Steve Carell’s emotional exit from The Office near the end of season 7 left a huge hole in the show’s formula, and although his replacement wasn’t anything like his predecessor, enough time has passed to objectively view James Spader’s Robert California as the perfect solution to Michael Scott’s absence. The Office cast changed quite a lot through its nine-season run, but Carell’s departure remains the biggest change to the workplace sitcom. Thankfully, the writers came up with a brilliant way to keep the show going without its leading man.
The Office boasts one of the best TV ensembles of all time, so while Steve Carell wasn’t the only reason the show was a success, his contributions were still incredibly important. He is at the heart of many of The Office‘s funniest episodes as well as the sitcom’s most emotional moments. Michael’s presence in The Office was sorely missed when he decided to move to Colorado with Holly, but the man who took his place was far better than he gets credit for.
Robert California Was The Character The Office Needed After Michael Left
James Spader’s character didn’t tread on the toes of Steve Carell’s Michael Scott
Michael’s antics were just the right blend of infuriating and hilarious, and his conduct often raised the question of how good a boss he actually was. That being said, he was a very big personality to try and replace, but Robert California’s intensity was a strangely great way to fill the void. Michael wasn’t the only character to be outwardly funny, as the rest of the cast routinely had laugh-out-loud moments. So, The Office didn’t need to bring in another traditional jokester, and the alternative with which they went was far more desirable.
Robert’s dry and often-absent sense of humor brought something brand new to The Office and didn’t overshadow the longer-serving actors.
Robert’s dry and often-absent sense of humor brought something brand new to The Office and didn’t overshadow the longer-serving actors. After seven seasons of largely the same blueprint, bringing Robert in as Michael’s replacement freshened things up with a level of gravitas not displayed by any other character. Robert California shone in his very own way, and very unexpectedly too. It can be easy to resist admitting the quality James Spader brought to The Office because of how attached it’s possible to become to Michael, but it would be unfair not to give Robert every ounce of credit he deserves.
The Office Was Right Not To Create Another Michael Scott After Carell’s Exit
Michael would have been impossible to directly replace
Will Ferell’s Deangelo Vickers gave a short preview of what The Office could have been like if Michael had been swapped out for a like-for-like replacement. The result made the show look like it was actively trying to copy Carell’s best qualities, but luckily, the writers bailed out of that approach and only gave Deangelo a short stay. The smarter move was to bring in a character completely unrelated to Michael in any way.
Introducing Robert in The Office season 7’s interviews was a brilliant way to bring him into the story, as it then didn’t look like he was coming out of nowhere as the new boss. Having him play the role of CEO rather than the office manager was also an excellent move, and it distanced Robert even further from the implication of being a direct replacement for Michael. Robert would never have lived up to Michael’s legacy in The Office if he’d followed too closely in the footsteps of Carell’s character, so it’s great that he wasn’t set up to fail.
