You ever feel like some “funny” characters tend to use the same sarcastic lines you’ve read before in 500 other books? Doesn’t it feel like this character obnoxiously holds up the “I’m ThE fUnNy oNe!” sign with every cringe-y, forced line they spit in the novel?

As a writer, you want to avoid this painful pretender like the plague. But how do you write a character that has his/her own unique sense of humor not seen in twenty other novels? How do you write a funny character– one that your readers will genuinely lol at?

Writing a funny character, scene, or smattering of dialogue can be an intimidating challenge, especially if humor isn’t in our wheelhouse. But, fortunately for us we have a great teacher in the funniest show of all time (don’t challenge me on this I will use Basher, Thrasher, Crasher, AND Fireball on you) The Office .

The Office teaches us a bunload about writing comedy, but today I’m breaking down 5 things it teaches us about writing funny characters. So buckle up, because Prison Mike is here to scare you straight!!

A sense of humor is a sense of humor, right? All humor is the same! Right?

That’s the beauty of comedy: it comes in as many styles as there are Office characters!

The first thing you need to do when creating a character is decide what style of humor they will have. Will they have a comedic style like Jim? Witty, subdued, prank-centric kinda guy? Will they be like Erin? A goofy, lovable, child-like beam of sunshine? Maybe they’ll be like Florida Stanley? Unfiltered, jaded, and full of bluesy wisdom. Or maybe they’ll be like the king himself, Michael Scott– inappropriate, clueless, and immature (and yet as we’ll see in tip #4, still has a heart of gold).

Gauge your character’s personality and then display their sense of humor through their dialogue, their actions, and reactions. 

For instance, consider the most unforgettable opening scene in Season 5, Episode 14 “Stress Relief Part One”, where Dwight starts a fire in order to teach to his coworkers a lesson. How did each character react to this scenario? Michael screams for everyone to stay calm, Angela tries to save Bandit, Oscar crawls through the roof trying to get help, and meanwhile, Kevin shatters the vending machines and loots the snacks.

Each character responds according to their unique personality which only makes the scene that much funnier.

So how exactly do you display your character’s sense of humor in a way the reader will appreciate?

Think about each of your characters for a moment. Pin a scenario against them. Ask yourself: what’s the most unexpected reaction this character could have to this scenario? Their unexpected response would show your reader what style of humor they have. 

The Office taught us that the key to comedy is timing; saying or doing the unexpected, especially when others expect you to react a certain way to a particular situation. Use this valuable lesson when selecting and displaying your characters’ unique style of humor.

Think about your favorite Office character. What makes him or her especially funny to you? What is it about his style of humor that especially clicks with you? For me, it’s Dwigt. I love the overly serious attitude Dwight takes with everything- even the mundane.

Now let me ask you something: could Dwight and, say, Kevin, ever have interchangeable lines? What I mean is, do they share the same style of humor? Do they bring the same energy to the show? No. Kevin has a very different style of humor that is unique to his character, as does Dwight. We love each character for what they individually bring to the table.

For instance, when Kevin spills his Kevin’s Famous Chili, we not only find it hilarious, but we almost expect it. Why? Because Kevin is a big, elephant-hearted, clumsy, dude who’s prone to making child-like accidents. So having Kevin spend hours making chili only to spill it like a second into walking into the office was a funny scene that rang true to Kevin’s character.

On the other end of this spectrum, this scene wouldn’t be nearly as funny if Dwight dumped a giant pot of chili. Why not? Because Dwight is not buffoonish or clumsy. He wouldn’t spend hours making a pot of soup for his co-workers unless it involved some plot to get Jim fired. So the key point to take away from this is do not betray your character’s style of humor, or you’ll lose your audience.

Jim and Dwight. Dwight and Michael. Michael and Ryan. Ryan and Kelly. Each pair brings a whole different comedic rat a’ tat to the table.

Characters become funnier when put with another that reflect or rival their personality.

For instance, Ryan and Kelly highlighted the absolute worst in each other. Their toxic, self-destructive, self-obsessed, dramatic personalities intensified every time they got together. Although they were incredibly similar characters, they were terrible for each other and that sort of explosive combination kept us laughing for days.

Then there was Jim and Dwight– classic sales team, classic opposing forces. Whenever these two went on sales calls, Jim would always find numerous ways to exploit Dwight’s intense attitude. Scenes like these where opposite characters are forced to interact, highlight each character’s contrasting personality and unique comedic style. Although the two didn’t technically get along, they made a killer comedic (and sales) team.

The key to take away from this is that comedy follows unlikely (or way too likely!) pairings. Look for situations in your story where you can put two unlikely characters or two dangerously similar characters together to draw out the comedic gold.

As wildly funny as you want your character to be– you can’t make your character one note . He’s gotta be balanced. He’s gotta have qualities that make him lovable to your reader.

If you remember a much cringier Season 1 Michael Scott (receding hairline, +30 lbs, extra side of jerky-jerk, you know the guy) he didn’t have much of a “saving grace” going for him.

However, as the Michael Scott character evolved over the seasons, Michael became less of a “jerk in charge”, and more of a lovable idiot. We get to see Michael’s heart of gold, his childlike innocence toward the world, and that beloved puppy dog side of Michael. This balance in his personality made him an endearing, celebrated character. Not only this, but every now an again we also get a glimpse of Michael’s fire power– his utterly capable sales abilities– and this impresses upon us the fact that we should never underestimate Michael.

So, when you’re crafting your funny character, balance him out. He can’t always be on! He can’t JUST be “the funny guy”. Give him redeemable, human personality traits that show readers he’s not just a court jester. That will turn your funny character from clown to beloved bafoon who reflects authenticity.

“What if my reader doesn’t get the joke?” 

“What if they don’t find it funny?”

“What if I just write cringe-y, typical humor like everyone else??”

Look. When The Office first aired, no one else was doing what it did. That’s one thing I personally greatly appreciated about this show. Its raw, purposefully cringe-y, even straight up offensive style of humor was a huge risk. The writers, like Michael Shur, could have easily wondered all those same questions seen above. But the writers took the jump. They pushed the boundaries, and as a result The Office became a timeless, smash hit.

So here’s the final take away from today’s lesson, my dear Knights of the Night: don’t be afraid. Don’t let fear stop you from taking the risk. Confidence is key to writing strong, genuinely funny characters. 

If you’re truly worried a quip or a scene of dialogue isn’t all that funny, read it to a trusted friend who has a sense of humor. See if it makes them genuinely laugh. If not, then workshop the scene. Try a new angle, and throw the punch line at your friend again. Just don’t give up. Don’t lose faith in yourself, and most importantly, don’t be afraid to get weird with it.

In conclusion: you too can write clever, witty, unbelievably funny characters that truly make readers bust a gut. Take your time crafting a funny character and try not to overthink it. Don’t force humor, let it happen naturally and you’ll have your readers rolling.

Who is your favorite Office character and/or quote from the show? Let’s litter the comment’s section with line after line, shall we people?! (one comment = a billion Stanley Nickels)

Need more shows to help you hone your humor skills?

Seinfeld (available on Hulu):

I like to say that The Office is like our generation’s Seinfeld. You can watch it on repeat and never get sick of it, there are endless quotable lines, and the characters are by far the most well-crafted ‘normal’ humans you’ll ever see on television. And, Seinfeld did what no one else was doing at the time: a show about NOTHING. This risk landed Seinfeld as one of the most beloved shows of all time. If you want to learn about writing genuinely funny, well crafted, unique characters in their natural habitat, then look no further than Seinfeld. 

MST3K (available on Netflix):

Looking to improve your observational humor skills? Than watch my second favorite show of all time, Mystery Science Theatre 3000. And no, I’m NOT talkng about the reboot, I’m talkin’ the original, people. I’ve been an avid fan of Tom, Crow, and Joel Hodgson/Mike Nelson ever since I was a snot-nosed kid. If you’re not familiar with the show, it’s two robots and one dude in space who are forced to watch terrible old movies. Sucks for them, but it’s awesome for us because we, the second-hand audience, get to witness their hysterical riffs while the movie plays out. These fellas taught me everything I know about witty observations, clever use of topical references, outright hilarious quips, and how to hone your own unique style of humor.