It has now been over a decade since fans said goodbye toThe Office.
And it almost never happens.
WhenThe Officefirst debuted in 2005 on NBC, no one could predict what it would become.
The series was, of course,based on the British BBC sitcom of the same name starringRicky Gervais.
Running from 2001 to 2002, the series only consisted of a dozen episodes.
While it was a tremendous show, there was no promise that a reimagining of it would work.
Image via NBC
There werent a lot of expectations going in.
Besides Carell, though, there were no big names inThe Office.
The first season ofThe Officeis a different beast from the classic it would grow into.
Consisting of just six episodes, it was hard for the series to find its footing.
Michael had yet to be the lovable dope that wed come to know over the years.
The first seasons ratings werent great.The Officelooked doomed for cancellation.
Image via NBC
But then two things happened.
The first involved Carell.
They did that with their Season 2 Christmas episode, “The Christmas Party.”
There was more meat to the stories and the supporting cast was fleshed out and allowed to thrive.
Then came The Christmas Party.Its one of the series classic episodes.
Of course, everything goes off the rails.
Michael has gone overboard, as he usually does, buying Ryan (B.J.
Novak) a $400 iPod, even though the dollar limit has been set at $20.
If thats not bad enough, Meredith (Kate Flannery) gets drunk and flashes Michael in his office.
Michael, being Michael, then has to take a picture.
What Made ‘The Office’s First Christmas Episode Work So Well?
So what made it work?
Several factors were involved.
For one, we got to see the best brought in our characters.
Everybody had something, or some moment, some storyline around the Secret Santa swap.
In an office full of memorable supporting characters, this character undeniably became the most beloved.
It was here thatthe Dunder-Mifflin co-workers, despite their many differences and infighting, were presented as a family.
After that, the series found its footing.
They werent the British version.
Steve Carell was not Ricky Gervais.
Outside of having the same name and a similar premise, they became their own distinct show.
You could argue that the American version ended up being even better.
“After that episode aired,Angela Kinsey said, we were the No.
1 streaming show on iTunesand all of a sudden we were like, ‘Hold up.
We found our audience.’
It turned a corner from there and we were set.”
The characters at Dunder Mifflin don’t like each other all that much for the most part.
The success of the Season 2 episode led to a two-parter in Season 3.
Michael is down in the dumps because his girlfriend broke up with him.
Can it get much more awkward than that?
In Season 5, Jim pulls a classic prank on Dwight, wrapping his entire desk in wrapping paper.
How can Michael be the loved center of attention now?!
Now, however,she’s back and Michael goes all out to impress her.
Andy’s in charge now, and it’s just not the same.
What is the same is Jim and Dwight continuing to prank each other.
It’s not the same either without Michael there to react to it.
And that’swhy “Christmas Party” will always be the best.
Everyone is there, including the lonely Michael, who needs this day more than anyone.
It’s the episode where we really fell in love with the employees, just like he had.
The Officeis available to watch in the U.S. on Peacock.
WATCH ON PEACOCK
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