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- ‘The Office’ was a short-lived sitcom based on the BBC series of the same name
- The NBC show ran from 2005 to 2013 and was the starting point for many of its cast, including star Steve Carell.
- Steve left the show after Season 7
The world of sitcom was touched with grief when Steve Carell bid adieu to his beloved man Michael Scott on NBC Pictures Office back in 2011. As we all know, the sitcom ran for several seasons, but let’s be real – it just wasn’t the same without Dunder Mifflin’s silly and lovable boss.
But hold on to your Dundie Rewards! If it had been, the reason behind Steve’s exit may not have been what fans thought. No, he didn’t rush to conquer the new theater or comedy. According to the water revelations in the book of March 2020 called Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s, The host of the show also said that Steve didn’t want to say goodbye at first! What?! Say it ain’t so!
According to the mixer Brian Whittle and hairstylist Kim FerrySteve also said that his days as Michael Scott may be numbered in an interview with the BBC, regarding the end of his contract after season 7. However, Brian explained that, behind the scenes, he had not made a definitive decision. When news of Steve’s music hit the headlines, fans hoped that NBC would come together to keep their comedian. The network executives, however, did not add much interest that should have swayed Steve’s decision.
“He didn’t want to leave the program,” Kim said in the book. “He told the network he was going to sign for a couple of years. He was willing and his agent was willing to do it. But for some reason, they didn’t talk to him.” Kim went on to say that Steve “planned to stay on the show” but the deadline came when the contestants had to “give him what happened and they didn’t give him a chance.”
He added, “[Steve] it was like, ‘Look, I told them I wanted to do it. I don’t want to leave. I don’t understand.’ It’s just amazing how this happened. And I feel bad because I think a lot of people think that he left the show on his own terms and that’s not true. I’m telling you. I was there.”
The idea that Steve was ready for more Scranton, PA was also given notice by the producer Ben Silverman and the editor Claire Scanlon during their appearance Oral History of the Office podcast. “When I heard the story of how the network went with him after that, it really upset me how they blew up something that they could have saved,” said Silverman, who directed the US revival of the British mockumentary series and was the chairman of NBC Entertainment between 2007 – 2009.
He added, “I feel like NBC dropped the ball, because I knew the story behind it, which was that they didn’t bother at all, which was kind of dumb. I don’t know what was wrong with them.
But maybe we should think about what the man, the myth, the legend said about departure. During the discussion on Office Ladies podcast in March 2023, Steve told his former hosts Office teammates Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey about why he left the show.
“It was time for some characters to move forward and some stories to follow. I think it was right…the time was right, I thought about everyone but at the same time I was happy that we went through all this and we were getting…I was getting a chance to spend time with everyone. And the way the last two episodes were arranged, it was very heavy for me to say goodbye at the same time as Michael and us as friends during the time of working together. But, yes, it was a lot, it was a very emotional thing.”
As Steve says goodbye, Office it was almost over. The show will continue for two more seasons. With Steve missing from the front, the following episodes revolved around Andy Bernard’s (Ed Helms) journey to become a regional manager. It also developed the unforgettable Robert California (James Spader), CEO of the printing company owned by Dunder Mifflin. However, Office of The final episode, which aired on NBC on May 16, 2013, actually featured Steve returning as Michael Scott.
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