Steve Carell Leaving 'The Office' After Next Season

You know why the news that Steve Carell will bow out of The Office comes as no surprise? Well, partially, it's because next season will be the show's seventh, and when it began, Carell was not a movie star. He had done supporting stuff in Anchorman and Bruce Almighty and The 40-Year-Old Virgin was just about to come out, but who knew what that would do? So now it's several years on and Carell has worked almost continuously: Evan Almighty, Get Smart, Dan in Real Life, Little Miss Sunshine, Date Night, some animated stuff, and this summer, Despicable Me and Dinner for Schmucks. So I think that's the major string being pulled here. “I think [season] seven will be my last year,” Carell told Entertainment Weekly. “I want to fulfill my contract. I think it’s a good time to move on.” Could he be swayed by more money or control over the show? “No. I just want to spend more time with my family," he answered, and to that point, just look at the six features and three animated films he's made since 2005, on top of a TV show and publicity tours. Why wouldn't he just want to go home? But I think there's another reason here, related to the quality of the show. It has had its moments, yes, but for me, it was all downhill after the remarkably tense Emmy-nominated episode called The Dinner Party. If you've seen it, you know it. After that, it was more Pam and Jim nonsense and whenever two characters on a TV show get married, that's the first crumb leading to the mousetrap. Hey, don't get me wrong, The Office had a great run for almost three full seasons, lost something when the writers strike happened, and found its groove again before capitulating to that relationship stuff. It's very hard for a TV show to stop being tired unless it makes a change like this. So Carell is probably thinking he's done all he can do as Michael Scott and he'll leave it up to whomever to take the show from here. Just hope it doesn't become Scrubs.

Comments

[Emo]

Ah...remember when Scrubs was good?

[Adam]

I hope they bring back Amy Ryan as Holly Flax to give Michael Scott's character a proper send off. They hinted at it this past season, but it'd be nice if they made it so.

[chad]

its always when either
a) the core breaks up for a season then they try to get them back together or
b) when the group starts pairing up and the unity aspect is lost