The Office Ending Explained: Where Your Favorite Characters Ended Up in the Finale

It’s now been a full decade since The Office aired its last episodes, ending with a finale that induced more tears than Andy (Ed Helms) shed in his singing competition show breakdown (which is saying a lot). The two-part tearjerker centered on the wedding of Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and Angela (Angela Kinsey), coupled with a wider reunion of the Dunder Mifflin crew, but there were plenty of other plotlines — not to mention special guest appearances and the return of several actors who had previously left the sitcom.

If you need a refresher on everything that went down with your favorite employees at the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company in the mockumentary’s series finale, we’ve got you covered.

How many seasons were there of The Office?

The Office ran for nine seasons, debuting on March 24, 2005 on NBC. Original main cast members included Steve Carell, Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, and B.J. Novak. The American version of the show was adapted by Greg Daniels from the BBC show of the same name that was co-created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant and ran between 2001 and 2003. All nine seasons are currently available to stream on Peacock.

When did The Office end?

The Office ended with a two-part finale that aired on May 16, 2013 on NBC. The finale episodes were the 24th and 25th of Season 9, and the 200th and 201st episodes of the show’s entire run. The final installments saw the return of actors who had departed the show, including Steve Carell, B.J. Novak and Mindy Kaling. It also included guest stars like Seth Meyers and Bill Hader, who were Saturday Night Live cast members at the time and were playing themselves, as well as Joan Cusack and Ed Begley Jr.

Why did Steve Carrell’s Michael Scott leave The Office?

Steve Carrell had big shoes to fill when he took on the role of Michael Scott, the regional manager of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, a character adapted from Ricky Gervais’ David Brent on the British version of The Office. Carrell made the role his own, earning Emmy nominations in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series category every year from 2006 through 2011.

What Happened to Michael Scott on The Office?

By Season 7, Carrell was ready to step away from the show that helped shoot him to widespread fame and continue on with his film career. As for Michael, he had already had a diminished role at Dunder Mifflin starting in Season 5 when he left to launch his own paper company with Pam and Ryan. In Season 6, he served as co-manager of Dunder Mifflin, alongside Jim. And in Season 7, after proposing to Holly, he decides to move to Colorado with her to help her take care of her aging parents.

Michael returns in the series finale, surprising Dwight by showing up at his wedding to be his best man, with some help from Jim, who made it happen. Michael’s still married to Holly in the finale and they have several kids together.