The Office is one of the most popular sitcoms ever made, and many of its stars have gone on to have extremely successful careers. One of those stars is Steve Carell, who was a notable actor before ever playing Michael Scott, but his role as Dunder Mifflin’s regional manager certainly helped launch him to another level of stardom. Carell’s final regular appearance as Michael comes in Season 7, Episode 23 “Goodbye Michael Part 2” before his character departs and moves to Colorado with the love of his life, Holly (Amy Ryan). Michael then returns for the series finale, showing up to support Dwight (Rainn Wilson) at his wedding with Angela (Angela Kinsey). During a recent episode of The Office Ladies podcast, Jenna Fischer, who plays Pam in the show, explained that Carell wasn’t always on board with coming back:
“Well, it was [series creator Greg Daniels] idea to have Steve come back. He had wanted that for a very long time, and he asked him pretty early in Season 9. But Steve was reluctant. He felt like Michael’s story had ended He didn’t want to open it back up again, and he especially did not want to come back after two years and have this finale episode be about him. He really felt like ‘My character had his ending. This is everybody else’s ending’ And he didn’t want to overshadow that. But then Greg had the idea of the final episode being Dwight and Angela’s wedding, and Steve agreed Michael would be there.”
It seems The Office found the right middle ground by having Carell come back for the final episode but only showing up for long enough to serve as a reminder of a different time, not to steal the spotlight from anyone else. Most fans will tell you that The Office certainly experienced a drop-off once Carell left the show in Season 7, but the final two seasons are still packed with gems, and the last three episodes boast ratings of 9.0, 9.4, and 9.8 on IMDb. While Carell’s Michael Scott is certainly part of the reason The Office is so popular, even all these years later, the final few episodes prove that the show was always bigger than just one character.
What Else Has Steve Carell Been in Lately?
Steve Carell recently reunited with his Office co-star John Krasinski for IF, the family comedy that also stars Ryan Reynolds which Krasinski wrote and directed. Carell has also become known for his role as Gru in the Despicable Me franchise, which now has six movies under its belt. He even starred in Wes Anderson’s latest star-studded ensemble for Asteroid City, which came after leading two seasons of Space Force, the Netflix Original comedy series. Carell also has a new series in the works at HBO, and he’s been tapped to star in The Four Seasons, an upcoming romantic comedy with Colman Domingo and Tina Fey.
There have been talks of an Office reboot, but nothing on that front has been officially announced. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates and watch The Office on Peacock.
