Why The Office Changed The Original Michael Scott 

Did you like the original version of Michael Scott or the “fixed” one better?

I think my turning moment for Michael was when he showed up to Pam's art show.

Kevin lost at least 60% of his brain cells throughout the series

I have SO many fav Michael Scott moments:- 1. Him showing up at Pam's art show 2. He remembered Sprinkle's name when Pam tells him Angela's car died. 3. Bonding with Toby's daughter Shasha 4. Tearing up during Pam and Jim's wedding 5. Making Dwight a robot after all in Threat Level Midnight.

i think the most drastic changes a character went through was ryan. he started of as a temp who seemed to be the only normal one there, to a corrupt businessman, to a crazy person

Phyllis: “You almost killed Stanley.” Dwight: “Yes, I filled him with butter and sugar for 50 years and forced him not to exercise.”

Michael got nicer, Kevin got dumber, Meredith got wilder, Phyllis got younger, Kelley got teenager-er, and Creed got more interesting.

What's funny is that the writers did this to Dwight's character over time too, they humanized him! I couldn't stand Dwight in early episodes and then he became my favorite towards the end :) Thanks for sharing this, we'd love to see you conduct a deep dive on Rainn Wilson's character also!

Jim and Pam's relationship was what got me through the first season.

The moment Michael asked "How much?" At Pam' art exhibition. THATS when I started loving him.

I like to think michael was acting up for the cameras in season 1 but then decided to act normal again later

The thing about Michael is that most of the time, he genuinely believes what he is doing is right. For example, hates Toby because he genuinely believes Toby brings ‘lameness’ and despair to the office.

From a writers POV I think you missed the biggest change. It’s about character motivation. He goes from being driven by ego to being driven by wanting to be liked, accepted and loved. One is a characteristic everyone dislikes the latter is something everyone can relate to. That in turn leads to everything you speak on in terms of consequences in terms of plotting, likability, character development and how relationships on the show.

"Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy. Both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me" -Michael Scott

"I'm not superstitious, but I am a little stitious"

Initially I hated Dwight, never related to Michael, but I was really with Jim and Pam. As seasons passed Dwight and Michael became my favorite characters.

I actually liked him since the first episode, he didn't want to fire anyone and that made it for me. He grew a lot with each season.

In my eyes Kelly had one of the most drastic changes throughout the show, she went from shy girl in the annex, to the drama queen obsessed with Ryan.

"Jim has been staring at me all week. I would be creeped out by it but it is nothing compared to the way Michael stares at me."

Steve's acting ability, and to be able to be fluent in acting and character tuning is amazing. The way he can mold into any character. Such a great actor.

The first time I saw him as a real person was on the “Bring Your Daughter To Work Day” episode, where he was talking to the girls about how he was on a kids show episode and he played the tape to them. It was him wishing to get married, have kids, and have friends. The room got silent, he was confused and sad. He went to his office and stayed there. That was so heartbreaking, but in the end scene we saw him laughing and crying when he was watching the tape of the kids show. The screen showed the other kids on the cast, and they were having fun with him. That made be sob.

One of my favorite moments was when he encouraged Pam with her art. He was the only one from the office to go to her art show, AND he wanted to buy it. what a guy :')

Boy have you lost your mind cause I’ll help you find it!

In Season 2 when Michael encourages Jim to never give up right after Roy’s and Pam’s engagement it is so important because he fails to deliver a successful motivational work presentation yet he motivates Jim on a very personal deep level and that is the root of him. Always coming to look after his workers when they least expect it the most

Through season 2 to 3 Michael became for me gradually more and more likable. After he went away in season 7, I really enjoyed his absence for a while. It took me about six, seven episodes to understand how much I missed him and how different it was without him. Seeing him at the end was amazing

I think my “aha” moment for Micheal is somewhere in the later seasons when you finally realized all he wants in life is to be loved. To me, he is an attention seeker and a people pleaser to the extent of making awful choices, but all because he has a lot of love to give and wants to be loved in return. May be a stretch, but that’s how I always interpreted him.

One of my favorite Michael Scott moments was when everyone went to Erins ans Gabes house to watch Glee and at the end Erin asks Michael for advice and he kinda gets annoyed and says "idk Erin im not your father" and Erin gets upset. Then it hits Michael that Erin never had parents and she grew onto Michael as a parental figure and he begins to act like her father to cheer her up.. Idk

One thing I loved about Michael Scott was his relationship, especially in the earlier episodes post season 1, with Dwight. He kind of treats Dwight almost like a younger little brother. He gets annoyed with him, teases him, and even kind of talks to him like a child, but like all brothers, deep down he loves and cares for Dwight more than a coworker, but like his younger brother.

Michael Scott is probably the best character I have ever seen on a TV show ever.

My "Aha" moment with Michael was when we see him home alone at Halloween, and the kids ring his doorbell for tirck or treating, and you just see this caring and gentle side of him with how he interacts with the kids.... that moment just stuck with me

My Michael Scott "aha" moment of his transformation was when he visited Pam at her art exposition. The scene at the end completely humanized him and made him the most endearing character of the show for one brief moment -- that is until he offered her his Chunky bar. :)

Nothin hits harder to me then when Michael says ‘what’s so wrong with me?’ When talking about dating Pam’s mom, he’s loving he’s caring and we are directly forced to reflect on that and that he does deserve all our love

The Office (American version) is one of the best things in my life. It helps me to live through the bad times. Endlessly love this show

"Jan has this schoolgirl fantasy....I just...I feel uncomfortable wearing the dress."

My moment fr Micheal was when kids visits The Office and Michael shows them his childhood video where he mentions that he wants to have 100 kids so he can have 100 friends. That moment hit me hard.

I realized Michael Scott is truly a good person when he took Meredith to the hospital to get help with her alcoholism. That was the biggest character development moment for me.. we could see a responsible leader there and from that time he only cared about his coworkers.

To me, Michael is THE BEST sitcom character ever. I was so bummed when I found out he was leaving the show. I really couldn't understand how the let that happen.

I've always been likeable. I don't know what you're talking about.

I think Steve Carell was simply too likeable for the role of season 1 Michael Scott.

I think Todd Packer plays a huge role in Michael's development in the eyes of the viewers. When we first see him, we think of him as a duplicate of Michael Scott, but with each appearance of him, we see that Michael isn't mean spirited like Todd is. Todd is the "cool guy", people on the lower levels of social hierarchy, like Kevin and Michael, worship him. And that's how he gets away with puking out his offensive thoughts in the form of comedy. Michael, however, has a hard time making friends, he can't pull people the way Todd does because he isn't "cool" like him. He uses comedy to try to make people like him, not to belittle people. I think this is best displayed when Michael stands up for Phyllis and hugs her when Todd makes fun of her, reasurring her that she's beautiful. Phyllis feels sympathy for Michael and this excites Michael as he often doesn't get this kind of friendly affection from people. He gets too excited and follows it up with "I'm afraid of getting a boner". He crosses the line, not because he wants to be mean towards her but because he thinks his behaviour is being rewarded and he can't see that there is a limit after which people get uncomfortable. Tldr his offensiveness stems from his stupidity rather than his personality

I think the reason Michael became one of (if not) my favorite characters of all time was every moment you see him, you can't help but think "You would be an amazing dad." Every time he's real with himself and the people around him, you truly see him shine as both a person and a very, very one-of-a-kind guy. and frankly that's the best thing a character can be developmentally

Can we talk about the change Kelly went through after season 1?

All of the characters matured so nicely - the only weird one was Andy. His character was all over the place in a pretty random way.

honestly i used to hate Michael before but slowly he became my all time favorite character from the office. He's such an awesome character like gosh he's so cleverly written. Especially in the later seasons, he's an airhead, a dork, annoying and also really stupid but he's also smart and caring and sensitive. He behaves like a ten year old and a 50 year old at the same time. Props to the people who wrote his character

I'm so glad they did this. The Office became one of the greatest shows of all time because of it.

My turning point with Micheal was seeing him giving out candy to children being all nice despite being all alone and sad after work. That was my "he's not that bad" moment. Great writing

im not superstitious...but i am a LIL stitious lmfao

I always saw it as The Office and its workers gradually getting more comfortable on camera (as they are being filmed for a TV show, afterall!) as the Seasons progress. It becomes less about playing up to the camera and some presenting themselves as "perfect" and just becoming more free in time! So beautifully written and so seamlessly acted xx

I loved it when Michael and Jim were at that hotel and Michael just cared about partying and having fun, but when he is asked to make a sale he just does it like "whatever here's your sale, can I have fun now?" I thought, Michael is a genius and he knows it, that's why he focuses on making friends or have fun

Michael is the embodiment of the perfect procrastinator, pulls out a 10/10 15 page essay last minute for the great save.

The one thing I didn’t like that the office did was with Andys character between season 8 and 9. They murdered his character in it.

The us version worked perfectly WHEN they realized their audience wasn’t british. British comedy is EXTREMELY different to American comedy.

i loved michael from season one to season 7!!! omg i would love a boss like michael

Damn, imagine if they cancelled The Office. My life would be very different lol.

The way I think of it is, season 1 was the first time the cameras were around the office filming their documentary. Michael Scott wasn't used to it until season 2 and then loosened up.

I never noticed any changes in Michael from Season 1 to 2, except his hair style and clothes. I loved The Office from the pilot episode and still do, having re-watched it countless times.

Michael remembering Angela’s cat’s names when it dies and goes “Sprinkles Died?”

My favorite Michael Scott quote: "You have no idea how high I can fly."

“I do my best work when people don’t believe in me.” - Michael Scott

Man, you nailed it with this video... awesome breakdown! Cheers.

I love this channel! You obviously are very perceptive of the shows and movies you review, and the subtle references you make show that. Thanks for inspiring me and many others to look closely and appreciate the things we set out to enjoy!

I always thought the first season was him trying to create an image for the documentary team and after season 1 he gave up and went back to being himself. At least that's how it came across to me

“Don’t ever for any reason do anything to anyone for any reason ever, no matter what, no matter where, or who, or who you are with, or where you are going, or where you’ve been ever for any reason whatsoever.” -Michael Scott

For me he was loveable when you can see him very genuinely try to please and cheer up on their annual group parties and was sad for seing no one would collaborate, then Jim came in to help. That was the first sweet moment I can remember. I would not change anything from the show.

In 3x02 when Pam calls Michael while he’s at the convention, the way he talks to her and wishes her luck on her date you can really tell in his voice how much he actually cares for her

I loved Michael ever since he went to Pam's Art exhibition.

But we gotta agree that "Diversity Day" was one of the offensive but funniest episode.

The moment to me was when he showed up at Pam's art show, as someone else already said it. It made me actually cry :) I was high asf though.

This channel... this guy: my compliments. Great story telling, editing and forward energy.

You missed the emphasis on his greatest office relationship: his friendship with Pam. So many sweet moments his last episode I was on the edge of my seat saying “wait, he HAS to say goodbye to Pam” I am tearing up thinking about it.

In season 1 he was essentially David Brent. In season 2 he became Michael Scott

Thanks for the great video! I didn't start watching The Office during Season 1; I think I started watching during the second season, so I didn't watch the first until after already having seen the British series. That was a revelation, and it became clear very fast what they had done with the character. Michael Scott may be the best written sitcom character in television history.

I don't quite agree. I think all of this is true, but the issue was bigger than Michael Scott. The first season of The Office was about people hating their job, their boss, and their coworkers. ALL OF THAT shifted after the first season. Gradually, Jim became less smug, Dwight showed more intelligence and adaptability to soften his arrogance, Pam became more self-confident, other characters became less caricature. The group went from hating each other to just being a bit frustrated with each other. Michael Scott was a big part of that, but only a part of it. Ultimately, the show became less of a farce and more of something the audience could relate to.

"Don't ever, for any reason do anything to anyone for any reason, ever, no matter what, no matter where or who or who you where with or....or...or where you are going or.....or where you've been, ever, for any reason whatsoever"

“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. -Wayne Gretzky” -Michael Scott

I loved every single bit of Michael hahah. He definitely gave it that unique touch.

I am so glad I discovered this show, better late than never. I had a extremely good time with this show

Diversity Day WAS funny, though. Not as good as seasons 2 to 7, but it had some hysterical moments.

Well, whatever they did to make me like Michael worked because when he left, I cried like a baby!

It's my favorite show ever. I've watched it about four times all the way thru. I wish it was still on Netflix

Great video! I definitely noticed that jump from season 1 to 2 in terms of the "niceness levels," and I think the writers did a great job of making us like most of the other characters in the office as well. I have to say though, and this has probably been said before, but Jim and Pam become more cold and distant towards the other characters as the seasons go on, especially after their wedding. Whenever they team up in later seasons, it seems like they are acting the opposite of how Michael acts.

The basketball episode from season 1 is still a classic though 👌👌👌

The ending of this video is perfect. Thankyou for this!

I was a die hard fan of the Uk version and did not even want to entertain watching the US version. Especially when I tried Season 1 a few times and really hated it. But I have absolutely loved watching Michael Scott change over the seasons (I ended up starting on Season 2). I just loved the moment with him and Erin and how she saw him as her dad. This video is a really good explanation of how I came to love the US version (although I think it ended for me when Michael left...) and how I came to love every single scene that Steve Carell was in, and was stupidly so happy when he met Holly.

My "Michael Scott isnt that bad at all" moment was when he gave the candy to those kids in season 1. My "Michael Scott is an incredible person" moment was when he was the only one who went to Pam's art show.

Best moments for me for Michael Scott were: 1. The sale he made to the guy at Chili's. Showed us he was actually competent. That he actually had awareness of reality. 2. Pam's art show. Showed us that he actually does care about these people he works with, and to an extent, he cares about us the audience. 3. The hug he gives Holly after Jan leaves. This might be my favorite scene of all. He's so honest in the moment to show us what it is he wants. He wants someone to accept him. 4. His last scene with Jim. It's the moment when we the audience realize how much we love Michael Scott, flaws and all. When we finally accept him.

The ending piano score was everything. 😔♥️

That’s truly a great video , good work.

One of his best moments was the Savanah game, he used it to distract the whole staff from the fact that they may lose their jobs. It took Jim a little bit to catch on, but once he did, he saw the genius in it

Ryan also changes dramatically, almost like he he went through something lol

A big turning point for me was when Michael was talking to Jim about Pam on the boat. Right after Roy proposed to her. "If you feel that way then don't give up...don't ever give up". That's when I started to like him

I loved Michael the whole way and I came in not knowing anything. Each season with Michael was great to me.

My fav moment on the show is when Jim and Mike have a moment where Micheal states that he Nevers know who "she" is in "that's what she said" That felt so genuine like they weren't even acting..

It is true though, the first season never caught my attention and I stopped watching it because it was boring. But I tried watching it again and realized I made a big mistake, the Office is an amazing show :)

Awesome reviews love this content keep them coming I would like to see more from shows like knight rider and different strokes etc.

Boy, that 'moral of the story' section at the end of all Nerdstalgic videos should be trite and eye-roll-worthy, but he really does distill the videos into perfect lessons-learned and how-to-apply-them-going-forwards, and it's so authentic and earnest, it kind of never fails to brighten my day. And makes me really want to write! These videos are awesome 🤓

My aha moment was when Michael had those interactions with Toby's daughter.

7:10 when you realise the person who played Mose was one of the greatest writers in human history.

I just started watching the office early this year. I always put it off as I said ‘this isn’t for me’. The first season was so-so, but from season 2 onwards got me hooked. I just finished my third complete series watch-through. This has to be in my top 3 favourite comedies of all time.

Finished watching half a year ago and damn i wish i could watch it for the first time again