Although American remakes of British TV series generally turn out to be miserable failures (from Coupling to The Inbetweeners), NBC’s Atlantic-crossing retool of Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s groundbreaking workplace mockumentary series The Office turned out to be just as great as its predecessor, and one of the best TV comedies ever made.
Across nine seasons and more than 200 episodes, The Office fans were treated to the increasingly wacky exploits of Michael Scott and his lovable staff at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper. And these are the best scenes from The Office’s 10 top-rated episodes on IMDb.
Goodbye, Toby (9.3) – Andy Unwittingly Hijacks Jim’s Proposal
When Phyllis was planning Toby’s farewell party in the season 4 finale “Goodbye, Toby,” Jim gave her some extra cash to buy fireworks. His plan was to use the romantic mood created by the fireworks to propose to Pam.
However, when the fireworks went off, Andy had the same idea and unwittingly hijacked Jim’s plan by proposing to Angela in front of everybody. Andy didn’t mean any harm, but it was still excruciating to watch.
Garage Sale (9.3) – Michael Proposes To Holly
In season 7’s “Garage Sale,” Dunder Mifflin’s employees set up stalls in the warehouse to sell off their old knick-knacks. However, the episode becomes about much more than that when Holly realizes she needs to move back to Colorado to look after her dad.
Michael decides to propose to her, which gave Steve Carell a story-related reason to leave the series, and he involves all his employees in the super-romantic proposal.
Casino Night (9.4) – Jim Confesses His Love To Pam
Jim finally confessed his love to Pam in the season 2 finale, “Casino Night,” but she didn’t run into his arms and leave Roy like fans were hoping. Still, it was an unforgettable moment that dug to the core of their complicated early-seasons relationship.
The writers of The Office made great use of occasional scenes with no jokes that simply conveyed an emotional human moment. This is a perfect example of that.
Niagara (9.4) – The “JK Wedding Entrance Dance” Homage
After years of flirting followed by years of dating, Jim and Pam finally tied the knot in season 6’s two-parter “Niagara.” Fans of the show were delighted to see the wedding of one of TV’s most adorable couples.
The wedding party hijacked the ceremony to homage the “JK Wedding Entrance Dance” video that went viral on YouTube prior to the episode’s airing. Intercut with Jim and Pam secretly getting married on a ferry by Niagara Falls, this is one of the most memorable sequences in The Office’s nine-season run.
Threat Level Midnight (9.4) – “...And That’s How You Do The Scarn!”
In season 2, Jim and Pam found an incomplete action movie screenplay in Michael’s office titled Threat Level Midnight. Michael didn’t finish the movie until season 7, when he screened it for the office in the conference room.
There are a ton of hilarious moments in Michael’s movie, which spectacularly lampoons cheesy action movies, but the most memorable one is Michael Scarn teaching a bar full of people how to do “the Scarn” dance routine.
A.A.R.M. (9.5) – Pam Watches Jim’s DVD
When Pam began to worry that she wouldn’t be enough for Jim after he left Athlead to stay in Scranton, he tasked the in-universe documentary crew with putting together a DVD featuring all the highlights from their relationship.
Pam and a lot of Office fans were in tears by the end of the montage, and then Jim gave Pam the note that he swiped from the teapot he gave her in “Christmas Party,” which made her realize he was truly in love with her.
Dinner Party (9.5) – Jan Throws A Dundie At Michael’s Plasma-Screen TV
Considered by many fans of The Office (although, apparently, not by IMDb) to be the show’s greatest installment, “Dinner Party” has dozens of memorable moments.
The most memorable is when the simmering conflicts between Michael and Jan come to the surface in an explosive argument, and Jan throws a Dundie award at Michael’s tiny plasma-screen TV.
Stress Relief (9.7) – Dwight’s Fire Drill
The season 5 two-parter “Stress Relief” has arguably the greatest cold opening in The Office’s history. After giving a PowerPoint presentation on fire safety that was ignored, Dwight sets the office on fire to give his co-workers hands-on experience in dealing with a fire, and Stanley has a heart attack in the midst of it.
The rest of the episode is fantastic, with the office roasting Michael and Michael roasting them back, but it never topped that hysterical cold open.
Goodbye, Michael (9.8) – Michael And Pam’s Final Goodbye
On his last day at Dunder Mifflin, Michael tells his co-workers it’s his second-to-last day to avoid heartbreaking goodbyes. However, this means that Pam doesn’t know she’s missing her last chance to speak to Michael when she skips work to watch The King’s Speech. As Michael takes off his microphone and heads to his terminal, Pam hurries over to speak to him, having rushed down to the airport to catch him.
We don’t hear the farewell, but that makes it even more beautiful and intimate. Jenna Fischer has since said that she used the scene to say goodbye to Steve Carell himself as he was leaving the show.
Finale (9.8) – Michael’s Return
The cast and producers of The Office kept quiet about whether or not Steve Carell would reprise his role as Michael Scott in the series finale, and it made his surprise return all the more delightful. On the day of Dwight’s wedding, Jim told him he was too young to be his “bestest mensch,” and that he’d need someone older.
Dwight turned around and saw his hero Michael Scott standing in the doorway, ready to fulfill those duties. Dwight said, “Michael...I can’t believe you came!,” and with pitch-perfect comic timing, a teary-eyed Michael replied, “That’s what she said.”