Michael Scott’s departure from The Office still stands as one of the most emotional farewells in television history. After being the heart of the series and the company, Steve Carell’s character felt more central to the storyline than any other character. Having him leave to pursue other things in his life felt bittersweet in the most gut-wrenching ways possible.
So much so, that many wanted his character to come back in any way possible. This feeling wasn’t isolated to fans, as one can imagine that the cast and crew also wanted Carell to stay alone for as long as he could. In fact, Ricky Gervais seemed to have a lot of power in his hands when it came to Carell leaving.
However, the executive producer of the series revealed that he did not want to talk Carell out of his decision.
Ricky Gervais had a lot of sway in The Office’s future
When one wonders about Ricky Gervais’ relationship with the American version of The Office, it is easy to assume that it would be hostile. He starred in the original UK version of the series, only to have the American version become more successful than his own. However, Gervais also took a lot of benefits from Steve Carell’s version of the series.
Playing the role of the executive producer of the series, he had a lot of sway in what happened in the series, be it behind the scenes or onscreen. Unfortunately, this also meant that he had a lot of authority when Carell was making his decision to leave the show in its seventh season.
According to The Irish Examiner, Gervais’ opinions on Michael’s exit are quite interesting. He started by revealing that a lot of the cast and crew were expecting him to change Carell’s mind when he decided to leave the series. With the series being at its peak and making buckets of money for those who were involved, it is not surprising that Gervais felt a certain pressure on his shoulders.
It was expected of me, as executive producer, to persuade him to stay on. With syndication in full swing the more successful the show remains, the more billions we all make.
At the same time, he was also very empathetic towards Carell’s perspective, favoring that more than profits and vanity.
Ricky Gervais supported Steve Carell’s decision
Ricky Gervais revealed that he was actually quite supportive of Steve Carell’s decision to leave The Office, going as far as to say that it was the right thing to do. Although many fans may be very upset with this opinion, the British comedian’s perspective made a lot of sense.
He pointed out that Carell’s contract had expired by that time and the series had given him as much success and recognition as it possibly could. Additionally, Carell’s career outside of the sitcom was also going very well, starring in films like Crazy, Stupid, Love, 40-Year-Old Virgin, and even Despicable Me.
It was tempting, but the truth is, I believe he is doing the right thing. He’s fulfilled his contract and more, and is a huge film star now. I knocked it on the head after 12 episodes and a Christmas special.
Considering this, Gervais pointed out that it was perfect timing for him to explore other roads for his career. Fully believing the decision to be right, he even added that he could not want the actor to come back, telling Carell to get onto a similar path as himself.
I’d be lying if I said he should do more. He shouldn’t. He should move on, continue to do great work, and buy a new house every time ‘The Office’ is repeated somewhere. (That’s what I do. Maybe I’ll buy one next door to him one day. That’ll teach him.)
Michael Scott still remains a timeless character, and fans would not want his story to go any other way, even if he left the series too soon.
The Office is available for streaming on Netflix.
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