Skip to main content

The Office is filled with unforgettable characters. While Michael, Jim, Pam, Dwight, and later Andy are certainly considered main characters of the series, The Office wouldn’t be The Office without people like Angela, Oscar, Kevin, Phyllis, and Stanley.

You might think you know which characters have the most lines in the series, but being a “main” character doesn’t always mean you have the biggest speaking part.

'The Office' cast in 'Niagara'
‘The Office’ cast in ‘Niagara’ | Byron Cohen/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

‘The Office’ has an ensemble cast

An ensemble cast doesn’t have just one or two main characters. It involves a group of people adding to what’s going on in a show’s plot. The Office is a prime example of a show that has an ensemble cast.

When Steve Carell left The Office, there was some concern that the show wouldn’t be able to carry on in the same way without him. But because the NBC sitcom had such a strong cast, the show was able to survive.

“If you were to just look at our cast without Steve — and didn’t know that Steve had been on the show — you would say, ‘Oh my god, what a super cast! How did they ever get all those people together in one show?’” executive producer Greg Daniels told Entertainment Weekly in 2011 about the decision to continue filming after Carell left.

Daniels said Carell’s departure was an opportunity to dive into the lives of the cast they hadn’t had the opportunity to explore just yet.

“So often we’ve had really funny stuff that hasn’t been able to be squeezed into the show because we do an A-plot, B-plot kind of thing, so the idea of being able to allow some of these great actors who are stars of other movies have A plots is good,” he said.

Which ‘Office’ characters have the most lines per episode?

According to The Pudding, Michael had the most lines spoken per episode throughout the entire series, which is interesting because he left the show in season 7. Next in line, with only half the lines Michael spoke, is a tie between Dwight and Charles. Even though Charles is only featured in season 5, he has as many lines per episode as one of the show’s main characters (Dwight).

Next are Jim and Holly with a similar dynamic. Even though Jim is featured in every episode of The Office and Holly is only featured in 11, they have the same amount of lines per episode.

Related

‘The Office’: Why Darryl Philbin Actor Craig Robinson Feels He ‘Didn’t Earn the Cry’ in the Series Finale

“It becomes obvious that The Office places emphasis on guest characters, such as Jo (Sabre CEO, played by Kathy Bates), Charles (Michael’s new boss at the end of season 5, played by Idris Elba) and Robert California (takes over Sabre after Jo, played by James Spader),” writes The Pudding. “Surprisingly, Carol (Michael’s realtor turned early love interest, played by Steve Carell’s real-life wife, Nancy) jumps up into the top 10, right before Jan, Michael’s boss and recurring partner.”

As for the characters with the fewest lines, Hank and Mose tie for last.

Best in Entertainment