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The Office and 25 TV shows that were never supposed to be hits

By Kareem Gantt

MALIBU, CA - APRIL 14: Actors Rainn Wilson (L) and Steve Carell attend "The Office" 100th Episode Celebration at the Calamigos Ranch on April 14, 2009 in Malibu, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
MALIBU, CA - APRIL 14: Actors Rainn Wilson (L) and Steve Carell attend "The Office" 100th Episode Celebration at the Calamigos Ranch on April 14, 2009 in Malibu, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) /
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MALIBU, CA – APRIL 14: (L-R) Actresses Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey and actor Steve Carell attend “The Office” 100th Episode Celebration at the Calamigos Ranch on April 14, 2009 in Malibu, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
MALIBU, CA – APRIL 14: (L-R) Actresses Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey and actor Steve Carell attend “The Office” 100th Episode Celebration at the Calamigos Ranch on April 14, 2009 in Malibu, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images) /

3. The Office (NBC)

Series run: 2005-2013 (9 seasons/201 episodes)

While The Office is now glorified as a pop culture icon in television, there was a time before and during the first season, that it looked like it wouldn’t even make it to a second season.

The Office is our second British import on this list, and based off of the massive success of its U.K. counterpart, Greg Daniels decided to create an American version of The Office, tapping then up-and-coming star Steve Carell, as well as an ensemble cast, to staff the office of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.

The Office premiered in the fall of 2005, and it didn’t receive the best reviews. Now, they weren’t bad, per se, but there were a number of television critics who didn’t see a hit coming from The Office. Nevertheless, the show got respectable ratings, and NBC decided to stick with the show, ordering a second season.

Their instinct paid off as The Office grew in popularity, and didn’t stop until its series run ended. The show that critics once thought wouldn’t make it to season two, nearly broke the 10 season barrier and became one of the few modern-day network sitcoms to eclipse 200 episodes.

The Office was a funny, light-hearted show with a cast that knew how to bring the laughs out of the mundane nature of the 9-to-5, and today, the show is rightfully recognized as a classic among television sitcoms.

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