The Office: Recasting The Characters (If It Was Made Today)

There’s no question that The Office is one of the most successful and famous sitcoms of the past few decades (and probably in the history of the genre). It’s not hard to see why considering the weird way in which so many of the characters behave. In many ways, these characters have become so wedded to the actors that played them that it’s hard to think of anyone else stepping into the role.

However, it’s still fun to think about how the show would look and feel if it were to be recast with a different set of actors.

10 Michael – Drew Carey

Drew Carey might seem a bit of an odd choice for the character of Michael, considering the fact that these days he’s more famous for hosting a game show than for being in a sitcom. However, Carey still has that signature off-beat comedic timing that made him famous.

As a result, he would make a good fit for Michael, a man characterized by his magnetic attraction to being as weird as absolutely possible (and making everyone uncomfortable in the process).

9 Dwight – Bill Hader

Dwight is definitely one of those characters who has become almost synonymous with Rainn Wilson, the person chosen to play him. Thus, it’s rather difficult to think of someone who could play the part with the same sort of sinful delight.

If anyone could do it, however, it would have to be Bill Hader. There’s just enough of a quirky edge to him that he would bring some new layers and depth to this most idiosyncratic of characters.

8 Jim – Chad Michael Murray

This one might seem like a bit of a tough fit at first glance, but it actually makes sense in a certain way. Though Chad Michael Murray hasn’t played in a large number of comedies, he’s nevertheless shown that he has what it takes to be successful in the world of television series (not always easy to do).

What’s more, he has a certain handsome charm that would make him the perfect sort of romantic lead, a role that Jim gradually came to assume throughout the course of the series.

7 Pam – Alison Brie

Time and again, Alison Brie has shown that she is one of the most talented women working in television today. She’s played in a truly staggering number of successful shows, and each time she’s shown that she has what it takes to bring her characters to life. Obviously, she still has some pretty big shoes to fill, since Pam is one of the best-loved characters on the show.

However, if anyone could do this revamped role justice, it would be Alison Brie.

6 Angela – Kristen Bell

In some ways, it’s inconceivable that anyone in their right mind could dislike Kristen Bell. She’s one of those actresses who just seems effortlessly charming. This is precisely what would make her such a fun choice to play Angela, definitely one of the most unsettlingly strange characters on this show.

It would be really fun to see how Bell would take her normally bubbly charisma and transform it into something a little more unsettling. Or perhaps she’d just take Angela in very different directions. Either way, audiences would win.

5 Toby – Michael Cera

In a show known for its flamboyant personalities, Toby was a bit of an outlier. He was, as anyone who has seen the show knows, almost excessively mild-mannered (which made all the more hilarious by the fact that he was played by none other than one of the show’s writers and executive producers).

Of all of the actors working today, no one plays self-effacing and nerdy quite like Michael Cera, so he would definitely be an ideal choice for this particular role.

4 Ryan – Nick Kroll

Even though this show is filled with people who aren’t very likable, Ryan is something else. There’s just something about him that seems to rub people the wrong way. That is also something that could be said for most of the roles that Nick Kroll has chosen to play throughout the course of his career.

His characters seem to delight in being as obnoxious as possible, and they often go out of their way to get on people’s nerves. Who better, then, to play Ryan?

3 Andy – Ben Schwartz

Andy is another of those characters that really don’t seem to know how to just… be normal and likable (though, admittedly, it’s a hard thing for anyone). However, it’s also true that he does have a certain charm about him, as nonsensical as that seems on the surface. Ben Schwartz is another of those actors who plays a certain type of character, who is usually rather annoying but somehow manages to be a bit adorable at the same time.

He’d definitely bring that strange mixture to the character of Andy.

2 Meredith – Kristen Wiig

Inappropriate is a word that appears to have been coined just to describe Meredith. Obviously, everyone else in the show is inappropriate in some way or another, but she takes things to a whole new level.

This would be a challenging role to recast, but if there’s one woman working in comedy who could do the role justice, while also adding her own spin on it, it would have to be Kristen Wiig. She would bring just the right mix of quirkiness and inappropriateness.

1 Creed – Ice-T

Sometimes, it seems like this show really does go out of its way to be clever, but there’s no denying that Creed is a great character precisely because he’s a fictional version of himself.

It would be hard to find someone who would be able to do this role in exactly the same way, but Ice-T (assuming that one could get him away from SVU long enough), would be a great fit (and he also has the ability to play comedy!)

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