The Office: The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Late Character Additions

When The Office premiered, its main cast consisted of Michael, Dwight, Jim, Pam, and Ryan. As the series went on, their co-workers, like Stanley, Phyllis, Kevin, Oscar, and Angela, were all fleshed out into supporting characters of their own. And as with any workplace, employees came and went with the passage of time.

Since Steve Carell left during the seventh season, the position of series lead was up for grabs, and a lot of major characters joined the cast towards the end of the show’s run. Some fit right in, while others hurt the series. So, here are The Office’s five best and five worst late character additions.

BEST: Erin Hannon

Erin was introduced in Season 5 as Pam’s replacement when she quit to join the Michael Scott Paper Company as a salesperson. When Dunder Mifflin bought out Michael’s company and Pam landed a sales position, Erin was kept on as the Scranton branch’s receptionist until the series finale.

Although a lot of Erin’s storylines revolved around love interests who weren’t good enough for her, Ellie Kemper’s performance made her a lovable character. Having grown up in various foster homes, Erin’s sweetest relationship was with Michael, whom she saw as a kind of surrogate father.

WORST: Cathy Simms

In Season 8, Cathy Simms joined the workforce to be Pam’s temporary replacement while she was on maternity leave with her and Jim’s second baby. She openly announced her plans to break up Jim and Pam’s marriage, and came to Jim’s hotel room to seduce him when the two were sent to Tallahassee as part of Dwight’s task force.

Cathy seems to have been created specifically to be despised by fans. We didn’t need a homewrecker character to remind us Jim loves Pam, because we already know he does.

BEST: Gabe Lewis

Sent to work in the annex as Sabre’s corporate liaison in Season 6, Gabe Lewis wasn’t a particularly likable character — but he was a great addition to the show. Since he’s a stickler for corporate policies, he was an easy target for the office.

Whereas Toby was mercilessly mocked by Michael alone and everyone else felt bad for him, Gabe was mercilessly mocked by everyone. Gabe was a really weird dude, and Zach Woods played into that hysterically.