# Supporting Characters in "The Office" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 30, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715 "2005-12-30T13:53:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/1 "2005-12-30T13:53:12Z")
I’ve never seen the show, but they just added it to fantasy TV – which of the supporting characters get a lot of airtime? Which are more likely to be featured on a regular basis? Hi Rubystreak, Jmizzou, Kat! ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/2 "2005-12-30T15:04:46Z")
The original, or the US version? ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/3 "2005-12-30T15:19:05Z")
Fantasy TV? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/4 "2005-12-30T15:25:58Z")
What is this game? Do you get points every tme one of them shows up on the screen. FWIW, Jim, Dwight and Pam are the primary supporting characters. That’s assuming that hte boss is the main character. Next is the intern. I forget his name. ---
**Author:** ![Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Hey\_It\_s\_That\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hey_It_s_That_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/5 "2005-12-30T15:37:22Z")
Ryan. Those are the only five characters in the opening credits: Michael (jerk boss), Dwight (creepy suck-up), Jim (lovable everyman), Pam (cool, cute girl), and Ryan (bored intern). ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/6 "2005-12-30T17:05:12Z")
[This](http://www.fantasyteevee.com/home.php) is Fantasy Teevee. There’s currently an SDMB league, consisting of me, **rubystreak, jmizzou** , and a woman who plays by **jelaza** there but who I believe is **kat** here. If anyone were interested, I’d love to start a second Doper League – if only because I’m getting destroyed in the original league for a second season in a row. Regardless, they’ve just added **The Office** (American version) to play – since it’s a new show (as far as Fantasy Teevee is concerned), there’s no track record of points on the characters, so I was looking for inside info on who to pick up, Pam, Ryan, or Dwight. (I don’t see Jim, one of my opponents must have him already.) I don’t want Michael, I need supporting characters, not leads. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/7 "2005-12-30T17:12:14Z")
My favorite is Phyllis. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/8 "2005-12-30T17:53:43Z")
Creed is the guy who talked Michael out of firing him and gave Jim the crappy Secret Santa santa gift (a shirt that Creee himself is wearing in an earlier epside). In real life he is apparently a gifted guitarist and used to play for some band that the name of which escapes me. Angela is the stuck up religious blonde who is having the secret office romance with Dwight. There’s Pam’s fiance whose name escapes me… Roy? I can’t remember if that was his name on the UK version of the US one. He works in the warehouse and shows up from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/9 "2005-12-30T17:55:37Z")
Let me clarify my question: Of Pam, Ryan, and Dwight, which is most likely to get screentime week after week? ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/10 "2005-12-30T17:59:20Z")
AFAIK, all three half about equal screentime. Each of them are in every episode, though I would say Pam and Jim have a little more screentime than Dwight. Jim _might_ edge out Pam a little, but I’m not sure. They are about equal. ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/11 "2005-12-30T17:59:44Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Let me clarify my question: > > Of Pam, Ryan, and Dwight, which is most likely to get screentime week after week? Pam and Dwight show up every episode, and will often be central to the plot. Pam and Jim’s quasi-romance is probably the show’s central arc, but Dwight gets more humorous lines. Ryan doesn’t always show up, and is very rarely directly involved with the episode’s core plot. ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/12 "2005-12-30T18:06:52Z")
Yeah, if you are going for screentime, Ryan is not the one to pick. He’s on screen less than Phyllis (though, interestingly, the actor that plays Ryan is one of the producers of the show). ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/13 "2005-12-30T18:09:58Z")
Jim seems to get as much as Michael. Pam and Dwight seem about equal. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/14 "2005-12-30T20:35:32Z")
Excellent – thanks for the info! ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/15 "2005-12-30T20:42:57Z")
I gotta say, this sounds pretty cool. Of course I get crushed in Fantasy Baseball every year. Although I did win a football league once. I’d be game if someone started a second league. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/16 "2005-12-30T21:14:56Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > I gotta say, this sounds pretty cool. > > Of course I get crushed in Fantasy Baseball every year. > > Although I did win a football league once. > > I’d be game if someone started a second league. It really is oodles o’ fun – the existing league has been running continuously (well, other than the summer rerun season) for well over a year now. Is anyone else interested? Email me – my address is in my profile. (Hm, should I start a fresh thread on this, ya think? Possible players may not be watching _The Office_ either…) ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/17 "2005-12-30T22:05:46Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Let me clarify my question: > > Of Pam, Ryan, and Dwight, which is most likely to get screentime week after week? I’d go with Dwight. He’s clearly the comic relief, and would have more likelihood of a storyline that intersects with Jim (and Pam) or with Michael. Specifically, Dwight may be shown being tormented by Jim (and Pam), or saying some nonsense thing during a confessional, or he might spend the day looking at Michael’s condo or fighting Michael or generally sucking up to Michael. Pam will likely only be involved to the extent Jim is, and would have less to do regularly with Michael. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/18 "2005-12-30T22:53:01Z")
Though Ryan may not get the most screen time, I love Michael Scott’s mancrush on him, and, interestingly enough, [B.J. Novak](http://pro.imdb.com/name/nm1145983/) is one of the show’s writers. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/19 "2005-12-31T02:25:33Z")
So are a lot of the the supporting characters… Tobey (from HR) and the indian girl. Mr Brown from Diversity Day is another writer. ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2005, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supporting-characters-in-the-office/337715/20 "2005-12-31T13:39:36Z")
> [@Push You Down](#): > > Creed is the guy who talked Michael out of firing him and gave Jim the crappy Secret Santa santa gift (a shirt that Creee himself is wearing in an earlier epside). In real life he is apparently a gifted guitarist and used to play for some band that the name of which escapes me. Grass Roots but I’m not sure for how long or whether he was an original or a replacemant.