‘The Office’: Creed Bratton, Andy Buckley Claim Their Characters Were the Scranton Strangler
Showrunners have never confirmed who the real Scranton Strangler was within the world of The Office. However, Creed Bratton has alluded to his character being the killer on multiple occasions. Find out what Bratton has said about the fictional serial killer, plus Andy Buckley’s thoughts on the Scranton Strangler’s identity.
The fictional serial killer in the world of ‘The Office’
The Scranton Strangler is a nickname for an unseen criminal in NBC’s The Office. In the series, George Howard Skub goes to prison after sitting trial for the strangler’s crimes. Dunder Mifflin’s Toby Flenderson (Paul Lieberstein), who was on the jury, always thought Skub was innocent.
Creed Bratton teases he was the Scranton Strangler in ‘The Office’
During a game of fact or fiction on Baumgartner’s podcast The Office Deep Dive, Baumgartner asks: “Are you the Scranton Strangler?” Bratton responds:
“You know, when I was at that trial for Toby … I had just come from the Halloween party and I was covered in blood … I saw [Toby] was up there testifying … You know Brian, they never noticed me. Let’s just say they got the wrong guy.”
Bratton’s conversation with Baumgartner wasn’t the first time the actor has teased his character being the Scranton Strangler. In an interview with New Day on CNN, Bratton spoke about his time on the show. “They got the wrong guy,” he told the outlet.
Andy Buckley teases David Wallace is the Scranton Strangler
Others have another working theory that Buckley’s David Wallace could be the Scranton Strangler. As Mashable‘s Jules Suzdaltsev theorized:
“Wallace is essentially The Office’s Patrick Bateman, a clean-cut, unflinching multi-millionaire with a ‘heart of gold.’ So why does he let Michael get away with everything, and why does he spend so much time in Scranton when he lives in Greenwich, Connecticut and works in NYC?”
Suzdaltsev believes David’s many visits to Dunder Mifflin’s Scranton branch give him “plausible deniability to be in Scranton where he has been strangling strangers for a better part of a decade.”
“Very well could be Jules!” Buckley replied in a tweet. He continued: “He had it in him to just snap. Hot tub middle of the day, boozing, creating the ‘Suck It.’ And what was he doing in Season 8 the 3rd or 4th to last [episode]. Runs into Andy at a local Scranton Charity Dinner? Why was he in Scranton? Perhaps you’re correct.”
‘The Office’ fans think Toby Flenderson could be the Scranton Strangler
Throughout The Office’s run, fans had several theories about who the Scranton Strangler could be. One Reddit user believes the strangler could be Toby Flenderson.
“On the day when the falsely-accused strangler is being pursued by the cops, the staff is sitting at Toby’s desk when his phone rings,” they write. Their theory continues:
“Not only did someone try to reach him, but since Erin wasn’t at reception forwarding calls, the person calling Toby must have known his extension directly. As a man with few friends who rarely if ever receives direct calls, this is highly suspicious and points to either an accomplice or a confidant to whom Toby confessed.”
Watch episodes of The Office on Peacock.
