The Office has continued its rampant popularity for almost a full decade after its series finale. Finding a second life on streaming platforms, the NBC hit comedy remains one of the most rewatchable sitcoms of all time, and viewers love to relive the adventures of Scranton’s zaniest paper company.
During its 201-episode run, The Office presented a series of managers for the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. While some, such as series lead Michael Scott, lasted quite some time at the manager’s desk, others lasted barely a day at the head of the company.
Robert California
James Spader’s Robert California was a controversial addition to the eighth season of The Office, who took over as the CEO of Sabre after convincing Jo Bennett to retire. However, before rising to this rank, he briefly served as the new manager of Scranton in the season eight premiere “The List.”
Robert’s time in Scranton was hilariously short, as his replacement Andy Bernard explains that he took one look around the office on his first day and left. His tenure as manager is undoubtedly the shortest not only in the history of the series but in the history of the company.
Creed Bratton
Creed Bratton, one of the most meme-worthy characters of The Office, surprisingly was given the chance to lead Dunder Mifflin Scranton while his coworkers searched for a permanent replacement for Michael Scott. Creed runs the office during the two-part season 7 finale “Search Committee,” which spans the course of several days.
Creed proved to be as competent a boss as fans might have suspected, with the company’s Quality Assurance Manager nearly running the branch into the ground during his short time as manager. Even so, fans might have enjoyed seeing more of “Great Bratton,” in the show’s final years.
Dwight Schrute (Round 1)
After years of vying for a higher position in the company, Dwight was finally hired as the acting manager of the office after the unfortunate accident that left his predecessor gravely injured. Unfortunately for Dwight, his time as the head of his beloved paper company is remarkably short, spanning the length of a single episode, “Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager.”
Dwight Schrute’s greatest foe was often Jim Halpert and his repeated pranks, but when he finally became the manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton, he proved to be his own worst enemy. He ends up being fired from his position as acting manager after firing a gun in the office in his first week.
Deangelo Vickers
Will Ferrell joined The Office in the guest role of Deangelo Vickers during the show’s seventh season as a way to bridge the gap between the departure of Michael Scott and the anointing of the new permanent manager for the final two seasons. Deangelo served as manager beginning with Michael’s departure in “Goodbye, Michael,” before suffering a major brain injury and abdicating his position in the very next episode, “The Inner Circle.”
Unlike the several managers that would follow him, Deangelo acted as manager for long enough to establish a new regime in the office, setting a new status quo for the employees therein. While it is unclear exactly how long he managed the company, one can presume that his rule spanned the course of several weeks.
Nellie Bertram
Catherine Tate’s Nellie Bertram made a bad first impression with her future coworkers when she staged a silent coup of Dunder Mifflin Scranton while then-manager Andy Bernard was away in Florida. Taking over as unofficial manager, Nellie served in the position for several months, spanning six episodes of season eight, beginning with “Get the Girl” and ending with David Wallace’s acquisition of the company in “Free Family Portrait Studio.”
Nellie’s regime was one of the most bizarre in The Office‘s history, as she attempted to win over her subordinates with impossible promises and untenable freedoms. Though her time as manager would come to an unceremonious end thanks to Andy’s scheming, Nellie managed to retain a full-time position with Scranton as a special projects manager.
Jim Halpert
Unlike other bosses of Dunder Mifflin, Jim Halpert never served as the sole manager of the branch. However, the season six episode “The Meeting” sees him promoted to co-manager alongside Michael Scott. He functions in this position for the remainder of the season, eventually stepping back into the role of salesman six months later after Sabre acquires the company in “Manager and Salesman.”
Although it didn’t last, Jim’s time as manager proved to be formative both for his character and for the office as a whole. Jim learned his greatest strengths during this time, while also teaching Michael a thing or two about responsibility in the workplace. Ultimately, it was this experience that would motivate Jim to chase his lofty dreams in future seasons.
Andy Bernard
After a long search for a new boss after the departure of Michael Scott, Andy Bernard was finally appointed as the new manager of the Scranton Branch by Robert California in the season eight premiere episode “The List.” Andy would go on to serve in this position for two years until his unceremonious forced firing after defecating on CEO David Wallace’s car in the season nine episode “Livin’ the Dream.”
Andy truly grew into himself during his time as manager, especially within the bounds of the show’s eighth season. He proved to be a reliably entertaining replacement for the iconic Michael Scott, though his lust for fame would prove to be his undoing during the final season of the series.
Dwight Schrute (Round 2)
Against all odds, Dwight is given a second chance to lead his beloved Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin after proving his love for the company to CEO David Wallace. After Andy is fired, Dwight is appointed as permanent manager in “A.A.R.M.” and fills this role until the series finale, which takes place one year later. Though only a single year of Dwight’s reign is depicted on the show, it is implied that he would continue as manager for many more years to come.
Dwight, whose unusual family traditions bled into his work life, proves to be a remarkably reasonable manager of the company in most regards, with many of his coworkers finding themselves growing fond of the zany former salesman during his time as boss. His dedication and love for the company made him the perfect person to lead the company beyond the confines of the show’s final season.
Michael Scott
Michael Scott is the manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton from the time the audience is introduced to the company in the show’s pilot episode, during which he reveals that he has already been regional manager for about four years. Michael eventually left the office seven years later, after serving as its “fearless leader” for around eleven years.
Michael’s unchecked compulsion to be liked and trauma from his unhappy childhood plagued his time as regional manager, though he often made up for his shortcomings with his dedication to the company and big heart. In the end, his position proved remarkably difficult to fill, with the company hiring four acting managers before settling on a permanent replacement.
Ed Truck
Despite only appearing in a single episode of The Office, Ed Truck is a looming presence in the series. Played by Ken Howard, Ed Truck was the regional manager prior to Michael, serving in the position until his retirement sometime around 2001, when Michael is presumed to have been promoted. While it is unclear exactly how long Ed served as Scranton’s regional manager, he is implied to have had a long career with Dunder Mifflin, spanning back to the ’90s and perhaps even earlier.
Little is known about Ed’s time at Dunder Mifflin, though he is believed to have hired several main characters of the series, including Michael, Creed, Darryl, Stanley, Phyllis, Packer, and Meredith. Michael claims to be the opposite of Ed Truck when it comes to management styles, which implies that Ed was a proficient and competent worker during his time with the company.
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