If you’re like us, you’ve probably binged-watched The Office at least a dozen times. And when it gets to the point where you can recall minor scenes or perfectly recite the dialogue, you tend to notice a few things. Like the fact that certain characters got recast as if it was no big deal or that subtle references were made to other TV shows and movies.
It’s kind of mind-boggling that most of these things went right over our heads. And even to this day, whenever we re-watch the show, we still discover more interesting little facts. So if you consider yourself a hardcore Office fan and you’ve already picked up on countless little details, we’re willing to bet that you haven’t caught on to every single one.
1. Pam’S Mom Was Played By A Totally Different Person By The Time She Made Her Second Appearance.
In season two when Pam’s mom first visited the office, the role was played by Shannon Cochran. But when she returned for Pam’s wedding in season six and started dating Michael, the role was played by Linda Purl. Producers had no choice but the cast someone else because the original actress wasn’t available to return as Pam’s mom, so the switch wasn’t intentional. But on the bright side, most fans didn’t notice the change anyway (and it’s understandable, considering the fact that Helene hadn’t made an appearance in over four years).
2. The People Who Played Andy’S Parents Also Got Recast By The Time They Made Their Second Appearance.
In season four, Andy’s parents visited briefly for his proposal to Angela in “Goodbye, Toby.” But then they returned in season eight for Andy’s garden party at Schrute Farms and it looked like he got adopted by an entirely different couple. The first pair of actors were uncredited for their minor roles, but the second couple was played by Stephen Collins and Dee Wallace.
If you want to get into even more detail regarding this continuity problem, there was also the issue of Andy’s father’s name. His dad was first introduced as Andrew Bernard, but after his first appearance his name suddenly changed to Walter.
3. In Season Three, They Replaced A Pair Of Asian Actresses That Michael And Andy Picked Up At The Bar.
We’re not even sure how many people noticed this, but remember that episode where Andy and Michael went to a bar and brought two girls back to the office? Well, those weren’t the same girls. They actually got replaced by another pair of Asian actresses who look nothing like the original two. And it’s kind of disturbing when you think about it because this only perpetuates the false idea that all Asians look alike.
4. In Dwight’S First Scene In The Pilot, He Sings “Little Drummer Boy.” It’S Also The First Song That Angela Chooses To Sing At Karaoke For The Christmas Party.
We simply cannot get over this adorable little detail. In season three, during the office Christmas party, Angela’s very first choice of song for karaoke just happened to be Dwight’s favorite carol (and the same song that he sang when we first met him on the show). Of course, Dwight simply gazed at her with lovey-dovey eyes the entire time and it was just too much cuteness for our hearts to take.
5. When Michael Dined And Dashed In A Chinese Restaurant, There Were Pictures Of Thieves On The Wall – & Two Of Them Were Of Creed.
In season seven, Michael got lost and decided to eat at a Chinese restaurant, even though he had no money. But later that day, after he dined and dashed, Dwight, Holly, and Erin visited the same restaurant while trying to track him down. And lo and behold, right below Michael’s photo on the wall of thieves, there was Creed. Twice. If you look closely at the one on the left, you’ll see that he’s disguised.
6. That Rude Pizza Boy Who Got Held Hostage Was Played By Kevin Mchale (Artie From Glee).
He looks so different without the wheelchair and glasses, doesn’t he? But his guest appearance isn’t even the most interesting tidbit. Ironically enough, when the staff had a little viewing party to watch Glee together in season seven, Michael mentioned that his favorite character was Artie (or should we say “the invalid”). We totally see what they did there.
7. Jim’S Last Name Was Misspelled On The Sign For His And Pam’S Rehearsal Dinner.
We have no idea who “Halpret” is. But we’re pretty sure that Jim’s last name is actually spelled “Halpert.” Perhaps that little typo was overlooked, but we wouldn’t be surprised if it were left there intentionally to add some humor to an already hilarious episode.
8. In The Opening Credits, Pam’S Desk Sign Says “Receptionist” But In The Actual Series It Says “Reception.”
We know, we know. It’s not that big of a deal. But we get the feeling that about 90 percent of viewers probably never noticed this subtle change… We sure didn’t on the first watch. It’s just one of those little things!
9. Michael Actually Used His Own Brand Of Salad Dressing When He Ate His Salads.
In season four, he had a big jar of “Great Scott” sitting on his desk while he was eating his salad. And in another episode, for a deleted scene, he actually explained that he mixes Newman’s Ranch with Newman’s Italian and then sells it at flea markets. He thought he could make more profit if he changed one of the ingredients to Wishbone, but he decided against it.
10. Michael Recreated A Scene From Armageddon In Threat Level Midnight.
This one might have been obvious for those who are familiar with Armageddon. In Michael’s movie (which was actually impressive, considering his filmmaking skills), there’s a parody of a romantic scene that shows on the surface of a hockey puck. That reference totally flew over our heads the first time, but leave it up to Michael to incorporate random references that are totally over the top into his bizarre flick.
11. In One Episode, You Can Clearly See A Prop Label On One Of The Items.
In season eight, during the pool party episode, Oscar drank from a wine bottle that still had the prop label taped to it, and it said “Oscar.” We’re not sure how we missed something that obvious — or how the production team did, for that matter. But it makes us wonder if there are even more prop labels that we missed on the show… Keep your eyes peeled, people!
12. Dwight Had A Beet Plant Growing Next To His Desk.
It’s hard to forget Dwight and his brother’s infamous beet farm. And apparently, Dwight was so fond of it that he decided to take a part of it with him to work. He literally had a beet plant growing right by his desk… But hey, it was a nice decoration.
13. A Random Kid Who Attended The Hay Festival In One Episode Later Returned To Play Dwight’S Nephew.
We first saw the boy (played by Blake Garrett Rosenthal) in season seven. He was the kid who got off of the hayride in “WUPFH.com” and asked to go for a second time. But then he reappeared in season nine in “The Farm” as Dwight’s nephew, Cammy. We can’t help but wonder: How in the world did Dwight not recognize his own nephew two seasons prior?
14. Andy Claimed To Have A Stepmom That We’Ve Never Even Met.
It’s by far one of the biggest plot holes in the show. In season six, Andy said: “If it wasn’t for secretary’s day, I wouldn’t have a step-mom.” However, each time his parents appeared on the show, he referred to them as “mom” and “dad,” and not once did he ever mention the fact that his mom wasn’t his true birth mother. Some fans believe that his parents were cast differently on purpose so that the first pair included his step-dad and the second pair included his step-mom. It’s a fair explanation, but we still find it kind of odd that Andy (aka the most talkative guy on the show) wouldn’t mention these details at all again.
15. The Group At The Office Discovered That There Were Hardwood Floors Under The Carpet Twice.
And in both instances they happened for the “first time.” In season seven, when Dwight became the Acting Manager, he went a bit too far when he fired a gun in the office. This was when Oscar pointed out that there are hardwood floors under the carpet. But then in season nine, they tore up the carpet and Oscar said: “It’s beautiful, I always knew there was hardwood under here, I just never dreamed I would see it.” A minor thing, but strange for sure.
16. The Dunder Mifflin Employee Newsletter Doesn’T Have Any Real Content.
The layout looked impressive enough, but the actual newsletter was fake. If you can make out the print in this shot, you’ll see that the paper is loaded with filler sentences and made up words. For instance, this is what the first few lines of the middle paragraph say: “As anybody can easily tell, this newsletter doesn’t really have a lot to say. It’s really just a prop to fill some space and sort of look like a newsletter without really being much of a newsletter at all.” LOL.
17. Dunder Mifflin’S Official Address Includes A Reference To The Uk’S Version Of The Show.
In season six, Dwight told an estate agent to make an offer at “1725 Slough Avenue.” But little did we know that there’s an actual town called Slough in the UK. It’s also the setting of the UK version of The Office. What a subtle easter egg. We love it.
18. Jim Actually Wears A Wig In The Latter Half Of Season Three.
While he was filming season three, John Krasinski was also working on the movie Leatherheads, which is a sports comedy. He had to cut his hair for the role. So for a good chunk of season three, Jim was actually donning a wig and we never even noticed it. Bet you will now though!
19. Each Time We See Creed At His Desk, He’S Playing Spider Solitaire.
If you look closely at every scene that involves Creed at his computer, you’ll notice that he’s always playing Spider Solitaire in the background. But this comes as no surprise to us. Although he’s a “quality assurance director,” he literally never, ever works.
20. The Same Goes For Meredith.
Meredith worked in Purchasing/Supplier Relations, but it looked like she had a lot of time on her hands because, like Creed, she was always playing Spider Solitaire or Klondike. She and Creed were basically all of us being bored out our minds and stuck at work with nothing to do.
21. Pam Used That Little Green Teapot That Jim Gave Her For The Finer Things Club.
Remember that adorable teapot that Jim gave Pam for Christmas? And how it was filled with little items that would make her laugh? Well, that same teapot reappeared a couple of times at The Finer Things Club. We still can’t believe that we never noticed this one before but maybe it’s because we were so jealous that we, personally, weren’t invited to be a part of the exclusive club.