‘The Office’: Jenna Fischer’s Pam Was Supposed to Split With Jim and Enter Love Triangle With Surprising Character

The U.S. version of The Office is one of the great sitcoms in TV history featuring some of the most iconic comedic characters. Two of the shows most talked about and beloved characters were Jim Halpert (played by John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (played by Jenna Fischer). The two had an epic romance that many discuss as being the best one from any sitcom. 

The only problem for the show’s writers was figuring out where to go with the characters once they got together. They considered many ideas. One included a potential love triangle with a little known character that had the potential to rock the foundation of The Office. 

Jim and Pam’s love story on ‘The Office’

While the U.S. version of The Office featured an ensemble cast revolving around manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell), for many fans the Jim and Pam love story was the most compelling thread. At the outset of the series, Jim was a hapless salesman at Dunder Mifflin, hopelessly in love with the receptionist Pam.

Unfortunately, Jim’s love was unrequited as she was engaged to Roy, one of the warehouse staff members. Despite this, Jim and Pam had undeniable chemistry as they regularly pranked their office mate Dwight Schrute. 

At the end of season two, Jim declared his love for Pam but she rejected him. In season three he transferred to the Stamford, Connecticut branch. He eventually returned with a new girlfriend: Karen, another Dunder Mifflin employee.

By this time, Pam had left Roy but found herself pining after Jim. Eventually, Jim broke up with Karen, and by the end of season three, asked Pam out for dinner. The two started a relationship that culminated in a marriage and a family. 

Who is Brian on ‘The Office’?

One of the challenges The Office faced was that once Jim and Pam got together, the tension and “will they or won’t they?” dynamic that made the show so compelling was now gone. They had to find other ways to keep that relationship interesting. They did that by testing their marriage in various ways. One of the tests came in the form of Brian, a member of the camera crew documentary filming the Dunder Mifflin office. 

According to Dunderpedia, Brian was the boom mic operator on the documentary crew. He’s shown comforting Pam after she has an argument with Jim, reassuring her that things will get better. Brian even defends Pam after she is nearly attacked in the parking lot. 

It’s well-established as a running subplot that Brian has clear feelings for Pam. While threads are introduced, ultimately it didn’t lead anywhere. But did the show’s producers have something more in mind? 

The love triangle that never way

According to People Magazine, show writer Brent Forrester said that a Jim and Pam breakup was discussed with a planned reunion. It would have been a controversial decision to be sure and veered from the course the show eventually went on: 

“[Show creator] Greg [Daniels] really wanted to do something extremely risky and high-stakes, which was the documentary airs and we see what effect it has had on these characters. And there was going to be a reunion episode where you see that Jim and Pam have split up by this time, and they will have their reunion in the reunion episode.” 

Brian was introduced as a way to introduce a bit of uncertainty to the Jim and Pam relationship, though ultimately nothing ended up happening between him and Pam on the show. Instead, one of the all-time great sitcom marriages stayed intact until the end.