Melora Hardin Inspired This Major Storyline For Jan On The Office

DFree/Shutterstock By Raegan Davies/Sept. 14, 2021 4:48 pm EST

Of all of the crazy character arcs on television, there is maybe none funnier than Jan Levinson’s from the hit NBC sitcom “The Office.” Jan Levinson, played by “Monk” actress Melora Hardin, was a staple character on “The Office” from the show’s beginning, making her first appearance in Season 1 (via Cheat Sheet). Jan is Michael Scott’s (memorably and hilariously played by Steve Carrell for the first seven of nine seasons, per IMDb) superior as Vice President of Northeast Sales for “The Office”’s fictional paper company Dunder Mifflin, and begins a relationship with him in Season 2, which starts her slow journey to a full-on nervous breakdown.

Jan has given us some of the funniest moments on “The Office,” from her singing “Son of a Preacher Man” to her newborn baby to the entirety of the “Dinner Party” episode, and Hardin has defended her character against criticism despite her admission that Jan “has her moments.” Hardin says Jan is “so fun” and “so complicated” (via Cheat Sheet), so it’s no surprise that her ideas were considered closely as her character developed, including one she contributed to one of Jan’s most memorable storylines.

Melora Hardin Inspired This Major Storyline For Jan On The Office

DFree/Shutterstock

By Raegan Davies/Sept. 14, 2021 4:48 pm EST

Of all of the crazy character arcs on television, there is maybe none funnier than Jan Levinson’s from the hit NBC sitcom “The Office.” Jan Levinson, played by “Monk” actress Melora Hardin, was a staple character on “The Office” from the show’s beginning, making her first appearance in Season 1 (via Cheat Sheet). Jan is Michael Scott’s (memorably and hilariously played by Steve Carrell for the first seven of nine seasons, per IMDb) superior as Vice President of Northeast Sales for “The Office”’s fictional paper company Dunder Mifflin, and begins a relationship with him in Season 2, which starts her slow journey to a full-on nervous breakdown.

Jan has given us some of the funniest moments on “The Office,” from her singing “Son of a Preacher Man” to her newborn baby to the entirety of the “Dinner Party” episode, and Hardin has defended her character against criticism despite her admission that Jan “has her moments.” Hardin says Jan is “so fun” and “so complicated” (via Cheat Sheet), so it’s no surprise that her ideas were considered closely as her character developed, including one she contributed to one of Jan’s most memorable storylines.

Jan has given us some of the funniest moments on “The Office,” from her singing “Son of a Preacher Man” to her newborn baby to the entirety of the “Dinner Party” episode, and Hardin has defended her character against criticism despite her admission that Jan “has her moments.” Hardin says Jan is “so fun” and “so complicated” (via Cheat Sheet), so it’s no surprise that her ideas were considered closely as her character developed, including one she contributed to one of Jan’s most memorable storylines.

Melora Hardin inadvertently inspired Jan’s boob job

Michael Kovac/Getty Images

According to Hardin, at an event where “The Office” was being previewed to advertisers, she said to Daniels, “It’s funny, I’m looking around at the females in our cast, and I’m thinking nobody in our cast has a boob job.” Hardin went on to explain that for Daniels’, “wheels just started turning in that moment. It was just so funny to see. That was when he thought, ‘Ding-ding-ding-ding! Jan’s getting a boob job!’ When Michael broke up with her, in order to get him back, she goes and gets her boobs giant. I just think that’s hilarious, and obviously the beginning of her losing her s***.”