Everyone’s felt that small disappointment when their favorite star doesn’t win a much deserved award, but no one has suffered through as many defeats as fans of The Office have. Nine seasons completed and not one cast member has won a Primetime Emmy —including Steve Carell and his immaculate portrayal of Michael Scott — despite the hundreds of hilarious, honest and awkward-as-hell episodes:
NBC
Secretary’s Day, Season Six
Little orphan Erin’s life hasn’t been easy but she finally settles into a relationship with Andy only to discover that he was once engaged to that bitchy accountant. Thanks to her big-mouthed boss, Erin has the pleasure of finding out on what should be the happiest day of her life (Secretary’s Day, of course.) In classic Michael fashion, he fixes everything with a heartwarming speech:
“You know what, I wouldn’t worry about Angela. She doesn’t hold a candle to you, Erin. She’s old enough to be your mom for one thing. And she’s like three feet tall. And she wears pioneer women clothing. Ad I don’t think she’s ever pooped in her life.”
Beach Games, Season Three
Everyone has experienced Pam’s pain at one point or another: being in love with a former friend, ignored by fellow employees, dealing with failed engagements — but few have had the courage that she musters up to let the world know:
“I did the coal walk!…Michael, you couldn’t even do that. Maybe I should be your boss. Wow I feel really good right now. Why didn’t any of you come to my art show? I invited all of you. That really sucked. It’s like sometimes some of you act like I don’t even exist. Jim, I called off my wedding because of you. And now we’re not even friends. And things are just like weird between us. And that sucks. And I miss you. You were my best friend before you went to Stamford. And I really miss you. I shouldn’t have been with Roy, and there were a lot of reasons to call of my wedding. But the truth is, I didn’t care about any of those reasons until I met you. And now you’re with someone else. And that’s fine…The thing that I’m just trying to say to you Jim, and to everyone else in the circle, I guess, is that I miss having fun with you. Just you, not everyone in the circle.”
Stress Relief (Parts 1 & 2), Season Five
NBC
Technically this 2009 two-part episode did win an Emmy for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series (Jeffrey Blitz) but let’s be honest, it never would have worked without this specific cast. Between Rainn Wilson’s unblinking portrayal of safety-obsessed Dwight to Jim’s determination to “not die in this office”, they deserve an award for their perfect display of the possibly unprepared and definitely hilarious flight or fight response. Hey, Dwight was only looking out for his co-workers:
“Last week I gave a fire safety talk. And nobody paid any attention. It’s my own fault for using PowerPoint. PowerPoint is boring. People learn in a lot of different ways, but experience is the best teacher.”
Customer Loyalty, Season Nine
Faith in love was restored when Pam and Jim finally got together — and then was tested when the lovable salesman suddenly became a bit of a douche to his wife. Season nine saw the first time the barrier between the employees and documentary crew was broken: Pam finally breaks down after a blow-out with Jim and her tears are comforted by behind-the-scenes boom operator Brian. Dunder-Mifflin reflects the totally wayward moments everyone experiences in their work-place but, as Pam shows us, also accurately portrays the difficulties of relationships, families and the struggle between your head and your heart:
“It’s getting tougher. I just didn’t know it would be this hard.”
Dinner Party, Season Four
Michael and Jan’s infamous dinner party involved more than just awkward charades and a rant about the emotional turmoil of reversed vasectomies. Only these actors could create passive-aggression so natural that you wish you could walk right out of Michael’s condo door and leave the episode for a while — exactly Jim’s sentiments:
“Michael and Jan seem to be playing their own separate game, and it’s called ‘lets see how uncomfortable we can make our guests.’ And they’re both winning. So I am going to make a run for it.”
Gay Witch Hunt, Season Three
Oscar Martinez’s sexuality is no secret to Office fans now but it was his boss who outed him to his co-workers. Feeling offended by Michael’s use of the word ‘faggy’, Oscar confides in HR, ultimately leading to a hunt to find the homosexual in the office. The moment that stands out like an award-winning sore thumb is Michael’s courageous act of planting a wet one on Oscar’s lips to prove that he is totally not homophobic:
“Maybe we could go out for a beer sometime, and you could tell me… how you do that to another dude.” — Michael Scott
Drug Testing, Season Two
NBC
Nothing sets Dwight off like someone smoking a joint on company property. After finding the highly illegal substance, the whole office is under suspect and Michael takes it upon himself to educate his team on the dangers of drug abuse. His naivety is both the most annoying and endearing thing about the branch manager and his drug meeting is reflective of health classes all over the country:
“Do you think that smoking drugs is cool? Do you think that doing alcohol is cool?” — Michael Scott
More:
Best Gags from ‘The IT Crowd’
Dramas Returning This Fall
‘Breaking Bad’ Spin-offs We Want to See
From Our Partners:
40 Most Revealing See-Through Red Carpet Looks (Vh1)
15 Stars Share Secrets of their Sex Lives (Celebuzz)
