In that it (https://www.quora.com/Why-is-the-show-The-Office-so-dry-unfunny-and-depressing) ushered (http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2014/03/my-rant-on-state-of-sitcoms.html?showComment=1395066911542#c1597682539075697216) in a crop of single-camera comedies that used weak irony (https://www.openculture.com/2019/03/the-cringe-inducing-humor-of-the-office-explained-with-philosophical-theories-of-mind.html), writer's-room-inside-jokes (https://www.cinemablend.com/television/2548502/the-office-inside-jokes-that-are-still-completely-brilliant), and "like-a-joke" (http://kenlevine.blogspot.com/2020/11/like-jokes.html) lines in place of actual joke construction (https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14791420.2017.1394578).

Shows in this vein (https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/tv/2020/03/24/the-office-15th-anniversary-how-changed-pop-culture/2863799001/#:~:text=Pawnee%2C%20The%20Bad%20Place%20and,re%20all%20ensemble%20workplace%20sitcoms.) -- Happy Endings, Parks and Rec, Community, 30 Rock, New Girl, The Mindy Project, Brooklyn 99, etc. -- were likely low-rated because though they may make the audience smile at times, but they never (https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/75xwj6/i_never_thought_the_office_was_very_funny/) deliver (https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/vhjhqj/the_office_american_version_is_not_that_funny/) big (https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/kbygyk/the_show_the_office_is_not_funny/) laughs (https://www.reddit.com/r/unpopularopinion/comments/kbygyk/the_show_the_office_is_not_funny/).