There are very few shows that can boast the same type of resume that The Office has, with the NBC comedy arguably being one of the highest-rated series to ever be produced.
With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the highest-rated episode of every season for the sitcom never dipped below the score of an 8, quite an impressive feat that any show would be proud to achieve. While not every episode was perfect, these were clearly the best that the sitcom had to offer.
9 After Hours, Season 8 (8.1)
Half of the company employees made a trip down to Florida for a sales convention while the other half stayed in Scranton, and needless to say that shenanigans ensued. Dwight spends most of the evening trying to seduce Nellie, only to admit upon achieving his goal that he only wanted the satisfaction of knowing he could, thus refusing to sleep with her.
Meanwhile, Jim proved what a loyal husband he was when Cathy continually tried to seduce him, only to have Jim enlist the help of Dwight (by telling him there were bed-bugs in his room) and cause Cathy to finally leave.
8 Basketball, Season 1 (8.4)
Despite only consisting of six episodes, the first season of the show still put up decent ratings, with the top episode being a fan favorite – the basketball episode. Michael and a select few office workers go head-to-head in a basketball game against the warehouse workers with the losers having to work on Saturday.
The game quickly gets out of hand for the office and things even start to get physical between Roy and Jim (due to tension over Pam). Finally, after a controversial foul/no-foul call on Michael, the warehouse workers are declared victors… but Michael then tells everyone in the office that they don’t have to come in on Saturday either.
7 The Job, Season 3 (9.3)
At the conclusion of season 3, there was a position at corporate that Michael, Jim, and Karyn were all interviewing for, with Michael being positive that he would get the position. However, his interview goes horribly and David Wallace tells him that he won’t be getting the job.
Afterward, Jim has his interview and seems like a shoo-in to get the position… only for him to realize mid-way through that he wants to stay in Scranton, take a shot at dating Pam, and (luckily) that’s exactly what he did. In a twist, the episode ends with Ryan Howard getting the job at corporate instead.
6 Casino Night, Season 2 (9.4)
When the office holds a casino night to raise money, Michael finds himself caught in an awkward situation when he has two dates show up to the event. Ultimately, he chooses Carol (his realtor) over Jan (his boss), though it’s revealed to the audience that Jan had brought an overnight bag to the event, prepared to sleep with Michael.
Meanwhile, the moment fans had been waiting two years for finally happened when Jim and Pam kissed for the first time… and then again for a second time, only for the season to end on a cliffhanger of them starring into each other’s eyes.
5 Niagra: Part 1 & 2, Season 6 (9.4)
Fans may have had to wait 2 seasons for Jim and Pam to kiss, but they had to wait nearly 4 more years to see the primary couple of the series tie the knot. Since it was a sitcom (and Michael was incredibly clingy) all of the employees in the office get invited and show up to the wedding and (because it’s a sitcom) they all immediately start causing problems, resulting in an incredibly sad Pam come wedding time.
To resolve her sadness, Jim takes Pam to the “Maid of the Mist” ride where they have the ship captain marry them. The two then returning to the church and having their stressful, shenanigan-style wedding… and not caring due to already being married.
4 Dinner Party, Season 4 (9.5)
Even if you aren’t a fan of The Office, you’re still probably a fan of this episode. When Michael tricks Jim and Pam into coming over to his house for a dinner party (along with Andy and Angela), things immediately become awkward when Jan and Michael start acting, well… awkward.
The couple gives their guests a tour of the house (including Jan’s candle room) only to then have Dwight show up (with his old nanny as a date). Everybody sits down to eat, tensions inexplicably rise between Michael and Jan, and things eventually escalate to the point of Jan destroying Michael’s $200 plasma-screen television by throwing a Dundie at it. Oh yeah, and the whole bit about the song by Jan’s assistant… a lot happened during this half-hour of television.
3 Stress Relief, Season 5 (9.7)
This two-part episode all stemmed from, perhaps, the funniest cold-open in the history of sitcoms when Dwight makes the office believe that there’s a fire. Due to Stanley having a heart attack, the office is then forced to take drastic measures on becoming a “stress-free” environment… only for Michael to discover that he’s the main cause of stress for everyone.
As a result, he lets the office “roast” him, only to have his feelings incredibly hurt by what they all say. Luckily, Michael bounces back and is able to make jokes about everyone else in response and the episode ends with everyone as stress-free as possible.
2 Goodbye Michael, Season 7 (9.8)
A lot of feelings were had during this episode when Michael decided to step-away from Dunder Mifflin/Spectre in order to move to Denver and be with Holly. The episode follows the premise that it’s Michael’s last day… and only he knows it. He secretly spends the day saying his goodbyes to everyone and tying up all loose ends, only for Jim to discover that it’s actually his last day.
The two share an emotional goodbye… followed by Pam, who wasn’t at the office to say goodbye to Michael and drove to the airport to catch him before he left.
1 Finale, Season 9 (9.8)
The final episode of the series was also the highest-rated of the entire series as everybody in the office reunited for Dwight and Angela’s wedding. Michael returned to be Dwight’s best-man and the entire episode was filled with hilarious call-backs and staple-jokes that only die-hard fans of the series could fully appreciate.
In the end, nearly the entire cast (save for Michael, Ryan, and Kelly) go back to the office to share one last drink with one another, only for everyone to depart, and bring an end to one of television’s best comedies.
About The Author