On the surface, Michael Scott as a character is the personification of a bad joke. Not just any bad joke, the perfect bad joke. The kind that searches for a victim like a heat-seeking missile.

The first season of The Office gave viewers an experience that was essentially equivalent to the original series, The Office UK, where David Brent, played by Ricky Gervais, is more brutal in being the slower, dryer, and even more cringe version of Michael Scott. The American adaptation of The Office retained the essence of David Brent in Michael Scott, but from the second season, the focus was on Michael being a good boss, which blended into the background of the show while Michael’s antics came to the forefront.

Even when it mostly seemed accidental, despite seeming stupid and distracted, Michael Scott managed to bring results, made an inclusive space in his office, and earned respect from his colleagues at the time of his departure. Here lies the secret sauce behind Michael Scott, being a character hard to not root for even when it seems like he is destined to fail.

Related: The Office: The 20 Most Rewatchable Episodes From the Series

Adapting Michael to Be More Likeable
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The success of The Office US is a testament to the great writing, cast, and character arc each character gets. At the center of the show was this huge smokescreen of Michael Scott being an intolerable character, which was established in the first season.

However, the second season transitioned the arc of Michael from a man-child to a man with a child’s heart who wanted everyone to get along, had cold feet before firing even the most incompetent workers, and genuinely cared about a happy office rather than a productive one.

Scott is a complex character, as Carell balances cringe and likability when both have the properties of oil and water. Popularizing Michael Scott as a universally dumb character in pop culture is the biggest hole in the mythification of the beloved character.

Michael Scott is a Good Boss
NBC

With the current conversations surrounding mass layoffs, toxic work culture, lack of inclusivity in offices, work politics, etc., it is clear that the textbook definition of a good boss needs a major re-evaluation. The character of Michael Scott cons its audience by making him seem incompetent and a poster boy of a boss not to be. However, taking into consideration the bigger picture, Scott did everything right, saving Dunder Mifflin from shutting down.

Scott used his creative thinking in engaging his colleagues in several activities to break the monotony of the corporate work culture, which is scientifically proven to make a happier space leading to more productivity. He was also innovative in bringing in new marketing strategies, employee engagement and encouraged his colleagues to express themselves transparently even when it meant roasting him to a pulp.

Speaking of productivity, Michael also had the right social skills to be a salesman and proved his chops in the episode The Client. It may seem mysterious how the creators of the show never explain how Michael landed the job when it is obvious that Michael landed his position based on merit.

How Steve Carell Elevated Cringe Comedy
Universal Television

Michael Scott was written as a correction to David Brent for American sensibilities. However, Steve Carell added multiple dimensions to Michael that made him one of the most complex protagonists ever characterized. There seem to be several versions of Michael Scott that are known to the writers and the audience, but one that is only secretly personal to Carell.

From the point of view of a written character, Michael is a comedian in his head who happened to be a salesman. The writer and the audience clearly observe him as a failed comedian who is dumb rather than funny. However, as an actor, Carell successfully captures the lack of self reflexibility in Michael that makes him believe that he is indeed a good comedian. From here stems the innocence and the earnest desire to make everyone happy, which is the backstory of Michael Scott that only gets a glimpse in the show but explains his latent motives in creating an accepting space in the office.

When his antics as a boss are intended to condescend to the character, Carell’s interpretation of the character seeks genuine empathy for Michael, which is the prized achievement of the show and Carell as an actor.

Related: The Office: 10 Times Michael Scott Was Actually a Good Boss

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Behind the crafted awkwardness of the show and the improvisational genius between the exchanges of its actors, there is a poetic justice to the bad joke Michael Scott was initially intended to embody.

Michael Scott would definitely not make it in Logan Roy’s empire, as he is not a killer, and the show proved that it was not necessarily a bad thing. Michael Scott’s fictional book about management Somehow I Manage might never seem the light of the day, but The Office silently makes Michael Scott a success story. He might not have the most politically correct things to say, but he ages well as he is opposed to being a stone-hearted boss like Jan, who would be the conventional corporate success story. However, Michael symbolizes the values of humor and empathy that are the need of the hour in work culture and in leaders.