making comments about their physical appearances. He even insults his own family because they don't want anything to do with him. Yet, what's worse is that Todd doesn't even feel the slightest bit of remorse for his actions or the things he says, which proves what an awful person he is.