The Office is a show about a bad boss: Michael Scott (Steve Carell). The image of him holding up a coffee mug reading "World's Best Boss" is the show's central irony—Michael thinks he's great at his job, but really he makes life harder for all of his employees through his constant need for adoration and managerial ineptitude. The show's writers then filled out this concept (based on the more acid-tongued British sitcom of the same name) with a cast of colorful characters who could provide subplots and conflicts that gave the show a personality. …