[2] Little is shown in the show about the character's early life, but it is revealed in a deleted scene from "Diversity Day" that he grew up in Scranton.

At the beginning of the series, Ryan Howard is a temporary employee at the Scranton branch of the fictitious paper distributor, Dunder Mifflin, who joined the staff in the first episode, earning him the nickname "The Temp."

In the Season 5 premiere, Ryan returns to the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin after Michael arranges for him to replace their previous receptionist, Pam Beesly.

Ryan was a member of a fraternity in college and holds an MBA from the University of Scranton's Kania School of Management, which he earned during the second and third seasons.

When offered a job for corporate in the season 3 finale, Ryan relocates to New York City and adopts a nouveau riche persona by becoming extroverted, growing a beard, wearing expensive suits, and getting $200 haircuts.

His downfall culminates in misleading Dunder Mifflin's shareholders via his website's sales numbers, effectively committing fraud, as Oscar Martinez later claims.

He switches clothing, from wearing fanciful scarves, fake glasses, suspenders, bow ties, trench coats, etc., and tries to create an "unsolvable attitude".

Many of the staff, most notably Jim and Pam, note Ryan's ineptitude as an employee and that he sponges off his parents by living with them and driving his mom's car.

[3] Tom is first referenced in the season 2 episode "Performance Review", where a note from him in Michael Scott's long-ignored suggestion box requests counseling for his depression.

Ryan does not wish to stay at Dunder Mifflin long or even be remembered when he leaves, citing that his ultimate fear is that he will gain a nickname around the office (being "the something guy").

During Ryan's term as a temporary employee (and even for a few months after his promotion to full-time status), various characters (mainly Dwight) frequently address him as "Temp" instead of by his real name.

By the third season's opening episode "Gay Witch Hunt," Ryan becomes a full-time employee and inherits the job vacated by Jim Halpert.

In "Money," Darryl expresses his romantic desire for Kelly as he claims to "get excited every time I see that little dude (Ryan) walk through the door."

Ryan is seen being arrested and escorted out of Dunder Mifflin's New York City office by police, much to Michael's dismay and Jim and Kelly's pleasure.

In "Frame Toby", Ryan breaks up with Kelly again, saying he is going with friends to Thailand, but convinces her to have sex with him one last time and give him some traveling money.

Initially, Ryan acts with disinterest and irresponsibility toward the new company, choosing to spend his time talking on his telephone and surfing the web, which, along with a lack of space, causes tension with Pam.

After the buyout of The Michael Scott Paper Company by Dunder Mifflin, much to David Wallace's vocal opposition, Ryan is initially rehired as a salesperson, though, as a result of budget problems, is reduced back to the position of a temporary employee.

In the sixth-season premiere, "Gossip", Ryan's appearance has changed back to his more traditional look – black hair and no longer with a noticeable tan.

Then Ryan tells them that he has an offer from the Washington University Public Health Fund (WUPHF), only for Darryl to realize that they are only interested because of the domain name.

Ryan shows more immoral traits in "Garage Sale," when he sells jars of his mother's homemade pesto sauce, which she intended to just be for family, for his own profits.

Ryan joins Jim, Stanley, Erin, and Cathy Simms in traveling to Tallahassee and working on the Sabre Store project under Dwight's leadership.

He briefly flirts with Erin when he learns she is planning to remain in Florida, but after she says he could join her as roommates and possibly begin dating in six months, he coldly states he is in love with Kelly.

When Dwight and Nellie Bertram open a test store to see how the project could really work, Ryan is tasked to create and deliver a presentation about the Sabre Pyramid.

However, he badly panics because his mother and Kelly are not there to keep him on an even keel, and Jim and Dwight's efforts to calm him down fail and leave Ryan to run out on the team and get on a bus.

Ryan met Kelly's parents during "Diwali," but they were not impressed by his low income and lack of interest in starting a family.

In the season seven episode "The Search" during the cold open Ryan and Kelly announced to the office that they were getting a divorce, apparently having married over a week earlier on the spur of the moment and having neglected to tell anyone.

During Dwight and Angela's wedding in the series finale, Ryan shows up with a baby son named Drake, stunning Kelly.

In the early seasons, Ryan is inconveniently stuck in the position of being personal assistant to Michael, and was summoned to inappropriate tasks, on several occasions.

However, after Ryan was promoted to his corporate post as a Vice President of Sales for the company, he began behaving in a self-absorbed and egotistical manner, causing Jim to lose much respect for him.

Once Ryan is rehired as a salesman before being demoted back to a temp at the company, he forms a bond with Pam, slightly softening his bitter relationship with Jim.