By Destiny Rivera | Editor-in-Chief
Eight years ago, NBC viewers were introduced to the beloved employees of Dunder Mifflin Paper Company.
Through nine seasons filled with laughter and tears, fans have grown with the many characters of The Office.
Between heartfelt love stories and hilarious jokes, the show quickly became a classic sitcom on NBC.
From the start, the series was under a lot of pressure with it being an American version of United Kingdom’s “The Office.”
“In the first season, no one was paying attention, no one had very high hopes for the show,” said executive producer Michael Schur.
“It felt like we were just off by ourselves and there were no parents around and we were making little short films for ourselves.”
Nevertheless, the 6 episode first season ultimately proved that it was deserving of the slot on American television.
And roughly 200 episodes later, it was time to say farewell.
The series finale aired May 16.
Instead of the tragic news of not being picked up for yet another season, producers decided to put the series to an end.
This gave them the rare opportunity to write an appropriate “goodbye” plot for the story and its characters.
As sad and emotional fans were to hear of the news, they were just as thankful.
“One of the most special things about this show was when you would meet fans and they would tell you about a time of hardship and how the show lifted their spirits,” said Rainn Wilson, who played the role of Dwight Schrute on the show.
“Our fans are incredible. They are so loyal and so loving of the show and they so understand these characters and get behind them.”
As for now, TBS airs reruns of The Office and Netflix has episodes through season 8 online, giving viewers the opportunity to relive the unforgettable moments at Dunder Mifflin, Scranton.
“There is no way to begin to say goodbye or say thank you,” said John Krasinksi, who played the character of Jim Halpert.
“Thank you to the fans, but also, thank you to each other for being everything we were to each other, which was friends and family.”
Through the great moments captured on film and the supportive fan base, The Office is sure to live on as most great sitcoms do.
Such as Friends, Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Raymond.
So instead of saying farewell, we’ll “catch it on the flippityflip.”