In 2005, one of the most beloved and successful sitcoms to come out of American television in the last twenty years hit the air. The Office, an adaption from the UK sitcom The Office (UK) starring Ricky Gervais was a hit right from the start. The workplace TV comedy follows an over-the-top, obnoxious boss with zero self-awareness named Michael Scott played by the hilarious Steve Carell, who will stop at nothing to bring all of his employees together. Michael absolutely considers his employees his closest friends and thinks of his office as a family, even when there’s nothing they want more than to get as far from him as possible.
In addition to Michael Scott, the entire cast of The Office is hilarious, weird, and ridiculous in their own right. Their decisions are questionable, but always funny. Jim Halpert, Pam Beesly, Dwight Schrute, Kelly Kapoor, Andy Bernard, Angela Martin, Kevin Malone, Meredith Palmer, Oscar Martinez, Ryan Howard, Stanley Hudson, Phyllis Lapin-Vance, Toby Flenderson, Creed Bratton, and Erin Hannon make up the employees at Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch. The show ran for a total of nine seasons, going off the air in 2013, and is currently available to stream on Peacock. Here are the funniest characters from the show, ranked.
10 Erin Hannon
Ellie Kemper joined The Office cast in 2009 when she first appeared on the show's fifth season as the lovable and oblivious receptionist Erin Hannon. The actress is known for her work in comedies where she plays the funny girl next door. Aside from her portrayal of Erin, Kemper is best known for her starring role in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, which ran from 2015 to 2019, Bridesmaids, 21 Jump Street, and Home Sweet Home Alone.
9 Ryan Howard
Despite the fact that he is a bit of a jerk, there is no doubt that Ryan Howard is one of the funniest characters in The Office. He started out as the temp, made his way up in the company at Dunder Mifflin, ended up losing the company hundreds of thousands of dollars, and then found himself back in Scranton. His on-again-off-again relationship with Kelly Kapoor is hilarious, and one of his most memorable episodes is season 2, episode 4 where Ryan "starts a fire" in the office. B.J. Novak, who plays Ryan, is also one of the writers, executive producers, and directors of the show.
8 Kevin Malone
Kevin Malone is one of the accountants at Dunder Mifflin who works closely with Oscar Martinez and Angela Martin. He may not be the brightest or the hardest working, but he's been a character on the show from beginning to end, and he is definitely a fan favorite. Brian Baumgartner is the actor who plays Kevin and has continuously provided so many iconic moments throughout the years. One of Kevin's funniest moments is in Season 5, Episode 26 where he spills a giant pot of chili all over the floor.
7 Angela Martin
What makes Angela so hilarious is how serious and absolutely over everyone in the office her character is. She is head of the Party Planning Committee, the mother to multiple cats, and an extremely difficult person to get along with. She works as an accountant and is known for starting drama in the office surrounding her relationships. For a while, she had a secret love affair with Dwight Schrute until their split, and then Angela started a relationship with Andy Bernard.
6 Meredith Palmer
Arguably the wildest and grossest character on the show, Meredith is known for being quite the over-sharer. She is a hilarious addition to the already-crazy group of employees at Dunder Mifflin and is portrayed by Kate Flannery. Meredith is an original member of the show, who can be seen all the way from the pilot episode to the finale. One of her most memorable episodes is "Take Your Daughter to Work Day" — Meredith brings her son Jake and the interactions between the two are hilarious.
5 Kelly Kapoor
Known for being obsessive, materialistic, and hilarious, Kelly Kapoor works in the customer service department at the Dunder Mifflin Scranton Branch. She is usually seen either arguing or annoying other employees at the company, especially her on-again-off-again boyfriend Ryan Howard. Mindy Kaling, who plays Kelly Kapoor, was also a writer, executive producer, and director on the show. She has also worked on popular films such as Ocean's 8 and The 40-Year-Old Virgin.
4 Andy Bernard
Cornell University graduate Andy Bernard, played by Ed Helms, also known as "Nard Dog" was first introduced to the show during its third season as an employee at the Dunder Mifflin Stamford branch. He was soon transferred over to Scranton, where he would reside for the remainder of the show. Andy's hilarious on his own, but his relationships with other characters in the office are so absurd, it makes him even funnier. Andy's first friend was Jim Halpert since they worked together in Stamford, and he developed a very strong hatred for Dwight Schrute after his relationship with Angela Martin became public.
3 Jim Halpert
There is no question that Jim Halpert is one of the funniest and most essential characters in the entire series. One of the main reasons why people fell in love with the show was due to the incredible on-screen chemistry between John Krasinski's character Jim and Jenna Fischer's character Pam Beesly. The two started off as best friends and ended up becoming the loves of each other's lives. Jim is one of the most "normal" and down-to-earth characters in the office, but also loves to pull pranks and mess with people, especially Dwight. Since The Office, Krasinski has continued to put out incredible work, receiving great reviews for his film A Quiet Place.
2 Michael Scott
Steve Carell was the ring leader and face of The Office for so many years. His leading role as manager Michael Scott is arguably the most iconic character of the actor's career. There is no one out there who could have played this part better than Carell, and the countless hilarious jokes and scenes he gave us will be laughed about forever. Michael Scott's love for his employees is beyond what a normal boss would feel; he really does consider each member of his team his family (except for Toby) and would do anything for them. The only thing he cares about more than his job is falling in love and one day starting a family. Carell left the show in 2011, and it was said that his character left to be with his soulmate, Holly Flax.
1 Dwight Schrute
Coming in at number one on our list of the funniest characters in The Office is Dwight Schrute. This character is absolutely insane and one of the most bizarre yet hilarious characters in any American sitcom. He is a part of the sales team at Dunder Mifflin, a volunteer sheriff's deputy on the weekends, and the proud owner of a successful beet farm amongst many other things. Dwight's arch-nemesis is Jim Halpert and the two are constantly trying to aggravate one another. Despite how strange he is, Dwight is able to find love and starts a relationship with Angela Martin in accounting, which also makes for a hilarious plot point in the show.