Steve Carell leaving The Office in 2011 wasn’t only devastating for comedy fans, as star Rainn Wilson has admitted that the Michael Scott star’s departure brought up a lot of difficulties in continuing the series.
"When Steve left, then it was a little bit chaotic of trying to figure out the tone of the show and who’s the lead and, how are we telling these stories without, you know, the comic engine of the show, which is Michael Scott, and without one of the greatest comic actors in American history at the center of our show. That was also a struggle," said Wilson on the Good Guys podcast.
The US version of The Office ran for 9 seasons in total, and is often regarded as one of the best comedy shows made. The show follows a group of office workers at a paper-selling company led by eccentric boss Michael Scott (Carell). Wilson played Scott’s even stranger right-hand man, Dwight Schrute.
The show tried to fill the Carell-shaped hole by adding James Spader to the cast as Dunder Mifflin CEO Robert California, and promoted Ed Helms’ character Andy Bernard to Michael Scott’s old position, regional manager. The show then tried to replicate Michael and Dwight’s relationship by making Dwight Andy’s number two.
However, there's no denying that the mockumentary lost its spark in those last 2 seasons due to missing Carell. In fact, the show’s average viewership dropped from 7.7 million in season 7 (Carell’s last season), to 6.5 million and 5.1 million in seasons 8 and 9. Critics did not take to Carell’s absence either, as the first season without him scored a measly 44% on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to season 7’s score of 83%.
But Carell’s departure didn't come as a shock to the cast, as Wilson noted that the Get Smart star was a "such a big movie star at the time," adding, "we knew it was coming for a long time." Carell had starred in many projects whilst involved with The Office, but after leaving the show, the star has since appeared in films such as Crazy, Stupid, Love, the Despicable Me franchise, and the critically acclaimed drama Beautiful Boy.
The Office came to an end in 2013. However, a new version of the show titled 'The Paper' is on its way to Peacock this September. The Paper is set in the same universe and acts as a follow-up to The Office, with original cast member Oscar Nunez set to reprise his role as Oscar Martinez in the show.
For more, find out where The Office ranks in our list of the best TV shows of all time, or keep up with upcoming TV shows heading your way in 2025 and beyond.
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