- “The Office” ran on NBC from 2005 to 2013.
- There are several mistakes throughout the show with continuity and other goofs.
- Some actors are recast, Meredith’s birthday moves, and Michael forgets how to ride a bicycle.
NBC’s “The Office” captured the everyday life of employees of a paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Still popular today, the beloved show wasn’t free from its share of goofs and errors.
Here are 16 inconsistencies that popped up throughout the show’s eight-year run.
John Krasinski signed his own name on Meredith’s cast.
In season four, episode three (“Launch Party”), after Michael runs Meredith over with her car and leaves her in the hospital with a cracked pelvis, Meredith returns to work with a cast around her crotch. She asks Jim to sign it, and it appears that John Krasinski signed his own name instead of writing Jim Halpert.
A graphic designer returned as Nick the IT guy.
In season four, episode 17 (“Job Fair”), Pam meets Nelson Franklin’s character who works in graphic design, which renews her interest in trying to pursue a career in art. Later, in season six, episode 16 (“Manager and Salesman”), Franklin appears again as Dunder Mifflin’s information-technology guy, Nick.
Fed up with how the office treats him, Nick unloads on the office in his departing episode ("Whistleblower") and spills everyone's secrets.
Andy's father's name changed from Andrew to Walter.
Andy introduces everyone to his parents in the season four finale ("Goodbye, Toby") when he is about to propose to Angela and presents them as "Andrew and Ellen Bernard." However, in season six, episode 17 ("The Delivery: Part 1"), Andy says he was named Walter Jr. after his father until he was 6 years old, when his younger brother (played by Josh Groban) was born and his parents decided that he was more fitting for the name Walter.
In season eight, episode four ("Garden Party"), this joke is reinforced when Dwight announces Andy's parents' as "Mr. and Mrs. Walter and Ellen Bernard."
Pam's mother was recast.
In the beginning of the show, actress Shannon Cochran plays Pam's mother. Linda Purl plays her when she's reintroduced during Jim and Pam's wedding, in season six, episode five ("Niagara: Part 2"). Purl's version of the character even dates Michael for a string of episodes.
Meredith's birthday seemed to change to another month.
In the fourth episode of season one ("The Alliance"), Pam tells Michael that there are no upcoming birthdays for a month and that the closest birthday is Meredith's, next month. Then, in episode 11 of season four ("Survivor Man") Angela tells Jim that it's a big birthday month in the office and that Creed, Oscar, and Meredith all have their birthdays back-to-back.
It is unclear whether Jim or Pam started at Dunder Mifflin first.
In season four, episode three ("Launch Party"), Pam says that when Jim began working at Dunder Mifflin she said, "Enjoy this moment, because you're never going to go back to this time before you met your deskmate, Dwight." This contradicts season two, episode 13 ("The Secret") when Pam and Jim discussed how Jim had a crush on Pam when she first started at the company.
The number of sisters Angela has changes throughout the show.
Throughout the show, Angela went from having one sister she wasn't close with to having multiple sisters when she's planning her wedding with Dwight to then having one sister again in the series finale. The sister shown last is incredibly close with Angela, and they speak in a made-up language that only they understand.
Oscar's name was left on the bottom of a wine bottle.
In season eight, episode 12 ("Pool Party"), Robert California (James Spader) invites the office over for one last party before he sells his mansion. Robert takes the office on a house tour to break into the wine in his cellar because it will only "go to the lawyers." Gabe, Ryan, Jim, and Oscar get drunk on his wine reserve, and at one point while Oscar is drinking from a wine bottle, you can clearly see a label at the bottom that reads "Oscar."
Michael forgot how to ride a bike.
Michael is seen comfortably riding a bike that he plans to donate to charity in season three, episode 10 ("A Benihana Christmas"). The writers may have forgotten about this, as Michael seemingly doesn't know how to ride a bike when using Oscar's in season seven, episode five ("The Sting"). They say you never forget how to ride a bike, but this one could be chalked up to Michael being Michael.
Erin’s first name never comes up again.
In her introductory episode, season five episode 23 ("Michael Scott Paper Company"), Erin goes by Kelly until she tells temporary manager Charles Miner to use her middle name in order to cause less confusion in the office and avoid mix-ups with Kelly Kapoor. If the gesture was done simply out of courtesy to her new boss, it seems strange that she continues to go by her middle name for the rest of her stay on the show, even though it is reasonable to assume that she would have preferred to go by her first name outside of the office.
Even her foster brother Reed calls her "Erin" when Andy meets him in season six episode 19.
The exterior of the building changed after the pilot.
The office building of Scranton Business Park houses Dunder Mifflin, Vance Refrigeration, W.B. Jones Heating & Air, and a few other companies. However, the building shown in the pilot is different from the one used throughout the rest of the show.
The exterior of Scranton Business Park later becomes synonymous with the show itself, and Michael even buys Pam's drawing of the building at her art show in season three, episode 16 ("Business School").
Jim's last name was spelled incorrectly at his rehearsal dinner.
In season six, episode four ("Niagara: Part 1"), Jim's last name is spelled wrong on the sign for his rehearsal dinner and the hotel's schedule and reads "Halpret" instead of "Halpert." This could be an editing mistake from the prop department, but it could also be a nod to the fact that Jim and Pam's names are mispronounced several times throughout the show. In season seven, episode seven ("Christening"), the church minister even announces them as the "Halberts."
Palm trees can be spotted in Scranton, Pennsylvania.
In season three, episode 12 ("Traveling Salesman"), a palm tree can be spotted to the left of the building when Dwight and Jim are exiting Jim's car for a sales meeting. While the show was supposed to take place in Scranton, Pennsylvania, it was filmed in a Van Nuys studio in Los Angeles.
Dwight’s shirt magically dried from one shot to another.
In season two, episode four ("The Fire"), Dwight evacuates the office after Ryan leaves a cheese pita in the toaster oven and causes a fire. While Dwight is leaving the office, he spills a jug of water on the fire and on himself. However, his wet shirt has dried by the time we see it in the next shot.
Oscar seemed to forget that there was hardwood flooring under the office carpet.
In season seven, episode 23 ("Dwight K. Schrute, Acting Manager"), Dwight mistakenly fires a gun inside the office and shoots the floor. Upon inspecting the floor, Oscar finds hardwoods. He seemingly forgets the incident by season nine, episode 11 ("Suit Warehouse"), when the staff is full of caffeine from the new espresso machine and they tear up the carpeting to reveal the hardwood floors once more. An excited Oscar acts surprised and says: "Wait, hardwood. I always knew it was down here!"
Pam went through airport security without a plane ticket.
Pam seems to bypass airport security to say goodbye to Michael in season seven, episode 21 ("Goodbye, Michael"). Throughout the episode, Michael wants to say goodbye to Pam but doesn't know when she'll return to the office. She ends up making it to the airport in time to see him, but she seems to catch up to him when he's already through security and on his way to his gate.
- Read more:
- 22 things you didn't know about 'The Office'
- THEN & NOW: The cast of 'The Office'
- 'The Office' stars reunited and fans can't get enough of the perfect photo
- 21 celebrities you probably forgot guest-starred on 'The Office'
- Steve Carell says 'The Office' probably wouldn't work today: 'The climate's different'