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The Office Ending Explained: Where Your Favorite Characters Ended Up in the Finale
If you need a refresher on everything that went down with your favorite Dunder Mifflin employees in the series finale, we've got you covered.
It's now been a full decade since The Office aired its last episodes, ending with a finale that induced more tears than Andy (Ed Helms) shed in his singing competition show breakdown (which is saying a lot). The two-part tearjerker centered on the wedding of Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and Angela (Angela Kinsey), coupled with a wider reunion of the Dunder Mifflin crew, but there were plenty of other plotlines — not to mention special guest appearances and the return of several actors who had previously left the sitcom.
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If you need a refresher on everything that went down with your favorite employees at the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in the mockumentary's series finale, we've got you covered.
How many seasons were there of The Office?
The Office ran for nine seasons, debuting on March 24, 2005 on NBC. Original main cast members included Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and B.J. Novak. The American version of the show was adapted by Greg Daniels from the BBC show of the same name that was co-created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and ran between 2001 and 2003. All nine seasons are currently available to stream on Peacock.
When did The Office end?
The Office ended with a two-part finale that aired on May 16, 2013 on NBC. The finale episodes were the 24th and 25th of Season 9, and the 200th and 201st episodes of the show's entire run. The final installments saw the return of actors who had departed the show, including Steve Carell, B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling. It also included guest stars like Seth Meyers and Bill Hader, who were Saturday Night Live cast members at the time and were playing themselves, as well as Joan Cusack and Ed Begley Jr.
Why did Steve Carrell's Michael Scott leave The Office?
Steve Carrell had big shoes to fill when he took on the role of Michael Scott, the regional manager of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, a character adapted from Ricky Gervais' David Brent on the British version of The Office. Carrell made the role his own, earning Emmy nominations in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category every year from 2006 through 2011.
By Season 7, Carrell was ready to step away from the show that helped shoot him to widespread fame and continue on with his film career. As for Michael, he had already had a diminished role at Dunder Mifflin starting in Season 5 when he left to launch his own paper company with Pam and Ryan. In Season 6, he served as co-manager of Dunder Mifflin, alongside Jim. And in Season 7, after proposing to Holly, he decides to move to Colorado with her to help her take care of her aging parents.
Michael returns in the series finale, surprising Dwight by showing up at his wedding to be his best man, with some help from Jim, who made it happen. Michael's still married to Holly in the finale and they have several kids together.
Why do Jim and Pam leave Dunder Mifflin in The Office finale?
Jim (John Krasinski), who rose through the ranks from sales manager to semi-managerial roles, and Pam (Jenna Fischer), the receptionist-turned-office administrator, got married in Season 6 after dating since Season 4. They've got two kids together, but there's some trouble in their relationship in Season 9 when Jim accepts a college pal's offer to co-launch a sports marketing start-up.
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Jim continues to work at Dunder Mifflin part-time, but dedicates time to his new company in Philadelphia, putting a strain on his relationship to Pam for several reasons — because he didn't tell her about it early on, because of the money he's invested in it, and because of his commute to his new job. In the finale, Pam secretly puts their house on the market in support of Jim's dream of working full-time at his sports marketing company, which is now headquartered in Austin. The house sells, and both Jim and Pam quit their jobs at Dunder Mifflin, but Dwight loudly fires them instead so they can both get severance pay.
What happens to Dwight and Angela in The Office finale?
Dwight (Rainn Wilson) — fresh off his promotion to regional manager of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, and learning from Angela that he's the dad of her son Phillip — gets married to Angela (Angela Kinsey). The big event is what much of the finale revolves around. Dwight is touched that Michael shows up to be his best man, and instead of getting mad at Jim and Pam for leaving the paper company, he sends them off with a severance package.
Are Ryan and Kelly in The Office finale?
Both B. J. Novak and Mindy Kaling — who played on-and-off again couple Ryan and Kelly — returned for the finale after leaving the show early on in Season 9. They bump into each other at Dwight and Angela's wedding. Kelly is still engaged to Ravi and Ryan shows up with a baby that he's raising as a single parent. To get some alone time with Kelly, Ryan gives his son a strawberry, which he knows will cause a mild allergic reaction, so that he can pass him off to Ravi to examine him. Touched that Ryan would give his own baby an allergic reaction to spend time with her, Kelly runs off with Ryan, leaving both Ravi, and the baby, behind at the wedding.
Where does Andy end up?
Andy (Ed Helms) is humiliated after trying to audition for a singing competition show, only to be told the judges wouldn't be able to see his performance. He barges into the audition and throws a crying fit. The video goes viral and he's mocked worldwide, including by Seth Meyers and Bill Hader on SNL. Andy comes out on top though, with a job at Cornell University. At a reunion back at the office, his former colleagues see a speech he made and are proud of him.
What happens to Stanley, Kevin and Phyllis in the finale?
The retirement of paper salesman Stanley (Leslie David Baker) is announced at the start of a Dunder Mifflin meeting. "I've been looking forward to this day since I was 18 years old," Stanley says. Kevin (Brian Baumgartner), from the accounting department, finds out he's fired at the same meeting when Dwight hands him a cake that reads, "Get out." Kevin doesn't take it well, but later opens a bar, and he and Dwight eventually make up despite the firing. Sales rep Phyllis (Phyllis Smith) and Stanley are missing each other since he retired and moved to Florida. He gives her a bird he carved out of wood.
All nine seasons of The Office are streaming on Peacock.
