The Office: Every Character Who Actually Started As A Writer On The Show

The talent pool of The Office writers also includes several actors on the show, a fact that lends itself to the sitcoms hilarious character-driven humor. NBC’s The Office first premiered in 2005. Using the mockumentary format, The Office followed the lives of a large cast of characters in their professional and personal lives at the fictional paper company Dunder Mifflin. The show was noted for its character development throughout, a fact that was no doubt helped by some of The Office writers also being cast members.

Though audiences will undoubtedly know some writers of The Office also acted on the show, others’ involvement in front of the camera may come as a surprise. In any case, it’s interesting to see which writers became characters on The Office, and what they have been up to since the series ended in 2013. There are four key cast members of The Office who also wrote episodes for the show — BJ Novak, Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, and Michael Shur.

BJ Novak

Ryan Howard

BJ Novak played Ryan Howard for a total of 154 episodes and is credited with writing 15 episodes of the show between 2005 and 2010 (via IMDB). Ryan Howard’s journey on The Office was a tumultuous one, going from being the office’s temp to becoming management at corporate headquarters, to defrauding shareholders, and finally aimlessly wandering the Scranton office.

Since his time on The Office, BJ Novak has acted in numerous projects, including a role in 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2, a recurring role on The Mindy Project, as well as playing himself on Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. After The Office, BJ Novak’s career also saw him create and write the anthology show The Premise, and he is working as the main writer on a sitcom called Young People.

Mindy Kaling

Kelly Kapoor

Mindy Kaling portrayed customer service representative Kelly Kapoor for a total of 157 episodes in seasons 1-8, after which she leaves Scranton to move to Ohio and get married. Mindy Kaling is also credited with writing 22 episodes of The Office between 2005-2012. Kaling’s writing credits on The Office include some of the most memorable episodes, such as The Dundies.

Since The Office ended, Mindy Kaling has created and written numerous hit shows, including The Mindy Project, which she also starred in herself, the TV adaptation of Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Sex Lives of College Girls, and Netflix hit Never Have I Ever. She’s also had some high-profile acting roles, including playing the part of Mrs. Who in the movie A Wrinkle in Time, a starring role in the ensemble cast of Ocean’s Eight, and a role in the Apple TV+ original series The Morning Show.

Paul Lieberstein

Toby Flenderson

The mild-mannered Human Resources representative of the Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch, Toby Flenderson was played by Paul Lieberstein, who starred in 137 episodes of the show and is credited with writing 16 episodes of The Office between 2005-2013. Toby Flenderson was hated by branch manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell) because he always tried to put a stop to his inappropriate behavior in the workplace.

Since starring in The Office, Paul Lieberstein has starred in an assortment of shorts, as well as the show People of Earth. He’s worked on quite a few shows as an executive producer (including The Office) such as The Newsroom, Ghosted, and Space Force.

Michael Schur

Mose Schrute

Michael Schur is credited with writing 10 episodes of The Office between 2005-2007 and played Dwight’s cousin Mose for 13 episodes. Dwight often cites Mose as his best friend, and together they owned and operated a beet farm. Schur also co-wrote the tie in webisodes of The Office, “The Accountants”, alongside Paul Lieberstein, with whom he also co-wrote several episodes including season 3’s “The Job”.

Michael Schur didn’t write any more episodes of The Office after season 4, but his career was by no means over. Since his time on The Office, Michael Schur created and co-wrote many beloved sitcoms, including Parks and Recreation, which he co-created with The Office showrunner Greg Daniels, The Good Place, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Rutherford Falls.

How The Office Handled Writers Doubling As Actors

Jenna Fischer And Angela Kinsey Have Revealed Some Key Info About The Process

The Office was never starved for talent. It certainly launched the careers of many favorite actors and writers in the entertainment business today. Behind-the-scenes knowledge, such as that provided by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey in their book and podcast, The Office Ladies, can be invaluable to appreciating a beloved show from a whole new perspective.

Jenna Fischer, who played Pam Beasley on The Office, co-authored a book titled “The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There” with co-star Angela Kinsey, who played Angela Martin. The book has them recount stories from the show’s early days as it struggled to find an audience, and what it was like to make the most memorable episodes of the series. One behind-the-scenes tidbit stands out in particular. As Jenna Fischer writes in her and Kinsey’s book:

“Greg [Daniels] deliberately wanted to change the structure of how a traditional sitcom operated. In addition to everything we’ve already mentioned, he also had the idea to give some of the writers acting roles on the show. On most sets, the writers and actors are kept separate. In some cases, they barely interact or even know each other.”

Another key reveal came in The Office Ladies podcast, and this piece of info about The Office writers who were also actors explained why Kelly, Toby, and Ryan spent so much time in the annex. According to Fischer and Kinsey, writers on The Office would would work on the scripts in the annex when not directly involved in a scene. This both helped continuity, as the trio were always seen in the background where their characters canonically sat in The Office, and gave them space to work without being disrupted by filming.