We know Steve Carell is retiring his Michael Scott character at the end of The Office's seventh season, but it now appears that he'll be leaving the show far earlier than expected. We still don't know who'll move into the manager's office at Dunder Mifflin, but now we've got a very good idea about when the job will go up for grabs. Read on for the news, my gentle Examiner readers...
Fans of NBC's The Office have known for months that Steve Carell's Michael Scott is on his way out at the end of this season (the result of Carell choosing not to re-up on his contract with the network after this season), but there's been nothing but speculation since about who might be replacing him on the Peacock's Thursday-night institution. Will it be an outsider? Someone that's already working at Dunder Mifflin? Will it be Harvey Keitel? A potted plant? The rumors have been constant (and, quite frankly, tedious).
But a new report-- from Vulture, who's got a brief interview with The Office star, producer, and writer Paul Lieberstein-- indicates that Michael's going to be vacating the Dunder Mifflin offices much sooner than expected. As in, a full month before the season wraps. Here's what they're saying over at Vulture:
Steve will have a number of episodes that dramatize and lead up to Steve leaving," the producer tells Vulture. "Then we'll continue on for about four more episodes, and the spring will prove to be not about an actor leaving, but what happens in an office when a manager leaves and the chaos ensues and people vie for the job and are uncertain about their future."
We were just wondering a few months ago why The Office wasn't dealing with Michael's forthcoming departure, and now it appears that we have an answer: they were plotting it out this way all along. Huh. And all this time we just assumed that the writers had completely forgotten about the fact that the show's biggest star was leaving at the end of season seven. Seems kinda silly now that we know the truth, doesn't it?
Concern still exists amongst many fans (your humble Comedy Examiner included) whether or not The Office will be able to continue with any degree of success following Carell's departure: he's the figurehead of the show, the cast's de facto leader, the very soul of this long-running, once-great cornerstone of NBC's Thursday-night lineup. It's hard to imagine anyone taking over the show and the series continuing for any longer than a season, but perhaps The Office's writers have a few tricks left up their sleeves that will surprise us all.
For the record, we'd like to see Creed get the position.
Stay tuned for more funny videos, news, reviews, interviews, and more from Comedy Examiner HQ in the near future, folks. We've got all manner of nonsense to keep you entertained and informed during the week, so hit the "Subscribe" button up top to get all future Comedy Examiner articles delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge, the moment they're published...including any future updates on The Office.
Comments
Honestly, they're all talented and very funny actors, but we watch it to see what goofy thing Steve Carrell is going to do next! If Will Ferrell is indeed going to come in and do some episodes, that should be good, but I really can't imagine The Office without Steve Carrell! Hope I'm wrong. We would really miss The Office!
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!