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The Office has always been one of my go-to comfort shows. I've watched it countless times, and each rewatch has me appreciating different characters. But by the time I press play on Season 9, there's one character whose arc just feels off, and that is Andy Bernard.
In The Office, Andy was never the most beloved employee, but he had a lot of redeemable quirks. Season 9, however, saw him devolve into someone I could barely tolerate. And the deeper I look, the more it feels like the writers set him up to fail.
Author's Disclaimer: These opinions are based on the author's personal reflection after years of rewatching The Office and shouldn't be taken as definitive.
What really happened to Andy Bernard in The Office season 9?
By the time The Office reached its final season, Ed Helms' Andy had become a major character. He had gone from an insecure, rage-prone salesman to a goofy but lovable regional manager trying to fill Michael Scott's shoes.
In Season 8, his growth was genuine—he wanted to be a leader, and his relationship with Erin gave his character emotional depth. "The Incentive" especially showed that Andy could be silly and effective, something that worked in The Office's world.
Then season 9 happened. Suddenly, Andy was selfish, absent, and straight-up mean. He disappeared for long chunks of the season—no explanation that left us fans feeling satisfied—and then he returned worse than ever.
His treatment of Erin was painful to watch, especially since she had supported him through his lowest moments. His behavior towards Nell was no better as well. It was like the writers erased all of Andy's progress just for some lazy writing.
The reason? Ed Helms had to leave mid-season to film The Hangover Part III. That's where I think the real issue lies. Rather than adjusting gracefully, the show retaliated. Andy's exit was blamed on a spontaneous boat trip, and when he came back, he was a shell of who he had been.
As a fan, it felt like payback. In one scene, when Andy auditions for a singing competition, he returns dressed as an old man and mutters,
"Unlike Andy Bernard, this character's my real height."
This jab was subtle but felt personal—like the writers were directing their frustrations at Helms himself.
Was Andy doomed by The Office’s desperation to replace Michael?
Let's be honest—after Steve Carell's exit, The Office had a massive hole to fill. Andy, with his need to be liked and his flair for comedy, was clearly the next-best Michael Scott. And to be fair, in season 8 he actually worked in that role.
It wasn't perfect, but it was not terrible. The problem in season 9 wasn't just that Ed Helms left temporarily—it was that The Office never committed to what Andy should be.
They turned him into a parody of his former self. At one point, Andy suffers a breakdown on national TV during a singing audition, a moment that lives on as a meme but marked the point of no coming back.
While his arc ended with him taking a job at Cornell, that resolution felt hollow. We later learned from the finale table read that Andy originally had a finace - a storyline that got scrapped. Why? It's baffling, especially after fans had invested in his journey from obnoxious to endearing.
In many ways, this wasn't just about Andy. The Office had a post-Michael problem to begin with. The show burned through managers—even Dwight at one point—but no one ever quite fit that role.
Andy might have worked, but the inconsistency in his writing made him an impossible candidate to root for. Andy cries during his breakdown, saying,
"They made me the villian..."
And I believe that it wasn't just the character speaking—it was the writer's guilt shining through with those scripts.
The Office mishandled Andy Bernard's final arc, not because he wasn't fixable, but because the writers did not even try. His downfall felt more like a punishment than a narrative choice.
For a show that got so many endings right, Andy deserved better.
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