When a show lasts for as long as The Office season 1's six episodes aren't exactly considered peak TV, the series prevailed and ran for nine seasons and 201 episodes.

The Office's average Rotten Tomatoes score across all nine seasons is 81 percent.

The Office is one of the most popular and best sitcoms of all time. Its high ratings, positive reviews, iconic cast, and memorable jokes/scenes/episodes have cemented the show's place in TV history. Over the course of The Office's nine seasons, the NBC mockumentary sitcom won five Primetime Emmy Awards (including Outstanding Comedy Series in 2006) and received over 40 nominations total. Nevertheless, The Office isn't without its faults.

The Office's Pilot Is One Of The Show's Weakest Episodes

The NBC Sitcom Doesn't Get Off To A Good Start

Despite being a cultural phenomenon, The Office didn't make a good impression on viewers with its pilot episode. The first episode, appropriately titled, "Pilot," is undoubtedly one of the show's worst. It was released 20 years ago, on March 24, 2005, and received mixed to negative reviews. The episode introduces the audience to Steve Carell's Michael Scott (the regional manager at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company) and other iconic The Office characters, such as Jim Halpert, Dwight Schrute, and Pam Beesly.

Ultimately, many critics called The Office's pilot unoriginal and unfunny, making it one of the series' worst episodes.

Despite meeting some of the TV sitcom's most memorable characters, "Pilot" is quite weak compared to other The Office episodes. It's essentially a complete remake of the pilot of Ricky Gervais' The Office (and not a good one at that). Plus, none of the actors are comfortable in their roles yet, making the entire episode a bit painful to watch. Thankfully, that changed very soon. Ultimately, many critics called The Office's pilot unoriginal and unfunny, making it one of the series' worst episodes.

Thankfully, The Office Only Got Better After Season 1

The Office Season 2 Is The Show's Best

Despite having a rough start, the NBC mockumentary sitcom soon became one of TV's best shows at the time. To this day, many fans and critics consider season 2 as The Office's best season. With hilarious and iconic episodes such as "The Dundies," "Booze Cruise," and "Casino Night," it's difficult to argue that season 2 isn't the best. Nevertheless, the series continued to release critically acclaimed seasons and episodes for many years. Of course, The Office eventually declined (mostly after Steve Carell's exit), but that wasn't until the show's very end.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes