While The Office is an incredible ensemble show, Steve Carell's Michael Scott was one of several standout characters, so when he left in Season 7, fans were wondering why. During a BBC radio interview in April 2010, Carell commented that Season 7, which marked the end of his contract, may be his last. In the book The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s by Andy Greene, those close to the show allege NBC had a chance to re-sign Carell. It’s also claimed in the book that Carell wanted to continue on the show, but the network didn’t seem interested in getting a deal done.

By May of that year, NBC brass held a conference call, where it was asked about whether or not Carell would be leaving The Office. NBC’s primetime entertainment president, Angela Bromstad, said, "We hope we can keep him around for a long time." However, then NBC chairman, Jeff Gaspin, was ready to retire Michael Scott, saying, "The Office is a great ensemble show, and the producers are preparing in the event he chooses to move on."

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By that November, Gaspin too was on the way out from his role at NBC, and a new chairman, Bob Greenblatt, was now in charge. Greene’s book alleges those close to the show felt Greenblatt was not a huge fan of The Office when he took the reins and didn’t seem concerned with keeping Carell. By March of the following year, 11 months after that fateful BBC interview, Carell had taped his final episode as a series regular for Season 7. He was moving on, but not before his thunderous departure with one of the most critically acclaimed episodes in the series’ history.

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The touching way Michael Scott left and how it came together is a testament to Carell’s concern for the integrity and deep respect he has for his character. Early on, Carell discussed with the executive producer, Greg Daniels, how he felt the departure should be handled, resulting in Michael Scott’s graceful exit off to Colorado with his fiancé, Holly Flax (Amy Ryan). Together with Daniels, who wrote the episode, Carell helped forge the story for "Goodbye, Michael," directed by Paul Feig. However, this incredible departure also left an empty space in The Office that never seemed to be filled.

It speaks volumes for the influence of Carell that an all-star carousel kept spinning out new famous names and characters that never quite measured up to Michael Scott. From the likes of Will Ferrell, Idris Elba, Jim Carrey, James Spader and Catherine Tate, all were great, but none could duplicate Carell’s lightning in a bottle. After only two more seasons, the show ended.

While there has been talk on and off over the years about whether the offices at Dunder Mifflin would re-open for business, it seems it is still not to be. While speaking to Esquire in 2018, Carell said he didn’t think bringing the show back was a good idea, adding the character of Michael Scott was from a different time ten years ago, and he was concerned it wouldn’t work the same way today. Without wanting to tarnish what’s been done, it seems Carell is eager to preserve the future of The Office by leaving the show and Michael Scott in the past.

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