Attitudes towards movies and television shows often go in waves – from initial popularity, sometimes to a backlash or from cool to uncool. The longer legs that it has, for example if it finds a second life with a new generation thanks to re-runs or from going to streaming, the greater chance for perceptions to chance. This has certainly been the case for US version of comedy series The Office, which ran from 2005-2013.
In the early days of Twitter, gifs from The Office were everywhere – from Michael Scott shouting “nooooooo,” to Stanley rolling his eyes, to Dwight Schrute saying “it’s true,” to Kevin giggling, to Ryan pointedly taking notes in his little pad.
Since The Office’s mockumentary style was adopted by Parks and Rec (2009-2015) and become more ubiquitous, the sheen has gone off it, and it’s starting to rub some people up the wrong way. One way in which some sections of the internet have lashed back at The Office is by branding Jim (John Krasinski) the villain of the piece. Some have criticised his attitude towards women, his smug superiority, and of course – the fact that he ‘bullies’ Dwight.
In a recent interview with Jimmy Fallon, the ‘Jim is the real villain of The Office’ theory was floated to Krasinski, who appeared to be hearing it for the first time. According to ScreenRant; At first, Krasinski reacts with shock that the idea could even be considered, agreeing with Fallon’s note that Jim is “one of the most lovable and funny characters in the world.”
He then joked; “Well, they’re onto me, because I played it as a super-villain. That’s why I did Fantastic Four, to balance it out, I’d already done the villain.” Krasinski is referring to his cameo as Reed Richards in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. That’s not his only superhero role, he’s also playing Superman in DC League of Super-Pets.
If you’re a fan of The Office, check out our guide to the best Netflix series.