Theories About The Office That Change Everything

Normally, fan theories are something you might associate with the MCU or a television series like "The Walking Dead." Surprisingly enough, sitcom viewers have come up with hundreds of fan theories surrounding their favorite comedies. For instance, some believe that Jack Geller isn't Monica's birth father on "Friends" or that Kramer was a drug dealer on "Seinfeld."

When it comes to another NBC smash hit, "The Office," fan theories are a dime a dozen. Fans of the mockumentary have come up with some pretty crazy theories surrounding the show, some of which are totally off the wall, while others are rather believable. Since the series has long been off the air, these theories have to be taken with a grain of salt, especially since there will likely never be confirmations to any of them. But reading up on these theories could change the way you look at the series as a whole and might have you taking a second look at characters you thought you knew.

Perhaps one of the biggest fan theories surrounding "The Office" is that of Toby (Paul Lieberstein) being the Scranton Strangler. For several seasons, the employees of Dunder Mifflin mention the mysterious serial killer who's been on the loose in their city, but he was allegedly caught in Season 7, Episode 8 ("Viewing Party") after a car chase that actually happened in front of their office building. There's a gray area between when the alleged killer was caught and his subsequent trial, and we also don't find out his name is George Howard Skub until Season 9.

But many fans suspect that Toby is the real strangler and was the person behind the wheel during the car chase. After all, he's the one Dunder Mifflin employee missing from "Viewing Party." Plus, the suspect's car is also a green sedan, which can be spotted in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot in other episodes, most notably in "Gossip" during the hardcore parkour scene.

After serving as a juror at Skub's trial, Toby's feels guilt over convicting him. He even goes to jail to see him, where he's subsequently attacked. Additionally, Toby won't go in churches, and it's been pointed out that the killings began shortly after Jim and Pam (Jenna Fischer) started dating. Perhaps Toby just couldn't take the woman he loved being with someone else, and he took his frustrations out on some very unlucky victims.

There's no denying that Creed (Creed Bratton) was the most bizarre employee at Dunder Mifflin. On several different instances — including during "Crime Aid" in Season 5 and "Murder" in Season 6 — it's hinted that Creed might've killed people. So when a fan theory popped up on Reddit in 2021 suggesting Creed was a member of the Manson family, no one thought twice about it. 

The theory cites a conversation Creed has with Andy (Ed Helms) in Season 6, Episode 16 ("Lecture Circuit"), where the latter is crushing on one of Stanley's clients. Not sure how to approach her, Creed gives Andy advice saying, "This is how I got Squeaky Fromme. No small talk. Just show her who's the boss. Just go right in and kiss her." And Squeaky Fromme was a famous member of the Manson family who was arrested for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975.

In Season 4, Episode 1 ("Fun Run"), Creed also admits to being in multiple cults, saying, "I've been involved in a number of cults both as a leader and a follower. You have more fun as a follower, but you make more money as a leader." There's plenty of evidence to support the theory Creed that was a member of the Manson family at one point, and it's one "Office" theory that makes a whole lot of sense.

In Season 5, Pam attends the Pratt School of Design in New York, and several episodes later, we learn that she's failing. She calls Jim to let him know that she has to repeat a graphic design course, which will require her to stay another three months in New York. But despite getting support from Jim, Pam comes home anyway and doesn't continue on with art school.

A popular theory surrounding Pam and her botched career move is that she failed art school on purpose. Through her new friend, Alex (Rich Sommer), Pam realizes the only way to be successful in the art field is by living in New York, and it's not something she wants to do as it will take her away from her comfort in Scranton with Jim. The theory suggests she intentionally fails art school as it's the easier option for her, so she can be complacent with the fact that she was never good enough.

Art went from being her career-driven passion to just a hobby in a matter of episodes, and it appears as if Pam dropped art for a life with Jim and never thought to ask her partner if he would move to New York with her to pursue her dreams.

In Season 7, Steve Carell famously walked away from "The Office," meaning Michael Scott needed to be replaced as the manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton branch. In the series, Jo ends up naming outsider DeAngelo Vickers as the manager, and Dwight (Rainn Wilson) later finds out that Michael never recommended him as his replacement. A popular theory believes Michael actually named Darryl (Craig Robinson) as his successor, but Jo rejected the idea. According to the theory, Michael knew Dwight wouldn't be a good fit as manager, despite being the company's top salesman. Instead, he recommended Darryl because he has a lot of respect for the warehouse manager, who he often went to for advice.

Darryl is also one of the only members in the office with leadership experience, putting him miles ahead of other employees in the running for branch manager. Despite loving Jim, Michael knew he didn't want to be at Dunder Mifflin long term and was enjoying his cap-less salary, so he decided not to recommend him either, leaving Darryl as the best option.

There's no denying that Michael hates Toby, but there really never is a clear, distinct answer as to why. Sure, we know that Toby follows the rules as an HR rep for Dunder Mifflin, and Michael often breaks the rules, which gets him into trouble. But the hate that's there runs much deeper, and a Reddit fan theory suggests that it's because Toby is a divorced father.

Michael's parents were divorced, and his mother remarried a man named Jeff when he was a young boy. Jeff and his mother raised him, and while we don't know a whole lot about Michael's birth father, they seem to be estranged. The theory asserts that Michael has serious daddy issues, and he hates anyone who's also a divorced father. As for Toby, he's divorced from his first love, Cathy, and the two have a daughter we meet in Season 2's "Take Your Daughter to Work Day." The theory also suggests that Toby reminds Michael too much of his father, and he can't get over the hate and takes it out on his HR rep for seven seasons.

In Season 2's "Sexual Harassment," Toby encourages anyone in the office who has a physical or emotional relationship with a colleague to bring it to HR. Phyllis jumps in immediately and asks, "All relationships? Even a one-night stand?" Fans have debated who Phyllis might've had a one-night stand with, and one popular belief is that it was with her deskmate, Stanley.

At this point in time, Phyllis hadn't begun dating Bob, and she was a single lady. While no one could really 100% be ruled out, it wasn't likely this one-night stand was with Jim, Ryan, Michael, or Dwight. That only leaves a few Dunder Mifflin employees to be Phyllis' hookup buddy, including Stanley, Kevin, and Creed. Despite Stanley trying to act like he didn't care for Phyllis, we know he did based on the sweet gift he gave her in the series finale.

We also know that Stanley isn't loyal to his wife, as he admits to having an affair in Season 6 with his nurse. It's highly likely he had a brief affair will Phyllis either in Season 1 or 2 or perhaps before the documentary began filming. We at least hope it happened.

We saved the darkest for last. In Season 5, Stanley has a heart attack in Episode 14 ("Stress Relief") thanks to Dwight's ridiculous fire safety drill. And in perhaps the most depressing fan theory out there involving "The Office," it's suggested that Stanley actually died on the floor that day while Michael was trying to resuscitate him. Since Stanley hated work more than anything, the theory goes on to say that he's moved on to the afterlife, with the office as his own personal hell. 

The odd theory also goes on to echo a sentiment that many fans have regarding Season 5's midway point — that it's the moment where the characters on the series became more cartoonized versions of themselves. According to the theory, this has to do with how Stanley now perceives things since he's on the other side. Is this plausible? Absolutely not. Is the theory riddled with plot holes? For sure. But no matter how silly it might seem, this Stanley theory is definitely a fun one to analyze on your next Season 5 re-watch.