Michael Scott Leaving Wasn’t ‘The Office’s Worst Change — This Was

Many fans thought The Office was done after Michael Scott (Steve Carell) left, and, admittedly, the series struggled to replace him. Eventually, Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) took the manager’s office, filling the role of the well-meaning boss, and the combination of an already lovable character and a few tweaks to make him more Michael-like worked. The series found its footing again and delivered several classic episodes without the original lead, including “Garden Party,” “The Incentive,” and “Work Bus.” Yet that changed when Andy’s character shifted again. With other obligations, Ed Helms couldn’t appear in the entire season, so Andy was briefly written off as he went on a boat trip. However, when he returned, he was different and much worse, throwing off the show.

Though the series had been evolving Andy since his introduction in Season 3, he had reached a good place. Yes, there were issues, like his interactions with Nellie (Catherine Tate), yet he was overall a goofy and lovable character. Then, after his boat trip, he behaves terribly, blowing off his girlfriend, using his position as boss to get petty revenge for personal slights, lying to his boss, and lecturing the office workers about much smaller problems while refusing to own up to his extended absence. Basically, Season 9 ruins Andy’s character and the show takes a toll because of it.

Andy Saw a Lot of Growth in ‘The Office’ Until It All Vanished

When Jim (John Krasinski) met Andy at the Stamford branch, Andy served a very different role. He was the annoying person Jim messed with, but his character was no Dwight (Rainn Wilson). Andy was more arrogant and prone to anger, yet he was still a good target. When Andy moved to Scranton, his ambition got the better of him, but after some anger management courses, he became a lovable, if loud, part of Dunder Mifflin. The Office tried to fill Michael’s shoes with many characters, but Andy was by far the best fit. Fans had already watched him grow, so seeing him become a self-involved but lovable boss, much like Michael, made sense. With a rocky relationship with his family and a clear love for his coworkers, Andy was flawed but still good… until he wasn’t anymore.

When family drama leads Andy to take a three-month boat trip, he has time for self-discovery that throws him into a much more unlikable phase. Immediately upon his return, Andy hypocritically reprimands the employees for keeping the office running in his absence, complaining about Jim and Pam (Jenna Fischer) taking a long lunch and losing Dwight’s biggest client because of the unapproved discount that won the white page’s business from Jan (Melora Hardin) while Andy was gone. Andy even lies to the CEO, David Wallace (Andy Buckley), about his absence, hiding it and taking credit for the branch’s recent success. Fortunately for the series, Andy spends the last several episodes with his focus on a different career, stopping him from treating his employees so terribly, but his selfishness reaches an extreme, and that is the thing that ruins him. Andy may be flawed throughout, but he came a long way before his character abruptly changed to be rude and dismissive of his employees’ accomplishments.

The Final Season of ‘The Office’ Destroyed Andy’s Relationship With Erin

The change in Andy reverses a storyline that took a long time to develop. After several seasons of building a relationship with Erin (Ellie Kemper), the couple break up because of Andy’s disappearance. When Andy goes on his trip, he neglects to communicate with Erin, and she develops a relationship with Pete (Jake Lacy). So, when Andy returns, Erin is not only interested in someone else, but Andy is no longer a good fit for her. For a long time, Andy’s child-like enthusiasm complimented Erin’s innocence, but in Season 9, he loses that, and the relationship sours.

Andy’s character destroys all the goodwill he has built up during his breakup with Erin. It’s bad enough that he tries to manipulate Erin into holding on despite her confession that she doesn’t love him, but worse is his reaction to Erin and Pete’s relationship. Andy vindictively tries to make the office uncomfortable for the new couple, using his position as manager to hire Pete and Erin’s ex to justify his poor behavior. Andy was a great character, but his last storyline made him much less sympathetic and undid all the seasons of character development that made him one of the show’s best characters.

The Office is streaming on Peacock in the U.S.