The Office: The 10 Best Episodes (According to IMDb)

The Office ran for a total of 201 episodes on NBC between 2005 and 2013, and while not every episode was perfect, picking a favorite is still close to impossible. That’s why we’re not going to our favorite. Instead, we’ll be turning to IMDb for answers.

The popular movie and TV website has given every episode of The Office a star rating, which is a weighted average score based on the rankings (on a scale of 1 to 10) assigned by registered users. This means the site’s final ranking of each episode (which will be designated by the numbers in parentheses next to each episode title) more closely reflects general audience reactions than critic reviews.

With that out of the way, it’s time to journey back to Scranton and discover which episodes are loved a little more than the rest. Here are the 10 best episodes of The Office according to IMDb.

10 Casino Night (9.4)

The finale of Season 2 saw the office hosting a casino night in the warehouse. Things get complicated when Michael invites two dates — his realtor, Carol and his boss, Jan — and when Jim tells Pam that he is in love with her.

This episode was the first of the series to be written by Steve Carell and, at the time of its release, it was also the one that garnered the most praise. While the episode was full of hilarious jokes and plotlines, the tension between Jim and Pam was particularly captivating, as was Michael’s own developing relationships.

9 The Job (9.4)

This two-part episode, which also acted as the third season finale of The Office, had Michael, Jim, and Karen preparing for the same corporate job interview. It also sees Pam dealing with the aftermath of her “beach games” speech in which she admits that she misses her relationship with Jim.

Things grow even more awkward when Michael learns the position he is interviewing for is held by Jan (who is to be fired), but it all ends on a positive note when Jim finally embraces his former feelings for Pam and asks her out.

The story progression was particularly praised, with the acting, writing, and pacing also commended. It ended Season 3 on a note that was just as exciting, if not more hopeful than the final episode of Season 2.

8 Dinner Party (9.4)

This highly-rated episode has Michael tricking Jim into attending a dinner party at his house with Pam. Things become crazily uncomfortable for everyone in attendance when Jan reveals that Michael falsely told her he and Pam used to date. Things get even more strange when Dwight shows up uninvited with his babysitter and Jan throws a Dundie at Michael’s plasma screen TV.

The level of cringe in “Dinner Party” is unreal in the best way possible. If you’ve ever wanted to watch the most awkward relationship portrayal in a sitcom, this is where you’ll find it.

7 Niagara: Part 1 (9.4)

This episode saw the gang following Jim and Pam to their destination wedding in Niagara Falls. Problem is, the couple actually set the wedding far away to discourage the office from following, but Michael offers work incentives to everyone who attends, changing Jim and Pam’s wish.

Pam hopes to keep her pregnancy a secret from her conservative “Meemaw” in “Part 1.” Unfortunately, not everyone shares this wish quite as strongly.

“Niagara Part 1” was praised for pulling viewers into the action of Jim and Pam’s wedding and expertly setting up for the episode to come.

6 Niagara: Part 2 (9.4)

While “Niagara Part 1” showed the wedding weekend festivities, “Niagara Part 2” had Jim and Pam’s actual marriage on display. Boy, was it perfect.

After Pam mistakenly rips her veil, Jim cuts his tie in half and the two journey away to get married in private before the main ceremony, in which everyone dances down the aisle. In other words, this long-awaited episode was the perfect mix of touching and funny — and who didn’t want to see comedy’s best couple finally tie the knot?

5 Threat Level Midnight (9.4)

This quirky Season 7 episode became a favorite of many, as the long-running joke about Michael’s action film entitled Threat Level Midnight was finally viewed by the office after eleven years of writing, shooting, and editing.

Michael’s film has him starring as Agent Michael Scarn, Dwight as his robot butler, and Jim as his rival, Goldenface. The episode also saw the return of many characters including Jan, Karen, Todd, Roy, and Helene.

“Threat Level Midnight” was praised for being ambitious, hilarious, and quotable, leaving viewers with an incredible Michael-centric episode not long before Steve Carell departed from the series.

4 A.A.R.M. (9.4)

This two-part episode aired a week before the series finale, coming out as one of Season 9’s highlights. The final episode of the season takes place a year after this one as “bonus footage” shot by the documentary crew, making “A.A.R.M.” the last episode of The Office as we knew it.

“A.A.R.M.” ties together many long-running plot points by having Jim give Pam the card he took out of the teapot in Season 2 and Dwight finally getting engaged to Angela. Although Andy’s singing competition subplot was criticized, it didn’t stop the masses from treasuring the episode as a whole.

3 Stress Relief (9.7)

Perhaps the best scene in all of The Office is the one in which Michael learns how to give CPR to the tune of “Staying Alive.” This is the double-episode in which that takes place.

The hilarious episode also sees Dwight creating a dramatic fire drill for his co-workers, Stanley suffering from a heart attack due to the commotion, and Michael attempting to calm everyone down with meditation (and later organizing a roast).

“Stress Relief” has been cemented as a fan favorite, being jam-packed with situations, jokes, and one-liners too good to forget.

2 Goodbye, Michael (9.8)

This Season 7 episode was the last one in which Michael appeared as a series regular and is one of the two highest-rated Office episodes on IMDb. In it, he prepares to depart for Colorado with Holly by saying goodbye to everyone in the office.

Many believed “Goodbye, Michael” could have served as a series finale, as the episode expertly tied up loose ends while maintaining a balance between funny and poignant. Though most of the episodes that followed Michael’s departure were not as good as the ones with him in it, the show’s writers still did an excellent job setting up the future.

1 Finale (9.8)

The other best-rated episode of The Office is the actual series finale, and yes, its quality is impossible to argue with.

“Finale” had the world saying goodbye to their favorite characters as they said a few goodbyes of their own. Jim and Pam decide to move away so that Jim can pursue his goal of working in sports marketing, Dwight and Angela have the wedding of the century, and Michael makes one final guest appearance as Dwight’s “bestest mensch.”

If any episode is to be considered “perfect,” it might be this one. There is no better note the beloved show could have ended on.

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