The Office is definitely known for its amazing array of characters that they have on the show. They have characters that are either downright boring in their nature, or so over the top ridiculous that fans had no choice but to love them. Even characters like Stanley, who barely talked for most of the episodes, was a fan favorite for fans, because when he did talk, he definitely made his mark on the show in every possible way.
Of course, there are the characters that everyone loves, such as Jim, Michael, Dwight, and Pam (although sometimes, depending on the fan, they tend to occasionally not like Pam), but there are definitely some that people can't stand. The ones that were iconic stand the testament of time, and for all of the fans that love to rewatch the show, they love returning to their favorite characters, which are usually one of the characters we previously mentioned. The ones we list below, however, are really not worth talking about in conversation.
This article will mostly be focusing on the secondary characters that were either reoccurring or a one-off on the show. The ones that either were unmemorable as a whole, or the ones that ended up being such an embarrassment to the writers that the writers and the showrunners just want them out of our minds forever. Although some of them were played by actors who are very good at their job, that doesn't mean that the characters came out being great.
Here are 20 Characters The Office Wants Us To Forget.
DEANGELO VICKERS
Deangelo Vickers seemed like a great idea when he first appeared in season seven, but his character was the most annoying and his lines fell flat most of the time. As the Scranton branch manager for only four episodes, Ferrell was charged with trying to keep the show afloat in Michael’s absence. Instead, he came in during the “Training Day” episode and established himself as a mostly dumbfounded boss with a childlike demeanor and knack for Andy’s purposeful buffoonery.
Fortunately, the character was quickly written out of the show as the writers realized they had made a mistake by casting Ferrell. Deangelo was gravely injured during a company basketball game and never ended out returning to the show.
JO BENNETT
Jo Bennett came into the show during a story arc that not many fans enjoyed: a large Florida company called Sabre bought Dunder Mifflin at the beginning of season eight and everything changed. Jo, Sabre’s impatient, unapologetic, and largely unlikeable leader soon took over the Scranton branch and immediately began bossing Michael around.
One of Jo’s most irritating traits was that instead of communicating to the office directly, she often worked though Gabe Lewis, the bothersome Sabre rep who worked at the Scranton branch as her unofficial mole. Although Bates is undeniably a great actress, her brash depiction of Sabre’s unapologetic boss was too overpowering, and for some people, a little too real for comfort.
VIKRAM
For those who forgot (and well, who can blame you) Vikram was the phone sales rep who worked beside Michael at the Lipephedrine Diet Pill Company in season four. After itting he had money issues, Michael took the second job at night to try to help his unrealistic spending habits. Vikram was the best rep at the company, annoyingly boasting that his secret to success was that he was “the only one here who’s not lazy.”
Vikram returned briefly in season 5 when Micahel recruited him to the Michael Scott Paper Company, an offshoot rival he created after being let go from Dunder Mifflin. Though Vikram initially agrees to be a rep for Michael, he quickly changes his mind. We’re glad the writers let Vikram go, too, since his character was shallow and didn’t have much development in the first place.
ROBERT CALIFORNIA
If there was ever a hot mess of a character to appear on The Office, Robert California would be it. Even though Spader played the complex character the best he could, the whole backstory behind Robert California was convoluted and weird. As the new CEO of Dunder Mifflin/Saber, he was often simultaneously funny and threatening.
Robert usually didn’t take any responsibility for his action and often acted completely inappropriately in front of both staff and executives. Near the end of his run, Robert developed an odd fascination with Nellie. It’s pretty clear the writers didn’t know exactly where to take Robert, as his serious but seemingly psychotic personality was a huge departure from Michael’s slapstick silliness.
TROY UNDERBRIDGE
Troy L. Underbridge was an extremely brief character that appeared in the season four episode “The Deposition.” He’s introduced as a friend of Ryan’s, but we soon find out that he’s just Ryan’s drug dealer. When Ryan overdoses after a night of clubbing, Troy loses his cool and tells everyone not to take him to the hospital.
Over the years, Troy returned for short moments. He’s mentioned in the season seven episode “Threat Level Midnight” as a character in Michael’s ridiculous spy movie. Then, in the season nine episode “Junior Salesman”, he comes back as an interviewee for a junior sales position under Dwight. We see Troy drying his pants in the bathroom. A strange man, indeed.
FINGER LAKES GUY (JIM CARREY)
It’s hard to believe The Office managed to land a cameo from Jim Carrey but then barely took time to develop a character for him or give him any funny material to work with. Instead, he appeared as an unnamed character that most fans only know as the “Finger Lakes Guy” because he can’t stop talking about how he had to get back to the Finger Lakes.
Carrey’s character was brought in as a candidate for the vacant Regional Manager position under Jo in season seven finale “Search Committee.” After his interview with Jim, Gabe, and Toby, Jim tells Jo that he’s a good candidate for the position. It would’ve been more fun to see Carrey with an Ace Ventura type persona instead of such a serious, melancholy character.
HUNTER RAYMOND
Before Jan Levinson broke down and lost her job as President of Northeastern Sales at Dunder Mifflin – mostly caused by her on-again, off-again relationship with Michael – she had a charming young assistant named Hunter Raymond. While Hunter’s screen time was limited, we soon realized that Jan’s affliction for Hunter was mostly because she had a crush on him.
When Jan leaves, she wishes Hunter good luck with his band, and eventually, the audiences see that Jan is a big fan of his music. She puts on his album during the season four episode “Dinner Party” and awkwardly dances to his music, much to the chagrin of Michael, Pam, and Jim. Hunter wasn’t annoying or anything, but the image of Jan getting down to his tunes will haunt us forever.
DANNY CORDRAY
Danny Cordray was a bit of a slimy character that generally gave us the creeps for the way he treated Pam, and later Jim. As a traveling salesman for the rival Osprey Paper, Danny was recruited by Michael to move over to Dunder Mifflin in the season seven episode “The Sting.” He’s a likable and funny guy, but maybe too likable as it turns out that he dated Pam for a short time while she was on a break from Jim (and Jim was dating Karen).
Despite going out on two dates, Danny didn’t call Pam back and he was being secretive about why. Jim kept pestering him until he finally itted that he thought Pam was a nerd. Danny came back a couple of times after that, but his continuance on the show wouldn’t have made much sense.
BRIAN THE BOOM OPERATOR
Brian was the boom operator of the production company that was filming the Scranton office for a documentary. As the show was ending its run, we found out that the characters would acknowledge that they were being filmed and that it would become part of the plot. This turned out to be a huge mistake, as it only created more characters that we didn’t care about and that the show didn’t have time to develop anyway.
When Pam and Jim get into a fight, Brian comforts her. He later saves Pam from an attacking warehouse worker, causing him to be fired. Brian was soon forgotten once Pam storms out of his apartment after he reveals that the crew invaded her privacy on multiple occasions. Creepy!
A.J.
Played by Rob Huebel, A.J. was Holly’s boyfriend before she gets back together with Michael. Naturally, Michal was jealous of A.J. since he was a successful sales rep at the Nashua branch of Dunder Mifflin. During the season five episode “Lecture Circuit,” Michael bombards A.J. with questions during his lecture, throwing the whole thing off course. Michael’s hatred for A.J. only increases at the company picnic, where he finds out that Holly and A.J. are building a house together.
Michael continues to demean him throughout his tenure, sarcastically asking him how he’s doing and even calls him a “fatty” in one episode. Obviously, Michael’s obsession with him was unhealthy at best, so it was good to see A.J. go after season seven.