Despite becoming one of the most significant and successful sitcoms in US television history, *The Office US* faced an incredibly rocky start. Star Steve Carell recently revealed that after seeing the reactions to the pilot episode, he believed the show would be about as well-received as a ‘rat dropping on a birthday cake.’ In fact, Carell stated that the series was so poorly received during test screenings that audiences ‘actively hated’ the first episode of *The Office*.
Speaking on Amy Poehler’s *Good Hang* podcast, Carell recounted his experience making the first episode and hearing the feedback. ‘Our pilot was the lowest-testing pilot in NBC history. People really hated it. They actively hated it. And I don’t really know how it got legs after that,’ he confessed. Carell also shared an amusing anecdote, recalling how Paul Rudd, on the set of *Anchorman*, advised him against taking the role of Michael Scott in *The Office*.
Despite the overwhelming negative initial reactions, Carell persevered, and the American version of *The Office* blossomed into a beloved series that ran for nine successful seasons. Carell himself departed after the seventh season, but his dedication helped prove initial viewers wrong, ensuring we got a show that would make us cringe, laugh, and sometimes even cry alongside our favorite Dunder Mifflin paper salesmen.