The 15 Funniest Moments In The Office, Ranked
"The Office" has only grown in popularity over time. After its ninth and final season wrapped in 2013, the show has found a new life on streaming, and captured millions of new fans. Seven years after it finished, it was the single most streamed show of 2020, which is pretty staggering when you think about it.
The show has endured because its style allowed it to be timeless. It feels as relevant then as it does now, nearly a decade after the show ended. It's also super popular because many of the people who got their big breaks on the show, including Steve Carell, John Krasinski, and Mindy Kaling, have become some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
The biggest reason "The Office" has remained an incredibly popular show, though, is because it's funny with a capital F. The jokes never stop and the scenarios are always wild, but there's a believability that makes it all work. In honor of the funniest show ever, let's dive into the 15 funniest moments on "The Office."
15. Pam's weight
In the Season 6 premiere of "The Office," there's a big competition afoot at Dunder Mifflin. Corporate is sponsoring a two-month weight loss competition, and the branch that loses the most weight earns three extra vacation days. In order to figure out how much they can lose, they've got to weigh themselves down in the warehouse, where there's a big enough scale to weigh the entire Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch.
Admittedly, a lot of the show's funniest moments happen in outlandish scenarios, but this gem happens almost in complete silence. The total weight of the group comes to 2,336 pounds. However, there's a twist: Pam is on the scale, and since she's leaving over the summer to go to art school, she doesn't count towards the total. So, Pam gets off, and Darryl reads the new result: 2,210 pounds. What happens next is one of the most underappreciated shots in "The Office."
We slow pan over the faces of everyone on the scale doing mental math to try and figure out Pam's weight. It's punctured by Kevin, who hilariously shouts, "Pam, you weigh 226 pounds?" who is cajoled by Holly that he's "close." He isn't, as Pam is happy to point out. The excellent scene is proof that "The Office" doesn't have to be loud to be funny. Still, while the moment features great character work and subtlety, it doesn't quite have the impact of the other scenes on this list.
14. Kelly's New Year resolution
Kelly Kapoor is one of the most underrated, and for my money, funniest people at Dunder Mifflin. We don't see much of her as she works in the office annex, but that's because the actress playing Kelly, Mindy Kaling, was also one of the writers on the show. Being placed in the annex allowed her (and fellow writers Paul Lieberstein and B.J. Novak) opportunities to be in the writer's room without being constantly visible in the office. That said, whenever Kelly did appear on-screen, magic was bound to occur.
Kelly's best moment comes in Season 7's "Ultimatum" during the B-story where Pam has set up a resolution board to celebrate the new year. Everyone in the Scranton branch is invited to put up their resolutions on the board to help them achieve their goals, which causes a surprising amount of chaos. Well, knowing "The Office," it's actually a pretty appropriate amount of chaos.
Things get to a fever pitch when people start to argue and Meredith threatens to give up her resolution to stop smoking, only to have Kelly shout "Meredith, what are you doing? I could be pregnant." There's a perfect cut to Kelly's talking head, who reveals that her resolution is to get more attention. That's followed by another brilliant cut, showing her resolution card that reads: "Get more attention by any means necessary." The camera pulls out to reveal Kelly fully satisfied, hand on hip. The moment may not be in the top 10 funniest of the series, but for Kelly, it is utter perfection.
13. Oscar's Savannah accent
"There's been a murder," Michael announces. Not a real murder, that is, but a fictional one. You see, the situation at Dunder Mifflin is dire, and everyone in the office is terrified of losing their jobs. With the media reporting that Dunder Mifflin has been sold, everyone is acting as if these are their last days of employment. There's nothing they can do but wait, so Michael has a solution: playing a murder mystery game set in the American South, specifically Savannah, Georgia.
Most people are up for the fun, and could certainly use the distraction. Others, like no-nonsense accountant Oscar, are far less enticed. Oscar bursts into the game to make an announcement about the company's future, but the ever-committed Michael isn't having it. Michael demands that Oscar speaks in a Savannah accent and that he makes the announcement in the style of the game, (spurring on what might not be the absolute funniest scene overall, but a standout moment for Oscar).
What comes out is one of the most absurd, nonsensical high-pitch accents that has ever escaped anyone's mouth. It's absolutely ludicrous to watch Oscar try and translate his announcement into some gobbledygook southern accent, but it's delightful to watch him try. What makes it so excellent is that it's exactly the kind of effort that someone like Oscar, who hates nonsense, would deliver.
12. Michael and the mob
In Season 6's episode "Mafia," Michael meets with an insurance salesman. Unimpressed by his pushy tactics, Michael rejects his sales pitch, which draws the attention of Dwight and Andy. You see, the salesman is Italian, which apparently means he absolutely must be a member of the mafia. Complications ensue, and Michael organizes a lunch with the salesman, alongside Dwight and Andy, to get to the bottom of things.
Of course, this is "The Office," so things are bound to get ridiculous. Immediately, the salesman takes control, changing their table. His commanding presence impresses, politely but firmly ordering pasta with sauce on the side, and garlic bread that's toasted, not burnt. Attempting to mimic him, Michael orders the "gabbagool," an item not on the menu, to the befuddlement of the waitress. Then, copying the salesman's intensity, he orders a side salad. "If the salad is on top, I send it back," he orders, thereby enshrining one of the most ridiculous and hilarious lines Michael Scott has ever uttered.
In truth, it's not higher on the list simply because there are an endless amount of great Michael moments, and the others exist in better episodes.
11. What do they like about Phyllis?
Phyllis began her time on "The Office" as a quiet, unassuming sales associate, and watching her come out of her shell and own her confidence over the show's nine seasons is one of my favorite things about watching the show. In "Weight Loss," Phyllis is far more confident than she once was. She's married to the love of her life, a powerful refrigerator magnate named Bob Vance, and she's one of the most seemingly fulfilled people in "The Office."
During the episode, the team is in crisis over the weight loss challenge, with multiple staff members going to extreme, unhealthy measures to drop a few extra pounds. It leads Michael to have Kelly stand up on a chair in a meeting, and makes everyone say something they like about Kelly and her body. In a wonderful cut, the camera shifts to a talking head of Phyllis. "I wonder what people like about me," she says softly. Knowing her shy behavior, you'd expect Phyllis to say something like her eyes or her hair, but she looks directly into the camera and says with a sly smile, "Probably my jugs." Unexpected, joyful, hilarious, and almost funny enough to crack our top 10 moments.
10. The garden party announcements
Things are different in "The Office." In Season 8, Michael is no longer at Dunder Mifflin, and Andy has taken over as office manager. There's also Robert California, the new company CEO, who spends half his week working in the Scranton branch (that part doesn't really make any sense, but just go with it). Andy is extremely eager to please Robert and is going to use his family's money to do so. He's throwing an extravagant garden party and forcing the entire office to attend, all in order to try and impress the new CEO as well as his parents, who are definitely in the running for the worst characters ever on the series.
Andy's chosen the wonderful Schrute Farms for his party, and thanks to a book by one James Trickington, Dwight is ready to host the ultimate event for Andy. According to the book, announcing guests is essential to a good party, and Dwight has it covered. Watching him loudly shout the name of each person coming through is extremely amusing, but what's even better is what he says, announcing Stanley's partner as his mistress, and Jim and Pam's daughter as "PeePee" instead of Cece (which is one of the most underappreciated running gags of the series).
The icing on the cake comes at the episode's end, where Jim manipulates Dwight into saying that Jim is the best salesman at Dunder Mifflin. It's one of Jim's more complicated, long-winded pranks, but the effort pays off. The later seasons of "The Office" often get a bad rap, but the pranksmanship between Dwight and Jim is as rich as ever.
9. Where are the turtles?
Times are tough at Dunder Mifflin. The recession is in full swing, and people are cutting back. The desire for good customer service feels like it's at an all-time low, and Dunder Mifflin is hemorrhaging business to big box competitors like Staples and Office Depot. Michael has a plan to win back clients, with good old-fashioned gift baskets.
His quest to win back clients with sugar, salt, and fat doesn't exactly pan out. In Season 4's "Dunder Mifflin Infinity," a day of rejections leaves Michael and Dwight dejected, but things are about to get a whole lot worse: Michael follows his GPS directions, driving his car straight into a lake. Now soaking wet, Michael leads the charge back to the last office that rejected him and plans to demand the return of the gift basket. It's delightfully absurd, yet completely in character for Michael.
They get the gift basket back, but there's a problem — it's been opened. Something's missing, and it's sweet delicious turtles. Michael loses his mind, saying over and over "Where are the turtles?" before screaming it directly into the man's face. Watching Michael scream at the top of his lungs, soaking wet, for some chocolate, is unbelievably funny (and makes a strong case for breaking into this list's single digits). It's a working relationship that will likely never be repaired, but at least he got the gift basket back.
8. Will the real Jim Halpert please stand up?
Every fan of "The Office" knows that Jim pranking Dwight is one of the show's most successful recurring bits, and this is just one of a few great examples of Jim's pranksmanship on this very list. This extremely committed bit comes in the episode's cold open, where Jim has been replaced by an entirely different person, played by Korean-American actor Randall Park. Dwight is frustrated at first as this man clearly isn't Jim ... or is he?
Every detail of the prank is meticulously thought out. The imposter, who has been dubbed "Asian Jim," knows every detail of Jim's sales and even knows Jim's voicemail password. Dwight is absolutely horrified by what he's seeing. And speaking of seeing, watching Dwight's face as he begins to question everything he ever knew never fails to make me cry with laughter.
Things are about to get weirder, though, as Pam approaches and excitedly tells Asian Jim about their dinner reservations, and then they kiss, which nearly makes Dwight faint. He then looks at the picture on Jim's desk, which has been replaced with the new Jim, even down to two different children. The level of commitment is astonishing, and what's even crazier about Jim's finest prank is that he's not even in the room to watch it unfold. If the real Jim managed to appear for some next-level meta trickery, this may have been ranked even higher.
7. Kevin's chili spill
Poor Kevin Malone. He's a sweet guy and occasionally shows flashes of genius (see: Season 9's "Work Bus"). Still, Kevin is undoubtedly the office dummy, and his character did seem to get progressively less intelligent as the show went on, excluding the scene in "Work Bus." Backed by the wonderful acting gifts of Brian Baumgartner, Kevin was always elevated beyond some pretty ridiculous scenarios, and Baumgartner gives plenty of heart to Kevin's most famed, and funniest scene.
In the cold open of Season 5's "Casual Friday," Kevin has brought an enormous vat of his famous chili to work for everyone to enjoy. Wonderfully, what we see on-screen and Kevin's narration tells us very different things, creating a brilliant comic rhythm. In the narration, Kevin lovingly tells us about his passion for chili, including how he was up late the night before pressing garlic, toasting his own ancho chilies, and how all the ingredients get to know each other in the pot. There's an almost romantic quality to everything Kevin is saying.
What we see flips his tale on its head. Kevin brings the chili up to the office and spills the enormous pot all over the floor. Absolutely horrified, Kevin attempts to scoop it all up with his hands, with, paper, with literally anything he can get his hands on. It should be sad, but it's one of the funniest things you might ever see.
6. Goodbye Toby
If there's one thing that never fails to get fans of "The Office" to laugh, it's Michael and Toby's relationship. You see, Michael loves everyone at Dunder Mifflin and wants only the best for them — except Toby, who he despises beyond all reason. Their relationship is best summarized by what Michael says to him: "I hate so much about the things that you choose to be."
In this scenario, Michael's dream has finally come true: Toby is leaving! That's right, the scourge of Michael's existence is off to Costa Rica for a grand adventure. Michael has really never been happier, and he's throwing an extravagant party in the parking lot with no expense spared (add some financial contributions from Jim, who has other motivations) including a freaking Ferris wheel. In a parking lot!
One of the funniest moments of the entire show comes with Michael's grand performance of one of his adored musical parodies, this time set to Supertramp's "Goodbye Stranger," called "Goodbye Toby." Watching Michael perform the number as if his life depends on it is hilarious, and his absolute euphoria over singing (or rather screaming) goodbye to Toby is one of the most magical moments in the show.
5. The practice call
There have been an awful lot of pranks in "The Office." They always come when you least expect it, and sometimes when you most expect it. Jim isn't especially interested in the actual work he does, which allows him to devote far more time to his favorite activity — annoying his rival Dwight.
Season 5's "Customer Survey" eventually finds Jim and Dwight pairing up together after getting bad customer survey results, but before that comes one of Jim's most tremendous moments in his relationship with Dwight. Michael has decided to organize a practice sales call for the duo, an opportunity to really dive into what they're doing wrong in hopes he can turn things around for his employees. Mind you, this is "The Office," so you better believe things are about to get wickedly farcical.
Dwight takes the role of salesman, and Jim takes the prospective client. Jim adopts the name "William Buttlicker," and he knows exactly what makes Dwight tick. He also knows that Dwight has been called aggressive, difficult, and hostile in his survey results, which Jim is more than prepared to use as a weapon. He goads Dwight into the most ridiculous, chaotic phone call you could imagine. The real icing on the cake is Michael, who's acting like the phone call is entirely real. Dwight screaming "Buttlicker, our prices have never been lower!" is the funniest line of the entire episode. "The Office" is at its very best when delivering outrageous comedy that perfectly fits its characters.
4. The fire drill
Season 5's episode "Stress Relief" has the biggest, boldest cold open in the show's history. Dwight is the safety officer of the Scranton branch, but nobody cares. He's determined to make them take him, and office safety, seriously, so he organizes a simulated fire in the office. If you're a fan of "The Office," you know full well that things are about to go off the rails.
As smoke billows through the doors, Dwight's ability to get ahold of the situation vanishes. Michael's screams of "Stay f***ing calm!" certainly don't help matters, nor does his declaration that it's every man for themselves. It's not long before everyone in the office is genuinely terrified this will be their last day on Earth. It's all positively bonkers, but what makes the scene so funny and special is the individual character details.
Angela's efforts to save her cat by throwing him into the hole in the ceiling, only to have him crash out again, is genius. As is Kevin's last-ditch effort to survive by smashing open the vending machine and raiding the snacks. Then there's Andy, who after Dwight lights a firecracker, hysterically shouts, "The fire's shooting at us!" When Dwight reveals it's all been a drill, it's too late. Stanley suffers a full-on heart attack, which leads to a characteristically ridiculous Michael moment where he shoves a wallet in Stanley's mouth to try and revive him. It's so much fun to watch the cast firing (excuse the pun) on all cylinders, and there's only one moment in the show's history where the ensemble shines even more.
3. Toby's back!
The fifth season's "Frame Toby" starts out innocently enough, with the employees of Dunder Mifflin enjoying some brownies. When Kelly mentions she's going to take an extra one to bring Toby, Michael is bemused. Everyone is saying that Toby is indeed in the office, but how can that be? As far as Michael's concerned, Toby is still off in Costa Rica. Jim tells Michael to go to the annex and see if Toby is there, as he, like everyone else, is fully aware that the HR rep has been back for weeks.
Michael thinks it's all a fun game, so he plays along, looking at the camera with a childish giddiness. He gets to Toby's desk and it's empty. You can see on Michael's face that he's highly amused ... until he turns around and finds Toby standing in front of him. Michael's expression immediately shifts to horror as Toby tries to speak, but he's interjected by Michael screaming at the top of his lungs "No! God! No, God, please no!" before letting out a final "NOOOOOOO!" that would make Darth Vader himself blush. The Michael-Toby relationship is essential to "The Office," and there's no better distillation of it than this epic moment.
2. Charades gone wrong
How is it possible to break down the greatest episode of "The Office" into a single scene? After all, you could make the argument that this entire list could be 15 different moments from the Season 4 masterpiece "Dinner Party." Every moment is genius, from the tour of the house to Michael's "Snip snap snip snap" monologue, right down to Jan throwing a Dundee at Michael's tiny plasma tv.
"Dinner Party" is an episode I've watched a staggering amount of times, and my favorite sequence is when the group decides to play charades. The tension between Michael and Jan has never been higher, and Michael's enthusiasm enrages Jan. The two begin to bicker in front of everyone, and Michael is quick to point out that Jim finds Michael's bit funny, which results in a pitch-perfect camera pan of Jim, who looks extremely uncomfortable.
Then there's a talking head of Jim, who gets to the very essence of the episode: "Michael and Jan seem to be playing their own separate game, and it's called let's see how uncomfortable we can make our guests." It's capped by an excellent back and forth between Jim — who attempts to leave the party pretending his house has flooded — and Pam, who reminds him that you can always have a new apartment, but you can't just replace a party.
1. CPR training
After the fallout of the faux fire drill at the beginning of "Stress Relief," a CPR lesson has been ordered as nobody was prepared when Stanley collapsed from a heart attack. What would be a routine demonstration and practice for literally any other office on Earth turns into a psychotic display in the single funniest scene in "The Office" history.
It's truly impossible to predict what's going to happen in this special sequence that involves the entire Scranton branch. The CPR instructor, Rose, deserves a gold medal for patience as she deals with what I can only assume are the most absurd people she's ever had the misfortune of running into.
It's Michael's turn to practice on the CPR dummy, and Rose instructs him to follow the beat of the Bee Gees' "Staying Alive." Of course, this leads to Andy starting to sing, everyone else toe-tapping along, and in the greatest rapid zoom-out in television history, reveals Kelly getting up to dance along. It's all outrageous, and Rose tries to regain the room ... which leads to Dwight tearing off the face of the dummy and wearing it Hannibal Lecter style. The scene perfectly encapsulates everything that makes "The Office" spectacular; unpredictable, character-driven ensemble humor that's never been surpassed.