Jim Halpert is Depressing

Recently, a tragedy befell my household. The crew working on the roads and water lines in my neighborhood hit the cable line, knocking out both television and internet. I was forlorn. So I took out my brothers DVD of season 1 of The Office and watched all 6 episodes, back to back. I learned something from that experience.
Jim Halpert is the most depressing character on television.
Taken as a whole, the entire show is depressing from the standpoint of the main characters. There jobs are tedious, and they are in various stages of toiling at it, from Ryan who is just getting into it, to Stanley who makes it through every day so he can feed his family. There are different aspects that are depressing for any number of those characters, but for me, Jim is the most depressing. Let’s look at the facts.
He’s mentioned already that he sees this as a job, and not a career. So what’s keeping him back from going after something he really wants to do? The first reason is obvious. Pam, the engaged woman he has a crush on. Second, he isnt entirely sure what he would do if he left. The first reason is obviously depressing, because he is sacraficing his future for something that will never happen. He’s stuck at Dunder-Mifflin, performing a job he hates while eyeballing his frustrations, who happen to be sitting behind the receptionists desk.
But then, he has a way out. In season two, he knows what he as to do. Instead of finding a new job, however, he seeks a transfer. He hasn’t been thinking of ways to advance his career, and he sits mired in his old job. Add to that his history as a basketball player (“It’s kinda my thing”) and you have all the components to a secretly depressing character. The longing for someone they can’t have, the tedious job, even the washed up high school sports career that they still hang on to.
So I can’t understand why, when people try to put themselves in the show, compare themselves to the characters found therein, they always say they are Jim or Pam. Really? You want to be the depressing guy, stuck in the past, and unable to see past the present? Or the girl who leads on her coworker? Personally, I find myself identifying more with a couple other people I already mentioned, either Ryan or Stanley. Ryan because he’s new, finds his workplace romance uncomfortable, gets along well with everyone and sees this job as a stepping stone. Also, I feel that I identify with Stanley’s attitude of “Even though I hate my job, I would appreciate it if you left me alone long enough to do it the right way.” But that’s just me. – Ryan (not played by B.J. Novak)