Erin Hannon
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Kelly Erin Hannon (born May 1, 1986) is a
fictional character In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
from the
U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
''
The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series of ...
'', played by
Ellie Kemper Elizabeth Claire Kemper (born May 2, 1980) is an American actress and comedian. She has been nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award, two Critics' Choice Television Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, three Satellite Awards, and seven Scre ...
. She is the optimistic office receptionist for the
Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...
branch of
Dunder Mifflin Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, Inc. is a fictional paper and office supplies wholesale company featured in the American television series ''The Office''. It is analogous to Wernham Hogg in the British original of the series, and Papiers Jennings ...
, a position previously held by
Pam Beesly Pamela Morgan Halpert (née Beesly) is a fictional character on the U.S. TV series, television sitcom ''The Office (American TV series), The Office'', played by Jenna Fischer. Her counterpart in the original UK series of ''The Office (British TV ...
before she quit to go work for the
Michael Scott Paper Company "Michael Scott Paper Company" is the twenty-third episode of the fifth season of the television series ''The Office'', and the 95th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on April 9, 2009. In the episode, ...
. She is an original character, and has no counterpart in the original British version of the series.


Storylines


Season 5

After Pam quits her job to work at the Michael Scott Paper Company, VP Charles Miner hires Erin as the new receptionist. The office refer to her by her middle name, Erin, to avoid confusion with
Kelly Kapoor Kelly Rajanigandha Kapoor is a fictional character from the American television series ''The Office'', portrayed by Mindy Kaling. She is the customer service representative at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin from seasons 1 to 8. Followin ...
, whom she becomes good friends with.
Dwight Schrute Dwight Kurt Schrute III () is a fictional character on ''The Office (U.S.)'' and is portrayed by American actor Rainn Wilson. Dwight's character was a salesman and the assistant to the regional manager, at the fictional paper distribution compan ...
and
Andy Bernard Andrew Baines Bernard is a fictional character from the NBC comedy television series ''The Office (U.S. TV series), The Office'', portrayed by Ed Helms. He is introduced in Season 3 as the Regional Director in Charge of Sales at the Stamford br ...
initially compete for her attention, but Dwight withdraws in acknowledgment of his new friendship with Andy. For the remainder of the season, Andy awkwardly flirts with Erin.


Season 6

In "
Murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...
", Andy asks her out on a real date while they are playing characters as a part of the Belles, Bourbon, and Bullets. Erin accepts, but is disappointed when Andy tells her later there was no real date and "just a part of the game". Andy later gets Erin as his
Secret Santa Secret Santa is a Western Christmas tradition in which members of a group or community are randomly assigned a person to whom they give a gift. The identity of the gift giver is to remain a secret and should not be revealed. Deriving from the ...
, and gives her gifts based on " The 12 Days of Christmas". In " Manager and Salesman", Andy gives everyone in the office a card for Valentine's Day in order to mask his affection for Erin. Kelly believes Andy is in love with her, but Andy makes it clear that he does not love Kelly; Erin begins to realize that Andy has feelings for her. Andy and Erin ultimately begin dating; however, they keep their relationship a secret from their co-workers. In "
Secretary's Day Administrative Professionals Day (also known as Secretaries Day or Admin Day) is a day observed yearly in a small number of countries. It is not a public holiday in any of them. In some countries, it falls within Administrative Professionals Week ...
", Andy plans the perfect Secretary's Day for Erin, including a lunch with Michael. During the lunch, Michael reveals Andy's prior year-long engagement with Angela, a fact which was previously concealed from Erin. Erin informs Andy that she needs some time alone from him.


Season 7

In season 7, Erin begins dating
Gabe Lewis ''The Office'' is an American television series based on the British television comedy of the same name. The format of the series is a parody of the fly on the wall documentary technique that intersperses traditional situation comedy segments w ...
much to Andy's chagrin. Erin discovers that Andy is performing in a local production of ''
Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial ''The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London urban legend, legend. A barber fr ...
''. In an effort to get Erin to attend, Andy pressures the entire office to watch, in order to spend time with Erin and win her back from Gabe. Erin shows up to the play and the two spend time together; however, Erin leaves to spend time with Gabe, which leaves Andy despondent. Michael and Erin's relationship is explored in " Viewing Party", in which Erin invites the office staff to a party at Gabe's apartment. Erin attempts to get Michael to bond with Gabe, but Michael's insecurities over Gabe's position causes him to sabotage the party. Erin confronts Michael over his hostile feelings towards Gabe, and Michael angrily questions why she needs his approval. In an insightful moment, Michael realizes that Erin admires him and views him as a father figure. In "
Michael's Last Dundies "Michael's Last Dundies" is the twenty-first episode of the seventh season of the American comedy television series ''The Office'' and the show's 147th episode overall. It originally aired on NBC on April 21, 2011. The episode was written and di ...
", Erin starts to avoid Gabe at work, as she does not feel attracted to him anymore; Pam encourages her to tell Gabe to avoid leading him on. During the Dundie awards, Erin publicly breaks up with Gabe in front of the staff, which spurs Gabe to leave the award show. When Michael prepares to leave for Colorado, Erin has a heart-to-heart conversation with Michael about her love life, admitting that she might be in love with Andy. Michael dismisses both Gabe and Andy, instead advising her that the right guy will come along and she will know it. Erin and Andy eventually begin hanging out together again, though Gabe continues with his attempts to win back Erin. In "
Search Committee "Search Committee" is the two-part finale of the seventh season of the American television comedy series ''The Office''. It comprises the 151st and 152nd episodes of the series overall and the 25th and 26th episodes of the seventh season. It o ...
", after getting some advice from Phyllis, Erin tells Andy that she still has feelings for him. However, Andy denies her, still hurt from being dumped in favor of Gabe.


Season 8–9

In season 8, Erin helps Andy out with his challenges of being manager and is the only one to congratulate him on his new job. During the staff Christmas party, Erin meets Jessica, Andy's girlfriend. Emotionally confused, Erin drinks too much at the party and reveals she still has feelings for Andy. She later gets a ride home from
Robert California Robert California, also known as Bob Kazamakis, and The Lizard King, is a fictional character on the U.S. comedy television series ''The Office'', portrayed by James Spader. In the eighth season, Robert managed to persuade Jo Bennett to appoint ...
, who tells her to take some aspirin and get some rest. Erin remains hopeful that Andy will end things with Jessica, though she comes to realize that this is not going to happen; unbeknownst to Erin, however, it becomes clear Andy still has feelings for her. When Erin gets assigned to Dwight's Sabre Store team in Tallahassee, she tells the camera that she is never returning to Scranton. In "
Get the Girl "Get the Girl" is the nineteenth episode of the eighth season of the American comedy television series ''The Office'', and the show's 171st episode overall. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on March 15, 2012. "Get the G ...
", Andy travels to Florida to try to win Erin back. Erin initially wants to stay, but the two get back together; Andy ends up breaking up with Jessica on the way back to Scranton. When Andy gets fired by Robert California (with Nellie taking over the manager position), Erin continues to support Andy. In season 9, Andy returns from his Outward Bound program with a confident and cocky attitude, which surprises Erin. She ends up bonding with
Pete Miller ''The Office'' is an American television series based on the British television comedy of the same name. The format of the series is a parody of the fly on the wall documentary technique that intersperses traditional situation comedy segments wi ...
, a new customer service representative at the Scranton branch, and they continue to grow closer while Andy is away on his boat trip. Upon Andy's return, Erin breaks up with Andy. In the series finale, Erin reunites with her birth parents, who had seen the documentary and showed up at a Q&A forum with the office members. It is implied that she is still dating Pete, as they are shown dancing at Dwight and Angela's wedding.


Behind the scenes

Kemper described herself as a "huge fan" of the show and was excited to be cast. In an interview with ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'', Kemper revealed that she was initially slated to appear in only 4 episodes of the fifth season; however, her character was ultimately expanded, and Kemper was promoted as a main cast member for the sixth season. Kemper said her audition had a very different character, a sarcastic "
straight man The straight man is a stock character in a comedy performance, especially a double act, sketch comedy, or farce. When a comedy partner behaves eccentrically, the straight man is expected to maintain composure. The direct contribution to the ...
—grounded, sees through it all", more in line with the rest of the cast. Ultimately, she was rewritten to be what Kemper recognized as "an exaggerated version of myself", more perky and optimistic. The character was named after the show's writer's assistant, Kelly Hannon, who later wrote some digital shorts for the series. Writer
Jennifer Celotta Jennifer Ann Celotta (born November 11, 1971) is an American television producer, writer, and director. Among her credits are ''The Office,'' Cobra Kai, Abbott Elementary, ''Malcolm in the Middle'', '' The Newsroom'', ''Greg the Bunny'', '' Andy ...
described Kemper as a "fun addition" to the show, writing "we think it's fun to see someone who truly enjoys being n the office" This positivity towards the job made Erin very popular with the writers, who started pitching storylines for her. One of those plots was her romance with Andy Bernard, with writer
Brent Forrester Brent Forrester is an American writer and producer, who has written for 6 Emmy Award-winning television comedies. He wrote several episodes of the animated television sitcom ''The Simpsons'' between 1993 and 1997. He has worked as a writer on ''T ...
explaining that the characters seemed compatible for "both being left-footed socially". Kemper herself did not think they were a good match because Andy was "too childish, he wasn't ready to take care of Erin the way she needed." Editor
Claire Scanlon Claire Elizabeth Scanlon (born 1971) is an American editor and director. She has been nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards, winning one, for editing work on ''The Office'' and ''The Apprentice''. She won an American Cinema Editors Award in ...
added that a particular turning point for Erin was "Secretary's Day", which highlighted how well the character played off Michael Scott.


Reception

Critics and fans have commented on Kemper's addition to the show mostly positively. Joshua Ostroff of '' Eye Weekly'' described Erin as one of the best new television characters of the 2008–2009 season and said, "Erin’s high-grade adorability, up-for-anything attitude and sheer niceness is unlike anyone else in the office, adding a welcome new wrinkle for next season." Andy Shaw of ''TV Fodder'' said she "adds some freshness to the cast" and Josh McAuliffe of '' The Times-Tribune'' in
Scranton Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, said he liked Erin's "cheerful, appealingly goofy personality". Her performance was notably praised during the show's eighth season, where she was the highlight of the season for many critics. Myles McNutt noted that "regardless of how down I was on this or any other episode, Ellie Kemper really has been tremendous all season." In addition, Kemper's performance in the episodes " Spooked," " Christmas Wishes," "
Pool Party A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...
," and "
Special Project "Special Project" is the fourteenth episode of the eighth season of the American comedy television series ''The Office'' and the show's 166th episode overall. The episode aired on NBC in the United States on February 9, 2012. It was written by A ...
," in particular, were praised by critics.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannon, Erin Fictional receptionists The Office (American TV series) characters Television characters introduced in 2009 Fictional orphans American female characters in television