People who say that Jim, Pam, Dwight, and every other character from The Office were the soul of the show, can go to hell (in a passive-aggressive way because we don’t wanna be Andy). Because at the end of the day, Blind Guy McSqueezy was the real deal—and even the OG show creator Ricky Gervais was aware of it.
Yes, we’re talking about the lovely, amiable (albeit awkward) regional manager of Dunder Mifflin Scranton, Michael Scott. Believe it or not, but Steve Carell’s cringe comedy with relatability was indeed the crucial element to the show’s success. And once The Office tried replacing Carell with guest stars, the show turned into a failure, much like Ricky Gervais had predicted.
Ricky Gervais had predicted the impact of Steve Carell’s exit on The Office
Ricky Gervais is no stranger to sitcom success. As the mastermind behind The Office (UK), he knew exactly what made the show work. And when the American version took off, Gervais was happy to see it thrive—thanks in large part to Steve Carell’s hilarious portrayal of Michael Scott, who was basically the American David Brent.
But Ricky Gervais, being a wise man and the producer of The Office US saw a storm coming from miles away. He predicted that the NBC sitcom would struggle once Steve Carell left, and well, he wasn’t wrong. Right after Carell’s exit in Season 7, Gervais voiced his concerns while hosting the 68th Golden Globe Awards in 2011.
Got his big break when I cast him in a remake of the show that I created, called The Office. He’s now leaving that show and killing a cash cow for both of us. Please welcome the wonderful and ungrateful Steve Carell.
During the Golden Globes, Ricky Gervais had joked with brutal honesty about the aftermath of Steve Carell’s exit from The Office. While the show stars bid farewell to Carell in the episode Goodbye, Michael, Gervais joked about how the actor’s exit would kill the cash cow—meaning it would lead to the downfall of the show’s success.
And let’s be real, he had a point. The Office without Michael Scott was like a birthday party without cake—sure, the party might go on, but no one’s really going to enjoy it. After all, he was the awkward glue that held Dunder Mifflin together. Steve Carell’s offensive, clueless, and cringeworthy, yet somehow lovable nature made viewers laugh while simultaneously making them feel deeply for his character.
So, losing Steve Carell was like losing the heart of the show, and Ricky Gervais knew it wouldn’t be easy to fill that void.
The Office witnessed an all-time low following Steve Carell’s departure
Soon enough Ricky Gervais saw his fear turn into reality, as The Office tried throwing guest stars into the mix to replace Steve Carell‘s Michael Scott. And yeah, that didn’t go well. No offense to James Spader’s Robert California, but his smug, mysterious energy was no match for Scott’s goofy charm.
And let’s not even talk about Will Ferrell’s Deangelo Vickers—because honestly, the less said, the better. Soon, fans got disappointed, the ratings took a nosedive, and the energy that once made The Office special started fading. No matter how hard NBC tried, the humor felt forced without Michael’s unpredictable antics.
While characters like Jim, Pam, Dwight, and Stanley were certainly important, they couldn’t carry the show, like Steve Carell did single-handedly. So eventually, after two seasons without Carell, NBC had to wrap up the show with the season 9 finale. And if we are totally honest, the magic by then had already faded.
Sure there were funny moments in seasons 8 and 9 after Steve Carell’s exit, but everyone knew deep down that The Office was at its peak when Michael Scott was still the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin.
The Office is currently available to watch on Peacock.
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