Making Michael Scott Likeable Was The Best Decision The Office Made

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As one of the most popular and beloved sitcoms of all time, The Office has often been praised for having fantastic writing. If you ask some fans, they'll be more critical of the last few seasons after Steve Carell's departure from the show, but for the most part, a majority of viewers would agree that The Office made a lot of great writing choices when it came to both the comedy and the characters. Though their personalities can be wacky, there's something about the characters of The Office that still feel real, like they're exaggerated versions of the kinds of archetypes one might actually find in a workplace.

As one of the most central characters in the story, Michael Scott plays a huge role in dictating the tone and direction of the show. If fans didn't latch onto his character, it would have been really hard to get anyone on board with the show at all. In the beginning, it seemed like things might actually go that way, as the Michael from Season 1 is a lot different from the Michael that is seen in later seasons. Choosing to make Michael a more likable character is what gave the American version of The Office a lot of its success, as fans actually became invested in Michael and his development as a character.

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In Season 1, Michael is essentially a copy of the character David Brent from the original, British version of The Office, as the American version hadn't quite found its own unique style yet. Brent had less redeeming qualities, as he was written to be more intentionally unlikable. This approach really worked for the show that the British version of The Office was, but it wasn't translating quite as well to an American audience. If the US version of The Office