Leave it to Pam Beesly to play peacekeeper. Jenna Fischer, who played receptionist Pam on all nine seasons of The Office, claims that the beloved show’s later seasons — after Steve Carell’s departure — weren’t as bad as we collectively remember them to be. While the show definitely went through a shift after Carrell, who starred in the series as Scranton Regional Manager Michael Scott, left, Fischer claims The Office‘s quality and comedy didn’t take a hit. In addition to starring on The Office, Fischer revisited the series episode-by-episode in the popular rewatch podcast Office Ladies with co-star Angela Kinsey, and completed their rewatch in October 2024.
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Appearing on this week’s episode of the Fly on the Wall podcast, hosted by comedy legends Dana Carvey and David Spade, Fischer defended The Office‘s later seasons. “My biggest takeaway from having rewatched it was that it’s really good the whole time,” Fischer told Carvey and Spade. “I think there was this lore…that the two seasons after Steve left, we were just treading water and maybe they weren’t as good. But when I watched everything, some of my favorite episodes were in Seasons 8 and 9 after Steve had left. There were still these amazing storylines.”
Fischer Names Favorite The Office Seasons and Standout Episode
It’s undeniable that Steve Carell was irreplaceable on The Office, but Fischer has a point about The Office‘s later seasons still holding up. Carrell was succeeded by some major comedic talents — James Spader had a stint as higher-up Robert California, and British powerhouse Catherine Tate as the scheming Nellie Bertram.
Fischer named “Seasons 4 through 6″ her favorite era of The Office. How much she enjoyed that period of the show also came as a surprise, since Fischer and the other members of the show’s cast and crew believed they were in a slump at the time.
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“I think some of the award nominations stopped after Season 3. So I think maybe we got in our heads and thought, oh, I guess we’re not creating as great.” Fisher revealed. She particularly enjoyed the famous “Dinner Party” episode in Season 4. Fischer’s in good company there. Directed by Paul Feig, the volatile couple Pam and Michael’s disastrous dinner party is regarded as one of the series’s best. Another standout for Fischer was the Michael Scott Paper Company arc throughout Season 5.
Will Fischer Return for the Upcoming Office Reboot, The Paper?
While Fischer was open about her thoughts on The Office and other aspects of her career on Fly on the Wall, there was one subject the actor kept close to her chest. Despite Carvey and Spade’s prodding, Fischer told the hosts she is “not allowed to say anything” about the highly anticipated series The Paper, which is set in the world of The Office.
The new show will follow The Office‘s documentary crew while they search for a new subject. They find it in a dying Midwestern newspaper and its publisher’s efforts to revive it using volunteer reporters. Domhnall Gleeson, Tracey Letts, and Mo Welch are set to star in the series, and fan-favorite The Office actor Oscar Nuñez is confirmed to return. No word on if Fischer makes an appearance on The Paper, but she did reveal she was able to visit the set.
“Angela and I got special access to the set and got to talk to all the actors. We got to see it. It’s really cool.”
The Paper will premiere in September on Peacock. In the meantime, we’ll be crossing fingers that Fischer makes a cameo on it.
