Jenna Fischer doesn’t buy into the narrative that The Office got worse in later seasons. The actress recently appeared on Dana Carvey and David Spade’s Fly on the Wall podcast and confirmed that it’s “really good” until the end.
Fischer, who hosts the Office Ladies podcast with her co-star Angela Kinsey, reflected on rewatching all nine season of the comedy series. “My biggest takeaway from having rewatched it was that it’s really good the whole time,” she said. She acknowledged that there has been a collective misconception that the show took a downturn after the departure of Steve Carell at the end of Season 7.
“I think there was this lore, especially among the cast and the creatives, that maybe we hit our peak in Season 3 or Season 4,” Fischer said. “And also this belief that the two seasons after Steve left, we were just treading water and maybe they weren’t as good. But when I watched everything, some of my favorite episodes were in seasons 8 and 9 after Steve had left. There were still these amazing storylines.”
She noted that “Dinner Party” remains one of her favorite episodes. “I have to say now, when I look back, some of my favorite episodes were also in Seasons 4 through 6,” Fischer said. She added, “But yeah, I think some of the award nominations stopped after Season 3. So I think maybe we got in our heads and thought, ‘Oh, I guess we’re not creating as great.’”
Fischer told the hosts that she has mixed feelings about her own performance as Pam Beesly. “Sometimes I watch it and I’m like, ‘I’ll never do work that good again. Shit, that was great,’” she said. “But then there’s other scenes where I just cringe, where I’m like, ‘Oh, God, I remember how I struggled with that and I couldn’t do it, and now here it is for everyone to see, and I guess I just have to move on.’ So I’ve had both reactions.”
Elsewhere in the interview Fischer spoke about the success John Krasinski has had since The Office, including helming A Quiet Place. “It was a surprise to none of us,” Fischer said. “I would always say to John, ‘I think you’re gonna be like our Tom Hanks.’”
She referenced Hanks’ 1980s sitcom Bosom Buddies. “But, like, when you think of Tom Hanks, you don’t think of Bosom Buddies,” she said. “You think of everything else Tom Hanks has done.” She said she told Krasinski, “I think The Office is gonna be your Bosom Buddies. Like, you’re going places.” She added, “He doesn’t wanna be fussed over like that. But I was like, ‘No, it’s true, mister.’”
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