The Office is an award-winning BBC hit based on modern American office life at Dunder Mifflin (a paper supply company) in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It is a mockumentary about everyday office workers caught in ego battles, totally inappropriate stuff, and mind-numbing boredom.
The show is still people’s all-time favorite because it finds the extraordinary in everyday life — like a paper company is mundane and super dull, but the writers made the simple stuff shine. The Office characters are undoubtedly what hooks the audience. They are relatable, diverse, and a mix of crazy, funny, kind, obnoxious, and self-centered — truly amazing.
For one of these characters, the creators took a big risk and thought they might end up jobless. It happened when they decided to bring back Steve Carell’s character, Michael Scott, for the final episode.
The Office Cast Feared Steve Carell’s Return to The Show Could Jeopardize Their Jobs
Steve Carell left The Office in Season 7 because he wanted to explore new things and be more with his family. But without his Michael Scott, the show’s dynamics and comedy timing took a nosedive, and Seasons 8 and 9 had a rough go — and The Office just wasn’t the same.
Even though Carell left the series two seasons prior, they convinced him to return for the grand finale episode. It was all about Dwight’s wedding with Angela and the gang getting back together a year after the PBS documentary (about Dunder Mifflin) had aired.
Greg Daniels (the series’ showrunner) revealed that even though NBC let them do their thing for the finale, some of his team still feared that the uncoordinated return of Carell could cost them their jobs. Daniels said to Entertainment Weekly:
“They [NBC] didn’t know about Steve and the line producer was a little nervous about it, I think he was afraid he was going to lose his job. But we shot the Steve stuff and we kept it out of the dailies and didn’t tell them about it.”
John Krasinski (who played Jim Halpert) admitted that he also had to lie to David Letterman on his show:
“It was so thrilling. We all just flat-out lied. I lied to Letterman! I have to apologize to him for that at some point.”
Even the show’s main star had doubts about his return, he didn’t want viewers to be distracted from the current characters on the show.
Greg Daniels had a vision for the finale — a big ol’ family reunion — and he was absolutely right. The Office reunion just wouldn’t have been completed without Steve Carell.
Why Did The Office End?
Things got tricky when most of the cast’s contracts were up. The makers were concerned about what the show would be like without original cast members. With the cast, some of the longtime writers like Mindy Kaling, Jen Celotta, Gene Stupnitsky, Lee Eisenberg, and B.J. Novak had already moved on to other projects.
The series finale of The Office aired on May 16, 2013. With nine seasons and more than 200 episodes, the show was one of the most successful and beloved sitcoms of recent years.
Despite its streaming popularity, NBC decided not to produce Season 10 due to cast changes and technological advancements. It became clear that the show’s time had passed, and a new season was impossible. So, it was a wrap for the Dunder Mifflin crew.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
