The Office’s Worst Storyline Proved That It Was Time For The Show To End

The worst and most egregious storyline from The Office’s later seasons proved that the writers had run out of ideas and it was time to end the series for good. The case could be made that The Office should’ve ended when Steve Carell departed from the cast. Michael Scott was both the beating heart of the series and the funniest character in the ensemble; once he was gone, it didn’t feel like the same show anymore (and it certainly wasn’t as much fun without him).

But The Office still delivered some great episodes after Michael left, so there was clearly still some juice left in the tank. Throughout seasons 8 and 9, as many TV shows do toward the end of their run, The Office gradually declined in quality. These seasons brought bizarre storylines like Dwight filling Stanley with tranquilizer darts and Clark creepily conning Erin into a fake news audition at his apartment, which didn’t fit the tone of The Office’s earlier episodes. But it wasn’t until Jim and Pam had marital problems that The Office needed to finally call it quits.

Jim And Pam’s Marriage Problems Risked Ruining The Office Forever

Jim And Pam’s Love Story Was The Driving Force Of The Show

Throughout seasons 8 and 9, The Office writers began introducing problems with Jim and Pam’s marriage. It started in season 8 when Cathy tried to seduce Jim in Tallahassee, but it got much worse in season 9. Jim lied to Pam about taking a job at his friend’s startup in Philadelphia, he invested their life savings in the business without asking her, and he moved to Philly to enjoy his dream job while leaving Pam to look after the kids by herself, which made her miserable.

In the early seasons of The Office, the driving force of the story was Jim and Pam’s love story. Audiences were desperate to see them get together, and that waiting was paid off with beautiful scenes like the proposal, the wedding at Niagara Falls, and the birth of their first child. It was one of the most touching love stories on television, and viewers fawned over this couple for years. By bringing them to the brink of divorce with intense arguments and bitter resentments, The Office’s writers risked ruining that love story.

The Office Messing With Jim And Pam’s Marriage Was A Sign It Was Time To End

The Writers Had Clearly Run Out Of Stories Worth Telling

When the writers of The Office started meddling in Jim and Pam’s marriage and destroying their relationship, they should’ve realized it was time to call it quits. When it gets to the point where the writers have to create conflict out of nothing and risk mischaracterizing their protagonists, then it’s time for the show to end. It would’ve been better for The Office to die a good sitcom than to live long enough to see Jim become the villain.