The Office has seen a lot of replacements over the seasons due to cast changes, and new characters were sometimes met with mixed responses from audiences. Therefore, when Pam Beesly stepped down from her receptionist role in season 5, her replacement could have been a disaster. Due to the show’s character-focused narrative, The Office’s cast is arguably the most important part of the show. As a staple character in the series from the beginning, with many character connections, replacing someone as integral as Pam was always going to be hard, but Erin Hannon turned out to be a brilliant choice.
Ellie Kemper’s Erin Hannon joined the show in season 5, and she actually turned out to be one of the best characters introduced in The Office after season 2. Her introduction to the show felt very natural at the time, as she joined The Office during season 5, when Michael and Pam had left Dunder Mifflin to create the Michael Scott Paper Company. Furthermore, her innocent nature made Erin a hit with audiences of The Office, despite Erin replacing Pam’s role as receptionist. However, writers were originally worried that Erin Hannon taking over Pam’s role was going to be disastrous.
The Office Writers Were Worried Erin Was Going To Be Too Much Like Pam
The New Receptionist Caused A Problem For Writers
Jenna Fischer as Pam on the reception phone in The Office.
According to The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, a documentative book by Andy Greene which details a behind-the-scenes look at the TV show through interviews, The Office’s writers were worried about introducing Erin. The Office writer Warren Lieberstein even outrightly stated (via Cheat Sheet) that, “The concern off the bat was that she was going to be too much like Pam.” As Erin and Pam were both kind, female characters that filled a receptionist role at Dunder Mifflin, it made sense that there was a worry that the two personalities would be too similar.
With Michael Scott starting his own paper company alongside Pam and Ryan, Charles Miner (Idris Elba) takes over as the new manager at Dunder Mifflin and hires a new receptionist, Erin. In a The A.V. Club interview with Ellie Kemper in 2010, she revealed that “Originally, the character was written for four episodes,” which shows that The Office didn’t plan on keeping Pam’s replacement around. However, Erin Hannon quickly became a series regular in the next season, and it was mostly due to the refreshing personality that Ellie Kemper brought to the comedy show in The Office season 5.
How The Office Made Sure Erin Would Be Different From Pam
Erin’s Innocent Nature Contrasted With Pam’s Personality
Pam and Erin looking at ice cream on The Office
As she was such a prominent character in the show, replacing Pam’s personality was a difficult task, and simply copying it with Erin would be meaningless. Therefore, writers had to find a way to differentiate the two characters. In The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, Lieberstein explains that “What we came up with is that she’s a huge people pleaser and sometimes she’s just a step behind everyone else in figuring things out. Also, she’s so impressed by Michael (Carell) and no one else in the office is. … she just absolutely adores him.”
Her awkward demeanour and desire to fit in made Erin a likable addition to The Office, and it also completely separated her from Pam
Although both Pam and Erin have similar personalities, in that they are kind-hearted people that respect Michael, The Office took Erin’s character one step further by making her somewhat naïve. The Office is full of distinctive characters with strong personalities, so going in a different direction by introducing a softer character meant that Erin stood out among the cast. Her awkward demeanor and desire to fit in made Erin a likable addition to The Office, and it also completely separated her from Pam, which is why it worked when she became a series regular despite Pam returning to Dunder Mifflin.
Erin Became So Much More Than Just Pam’s Replacement In The Office
Erin Was A Funny And Unique Character In The Show
As a result of Ellie Kemper’s distinctive performance in season 5, Erin Hanon became so much more than just Pam’s replacement in The Office. Her sweet and optimistic nature caused a lot of comedy in the show because it perfectly contrasted with the other characters, who were much more disillusioned due to their rather dull work. So, therefore, when Pam returned to Dunder Mifflin, it made no sense to simply get rid of Erin, especially when Erin’s comedic potential made her stand out as her own unique character, and she eventually had a romantic subplot with The Office’s Andy Bernard.
Unfortunately, The Office season 9’s controversial Andy change meant that his relationship with Erin didn’t last. Despite Erin supporting Andy in reclaiming his job at Dunder Mifflin, season 9 saw a drastic change in Andy’s personality, undoing his character growth. This led to Erin leaving him to be with Pete, who she is seen with at Angel and Dwight’s wedding. Despite her failed relationship with Andy, The Office made sure Erin got the ending her character deserved by reuniting her with her birth parents and having her deliver one of the most bittersweet interview moments in The Office’s finale.
