The Office Theory: Why Season 1 Features The Worst Version Of Michael Scott
Michael Scott (Steve Carell) undergoes several big changes during his seven-season stint on "The Office." An endlessly entertaining enigma, his personality is anything but consistent, and this is evident in his evolution from the on-screen incarnation of Dilbert's Pointy-Haired Boss into a man with a reasonable degree of empathy, self-esteem, and self-awareness. It isn't going too far to say that, in the end, Michael becomes one of the most powerful characters in "The Office."
When you go back to Season 1, though, the difference is dramatic. From Season 1 to Season 2, Michael makes a sudden shift from a contemptible jerk to a more misunderstood, immature, yet well-intentioned man. One Reddit user even came up with an in-universe explanation to make the transition that much easier to watch — Michael was simply trying too hard to look like a cool boss, similar to his "Date Mike" persona from several seasons later.
In late March 2024, Redditor u/DarknessIsFleeting posted a fan theory titled "The Michael Scott we see in season one is 'Date Mike.'" They explained that when we first meet "Date Mike" in Season 6, he's in a bar trying to impress Pam Beesly's (Jenna Fischer) friend, adding, "He puts on a hat and starts like an a******. He explains that he is doing this to seem cool." Here's where the theory takes a leap, as its creator declared, "The same thing was happening in season 1, minus the hat."
From there, they provide solid reasoning for why this would be the case, saying, "When the film crews first arrive, Michael decides that he should seem cool on camera. He acts cool by just being terrible to everyone. Michael seems to think acting like that will make him seem cool."
Hi, I'm Date Mike. Nice to meet me.
As pointed out by u/DarknessIsFleeting, Michael Scott evolved from his unpleasant beginnings in Season 1 to a more likable, albeit still flawed boss in Season 2 because the writers wanted a change in creative direction. Steve Carell defended Michael's controversial behavior in his early appearances as ignorant, not intolerant, but even then, it was refreshing to see him become more self-aware over time. Still, that didn't stop "The Office" from showcasing his love for improvisation and character impersonations, including the aforementioned "Date Mike" in Season 6, Episode 21, "Happy Hour."
The theory that Michael is essentially "Date Mike" in Season 1 minus the Kangol cap is a popular one. The top comment (with over 170 upvotes) by Redditor u/Treazon starts off with, "This is actually a solid in universe explanation for something we all know was a deliberate choice by the writers." u/Man_of_Average pointed out that the behavior goes beyond those two instances, saying, "It's when he's not trying to put on a performance that he comes across much more congenial. And I think as the show goes on it's him learning not to be 'cool' and to instead be his genuine self."
u/MattTheSmithers summed up the sentiment by declaring, "This is a great theory. I wish more fan theories were like this." We agree. It's a solid in-universe explanation for one of the show's oddest anomalies.