Best of The Office B-List characters

The Office will go down as one of my favorite shows of all time. It was one of only three shows that I watched as it aired on TV each week (Lost and House being the two others), although I will admit I stopped watching once Michael Scott (Steve Carell) left in the seventh of nine seasons. However, plenty of time to kill on the weekends offered me an opportunity to go through the entire series, and while it may be worth my while to talk about the series as a whole, I'm going to talk about some of the characters that made the show what it was. No, not the Michaels and the Dwights or Jims or Pams, but the B-list characters, making intermittent appearances but bringing many laughs along the way.

Thanks for Stopping By: Josh Porter, Hunter, Nick the IT Guy

These three gentlemen arrived at various points throughout the show, but each of them brought interesting times with them. Josh Porter, manager of the Stamford branch, was actually a relatively important character in seasons two and three when there was discussion of the Stamford and Scranton branches being merged. Hunter was Jan's assistant for all of three episodes, but he will be most remembered for his music. Nick the IT Guy was actually shown as someone representing a graphic design school in the fourth season, but later reappeared as the office's IT guy. Again, he was in and out of the office quickly, but not before making a departure worth remembering.

Who's the New Guy?: Nate and Hide, warehouse workers

Nate and Hide were primarily seen in the later seasons of the show, after the old warehouse crew left. Neither of them were particularly useful, although that perfectly fit each character's charm. While not having any lasting memory, these two gentlemen were prominent B-listers in the later seasons, part of the effort to keep the show surviving as it did. Perhaps the shining moment out of this category is the story of Hidetoshi Hasagawa and how he came to Scranton, PA:

Wait, They're Still Here?: Carol Stills, Elizabeth the Stripper, Hank the Security Guard

Of these three, Hank is the one who is in the most episodes, but each has had their moments over the years on The Office. Carol is remembered mainly for being Michael's girlfriend for a little while, and always finds her way back on the show, just when you forgot that she was ever around. Elizabeth the Stripper appeared in three episodes, the same number as Hunter and Nick the IT Guy, but she was certainly more memorable in her appearances. Her 15 minutes of fame included stripping for Michael at Bob Vance's warehouse bachelor party, accepting a check in the name of science, and making a second stripper appearance at Dwight's bachelor party. Hank, despite appearing in 23 episodes, never really did anything vitally important. He had useless input on the copier/chair dilemma, although in my opinion he did have a nice sound when he sang at C.R.I.M.E. A.I.D.

The A+ B-Listers: David Wallace, Bob Vance, Todd Packer, Mose Schrute

Where to begin with this group...one could argue that the two-time CFO of Dunder-Mifflin would be an A-list character, but David Wallace's appearances are intermittent enough to earn him the highest honor a B-lister can achieve. While not perennially hilarious, Wallace is around enough to be the most important B-lister, appearing in 37 episodes over the nine seasons. His crowning moment? Suck It.

Now, on to Bob Vance, Vance Refrigeration. While having an air about him that always reminded me of this guy from Lost, Bob Vance was always around to protect Phyllis by any means necessary. As was with Wallace, Bob Vance wasn't so funny himself, but it was the situations that he entered into that made it worth the while of having him around. And he's always one for introductions.

Todd Packer is another character who could potentially be a list higher, especially because he has an episode named after him, but again, he was around the perfect frequency to be an excellent character. Sure, his humor might not be reach all audiences, but with the raunchy crowd, he's on top of the world. Bonus points for actor David Koechner for being in this role with Steve Carell, if you're that big a fan of Anchorman. This clip pretty much summarizes everything that Todd Packer stood for.

And finally, Mose. By far the most hilarious person not regularly seen on the show, and even if you were to include that group, Mose finds his way near the top. Whether it's how he runs, what his relationship with Dwight is, or this, Mose just wins at everything. Everything he stands for is what makes The Office what it is. Every good show has its core group of characters, but only the great shows have characters that add more than what their lone value is worth. Or something like that. Here's to you, Mose.