When it comes to the biggest television shows in history, few come close to rivaling the type of following and legacy of The Office. Jim and Pam were the sweethearts of the show, even though some people felt that other couples were better. Plenty of theories have swirled about the couple over the years, which is further proof that people just can’t stop talking about them to this day.
As the show moved along, changes needed to be made, and at one point, Jim and Pam, the couple that left everyone swooning, was supposed to split up! For some, this makes total sense. For others, however, this is nothing short of blasphemous and would have ruined the show. Things would play out differently, of course, but fans can’t help but wonder how the show would look with these two splitting.
So, what’s the real story here? Let’s find out!
The Original Plan
Making a show last and remain compelling for years on end is incredibly difficult, and the folks behind The Office know this all too well. As the show moved along, they needed to shake things up, and one idea included breaking up the Halpert clan.
For fans of the show, they no doubt remember Jim chasing Pam while she was engaged to Roy, and this torrid love triangle made for some compelling television. It was clear that there was something there between Jim and Pam, and it would take some time for things to fall right into place.
Turns out, there was a similar idea in mind that would have been used to split up Jim and Pam. It has been reported that a love triangle was going to drive a wedge between them.
According to The Blast, “The idea was to have another love triangle and force Pam to choose between two men (again...remember Roy?) The idea was for Pam and Jim to be going through some issues (which they did in the actual show), and have boom operator Brian comfort Pam until it developed into an emotional attachment of sorts.”
Thankfully, this was not the case. Retreading old ideas can sometimes work, but oftentimes, fans can spot the similarities and tune out. Things, however, would still play out in a unique way for the couple.
What Actually Happened
Despite the idea that was proposed, Jim and Pam ultimately did not split up. The folks behind the show did make sure to spice some things up as the series progressed, and this did make for an interesting ripple in their relationship.
As opposed to having Pam leave Jim, the couple did have a lot of problems. One idea that the writers did take was inserting the boom mic operator into the equation, and for a brief moment, it did look like he was going to slide on in and get with Pam.
Things would resolve between Pam and Jim, but not without a ton of work by both parties. Writer Owen Ellickson touched on this aspect of the show in his book, giving some insight into why this massive change did not happen.
He would say, “Ultimately, I don't think it was about actually going there. They never did anything. It was just to introduce worry in the audience.”
Thankfully, Jim and Pam did remain together, and in the end, they both got a chance to start fresh in a new town after leaving Scranton. The divorce idea did have people buzzing, even those that were working on the show.
How The Cast Feels About It
Jim and Pam’s divorce would have been a monumental moment on the show, and naturally, the members of the cast would certainly feel some type of way about a potential split between everyone's favorite couple.
According to The Blast, John Krasinski, the beloved actor that brought Jim Halpert to life, was the one behind the idea the entire time!
Krasinski would say, “My whole pitch to Greg was that we’ve done so much with Jim and Pam, and now, after marriage and kids, there was a bit of a lull there, I think, for them about what they wanted to do. For me it was, 'Can you have this perfect relationship go through a split and keep it the same?' which of course you can't."
Even though this idea would have caused a huge change for his character, it is interesting to see that Krasinski was the one behind it the entire time. Turns out, he wasn't the only person that was on board with the idea.
Mindy Kaling, the actress behind Kelly and a writer on the show, also expressed interest in the idea, according to The Blast. In fact, Vulture reports that Kaling was interested in splitting the couple up as early as season 5.
Jim and Pam lasted the duration of the show, and fans were happy with this choice. Nevertheless, it’s still interesting to hear about what almost happened.