B.J. Novak Said This Character from ‘The Office’ Is His Favorite
The Office has been off for several years now but fans of the show continue to enjoy episodes on various streaming services, including Netflix. The show resonates with viewers for its relatable characters and storylines.
One of the most popular characters on the show was Ryan Howard, played by B.J. Novak. He was loved for his dry demeanor and on-again-off-again relationship with one of his co-workers. B.J. worked both in front of the camera and behind the scenes on the show, giving him an inside look into the series. He’s spoken openly about his love of working on the show, but who was his favorite character?
B.J. Novak’s role on ‘The Office’
B.J. Novak starred as Ryan Howard on The Office. His character was based upon the character, Ricky Howard, from the original British version of the show. Ryan started off as a sub-character, but his role significantly increased as the show progressed.
In early episodes of The Office, the episodes focus on Ryan’s uncomfortable professional relationship with his boss, Michael Scott (Steve Carrell). Michael often forces Ryan to carry out mindless tasks for him as he is a temporary employee. Ironically, Michael becomes obsessed with gaining Ryan as a friend, to Ryan’s dismay. As the series progresses, Ryan begins to display a great deal of annoyance for his job and his co-workers. He eventually is promoted from a temp employee to working for Corporate, giving him a confidence boost that further alienates him from the rest of the staff.
The Office fans are most fond of Ryan’s strange romantic relationship with his coworker, Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling). Kelly is infatuated with Ryan and believes they are in a relationship, while Ryan publicly downplays their love affair. The two go back and forth throughout the series, dating other people in between. At one point, Kelly has a baby by another man but sneaks off with Ryan for a romantic thrusts with the two run into each other at a wedding.
B.J. Novak works as a staff member for ‘The Office’
B.J. Novack had his hands full both on and offset. Aside from his role on the show, B.J. was writer, director, and executive producer of the series. He, along with on-screen love interest, Mindy Kaling, were the original writers for the show. B.J. is credited with writing fifteen episodes of the show. Two of the episodes he wrote – “Diversity Day” and “Local Ad” – were nominated for Writer’s Guild of America awards.
He spoke often about the joys of working on the show and with the cast. When speaking about his experiencing on the show during the annual Webby Award show, he said that working with Steve Carrell was the highest honor of his career. “Working with him is the greatest privilege in comedy,” he said.
TV Guide reported in 2012 that B.J. decided to end his gig at The Office. He claimed that he would no longer write for the show anymore or appear as a series regular on the show. Fans were happily surprised when B.J. resurfaced in later seasons and participated in the finale of the series.
Who is B.J. Novak’s favorite character on ‘The Office?’
When speaking with The Chicago Tribune in 2015, B.J. spoke about some of his favorite times on the show. He mentioned that the show was deemed to fail because of how successful the British version was and that the network bet they could not duplicate it in the US. Thankfully, they were wrong.
When asked about his favorite character on the show, B.J. shocked the audience and the host when he said his favorite was Michael Scott. “Michael Scott is my favorite character,” he admits. “People overlook the lead of most shows to show how deeply connected they are to the show but there is no one like Michael Scott.”
B.J. gave a second favorite as a bonus just because he knew the audience would not go for his original answer. “If we are choosing who has your heart as a side character, Toby Flenderson is my favorite.”
B.J. credited Toby’s character with having great timing and being relatable as why he was his favorite character.
