Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Can The Office Continue Without Michael Scott?


Steve Carell was on BBC radio to talk about Date Night and eventually talk turned to The Office. Steve told the show his contract was up at the end of next season. The host then asked if Steve would be back. "I don't think so. I think that will probably be my last year." My question for those of you who watch The Office is whether it can continue without Michael Scott. Well, it can continue, but it would be as good. If Steve does decide to leave the show I do hope he is willing to film an episode which is similar to the one Ricky Gervais filmed when The Office UK ended.

26 comments:

nancer said...

no. the show can't continue and be good without him. that's my opinion as a fan.

Anonymous said...

I tried watching the Office at one time since I kept hearing it's hilarious. I didn't find it funny at all and I don't like Steve Carell. I find him annoying.

Ashlea said...

maybe.

Kristen S. said...

Oh hell no - I couldn't watch without Michael Scott. They'd have to do some brilliant writing & maneuvering to make the show just as good without that character.

Chrissy Buns said...

i don't think it would be as good. his complete and utter lack of common sense is what makes the show so darn funny!

Sue Ellen Mishkey said...

I hope they promote Dwight K Shrute. He is definitely my favourite character.

Tenley said...

I'm with Sylvia -- I tried to watch several times, actually, because everyone loves it so, and it was just an interminable and painful half hour, and Carell was largely responsible for that. So would the show change dramatically without him? Oh yeah, no question. Would that necessarily be a bad thing? Hey, it depends on your perspective. ;)

Ashlea said...

Yes Dwight is class.

RocketQueen said...

I actually think it could continue. I like the U.S. office, but I prefer the UK office WAY more. In the UK version, David Brent is the star. In the US version, I think they've done a good job of bringing relevance and story lines to other characters, which are now more interesting than Michael, frankly.

MMSG said...

Yes, there MUST be a music video of some kind

Dianne P said...

I would put it this way--they could, but they shouldn't.

That show is full of talented people and sometimes it's the quirks of the minor characters that make me laugh the most (eg, Creed's 1 weird line almost every episode). So conceivably you could carry on without Michael, but I don't see the point. It has already peaked and maybe Steve Carrell is onto something.

And this is coming from someone who loves the show and still frequently watches re-runs.

Joanna said...

I want to agree with Ship but I'm just not sure the show would work as well as it does without Michael Scott. I am a huge fan and while I love all the characters and their stories, I can't imagine this show without Michael Gary Scott. "That's what she said."

Little Miss Smoke and Mirrors said...

I personally think with only a couple exceptions, The Office is having a terrible season THIS season. I was a huge fan, but I'm not so in love that I can't be objective, and this season has been abysmal. I've been telling everyone I know that it needs an end date before it completey goes down as a show that was once great, jumped the shark and became a shadow of its former self. If Carell plans to leave, that's as good a time as any to stop the madness.

Brew Belle said...

I've been a *huge* fan of The Office since the middle of the 1st season and I'm so sad at the state it's in now. I used to think Season 4 stunk, but it's comedy gold compared to what's on my TV now.

I say go ahead and take it off life support after next season because if Carell leaves, he's going to take the soul of the show with him. The Office would not be the same without Michael Scott.

jess said...

The Office can't continue without Michael Scott, the show is already in bad shape and this year's season was going to be the last one. I like The Office but some episodes are unwatchable (the Mafia insurance salesman).

Kiradris said...

Stick a fork in it, The Office is long overdue to end, its run its course even without the loss of Steve Carrell.

Ms Cool said...

I think the Office has about run its course. I've loved it but feel that it has jumped the shark (can't pinpoint an episode off the top of my head). I don't think the show should go on without Michael Scott.

Carrie L. said...

Wow, this took me a bit by surprise today. I think if Steve/Michael leaves, the show should just end gracefully. If they try to continue it, then they need to have Dwight or Jim step up into the head role...or maybe David, the old Dunder Mifflin CFO as he was pretty hot to look at! But to replace Michael with a new character to act as boss would be a disaster.

As much as Michael can get on my nerves, he also has some of the most touching lines of the show. In the end I just want them to have all the characters stay true to themselves and not drag the thing on too long. It's already feeling a bit stale.

Mango said...

Agree that the show can't continue without Michael Scott.

And to those who said that Michael isn't funny or made you uncomfortable, I had a boss who was very like Michael (but older) and only joking about him behind his back (and breathing a sigh of relief every time he left the office) kept us sane. He was just as selfish and self-absorbed and moronic as Michael so the show really strikes a note with me. We were relieved when he left the company but I don't think The Office will fare as well if Michael leaves Dunder Mifflin.

von said...

No. Great ensemble cast but it hinges on the character of Michael Scott. No Michael Scott, no show. I think it's coming to an end anyway. Another season would wrap things up nicely.

Dianne P said...

Just let Michael and Holly get together, please.

Unknown said...

I adore the show, never miss an episode.

...but that said, I agree that it's jumped the shark this season. I think it's the way they are trying to get Andy and Erin together and throwing roadblocks in their way, just because the Pam & Jim story has been resolved.

I wish they'd do more with Meredith--she's so funny but underused. The "casual Friday" episode where she wore the short tube top dress and ended up showing her tatas and, um, nether regions was one of the funniest episodes ever.

Angela said...

Michael Scott leaving would cause a too huge change for the show to recover in such a late phase.

I hope they'll get time to wrap everything properly and six and a half years is already quite a feat for such a show. The British Office had only enough material to last (nearly perfect) 14 episodes. The American remake brought us years of interesting episodes with some dry spells.

It's still better to burn out than it is to fade away

Meg said...

Maybe....I don't know. Usually when you change a huge dynamic like that it ends up backfiring. Sometimes the show is brilliant but I have found it recently to be lacking...not like previous seasons. But I did love the Pam/Jim wedding and its probably my favorite ever.

Susan said...

Oh God. This is the worst news ever. Without Steve Carrell, there is no Office, in my opinion.

I love Michael Scott.

And, I find the show has hits and misses every season, with Season 2 being the BIG exception. Every Season 2 epi was perfection. But, seriously how do you repeat that? It's like TV magic. This season I thought the epis "Shareholder Meeting" and "Scott's Tots" were awesome.

Ursula said...

I think it's about time it ended really...
I used to love this show but it has really gone downhill since season 2. It's bordering on ridiculous now (and not in a good way). I only watch it now because I used to like it back in the day, but it's feeling more like a chore now. Shame.

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