The Office Fans Agree The Show Did Nothing With This Side Character
The American take on "The Office" left the airwaves after nine seasons in 2013, though it shows no sign of disappearing from the pop culture landscape any time soon. Not only is it a streaming favorite, but it's chock-full of characters whose antics continue to keep viewers glued to their screens. The main players like Michael Scott (Steve Carell), Jim Halpert (John Krasinski), and Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) helped make the show what it is with their over-the-top exploits at the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, alongside several supporting players who took smaller spotlights but proved no less entertaining.
When it comes to unforgettable side characters, "The Office" has more than most TV shows out there. From Kevin Malone (Brian Baumgartner) to Erin Hannon (Ellie Kemper), the series gave numerous supporting players some time to shine, even granting them some big moments that would go on to define their small screen legacies years after "The Office" wrapped up. At the same time, however, not everyone who stopped by the program had such luck in terms of their characters. In fact, some minor characters wouldn't get much to do, resulting in them becoming relatively forgotten compared to their contemporaries.
For example, many "Office" fans agree that the sitcom did next to nothing with this often-overlooked supporting character.
Fans feel Val Johnson was severely underdeveloped
In Season 8's "Lotto," "Office" viewers watch as the Dunder Mifflin warehouse staff wins the lottery and leaves their positions behind. As a result, the office crew needs to pitch in while new recruits come in to fill the empty positions. One such fresh face is Val Johnson (Ameenah Kaplan), who works as the new warehouse foreman and appears sporadically throughout the remainder of the series. Aside from striking up a brief romantic relationship with Darryl Philbin (Craig Robinson), though, as pointed out by fans on Reddit, she gets next to nothing to do. Some even wonder if more interesting plans for her wound up on the cutting room floor.
In the grand scheme of "The Office," Val isn't the most widely-remembered character, likely due to her lack of compelling storylines and introduction at the tail end of the series. Evidently, those who do remember her consider her to be something of a missed opportunity, making it all the more disappointing looking back on Ammenah Kaplan's enthusiasm toward the role. "The writers are just getting started with Val. They are among the best around, so I trust that they are figuring ways to make the character compelling in the scope of the ensemble," she said in a 2012 interview with Abbas Karimjee, clearly hopeful that Val would become a highlight of the impending Season 9.
While Ameenah Kaplan put her best foot forward as Val Johnson, it's evident that the minds behind "The Office" weren't sure where to take her beyond her debut. It's too bad she never reached the heights of some of her now-iconic Dunder Mifflin companions.