Why The Office is Better Without Michael Scott

Out of all the things I’ll ever write, this is probably the most controversial: “Why The Office is better without Michael Scott.” That translates into “Why The Office is better without Steve Carell,” which of course means you all think I hate Steve Carell.

Not true. I love Steve Carell. In my mind, he’s just the male version of Tina Fey, and considering Tina Fey is my all-time-forever life hero and current soul twin, that should give you a decent idea about how I feel about Steve Carell.

I love the man. I don’t think he walks on water — he walks on air. I think it’s beyond ridiculous that he never won an Emmy for his performance as Michael Scott, and I still watch the clip where he steals Ricky Gervais’. I cried, actual real tears and threw what can only be described as an internet tantrum, worthy of the brattiest of two-year-olds when I found out he voluntarily chose to leave The Office.

During his tenure at Dunder Mifflin, Steve Carell shined. There’s no other word for it — he went from being somewhat recognizable, to being known for having his chest hair violently waxed off in a movie, to being a verifiable household name. Everyone knows Steve Carell. Everyone knows how talented and funny and all-around remarkable he is.

But that can cause trouble for an ensemble comedy. When you have someone like Steve Carell, there’s no need to worry about whether the joke is over-the-top funny or just mildly amusing, because Steve will make it amazing in whatever magical way Steve makes everything amazing. There’s no need to flesh out the backstories of the rest of the Dunder Mifflinites because Michael Scott is the all-consuming sun to their comparatively miniscule solar system. There simply wasn’t room for anyone else, save Jim and Pam and their everyday perfect love story, Dwight’s occasional antics and maybe an Andy-does-a-capella gag.

But now — now without Steve Carell and Michael Scott — the office has gotten a lot bigger. Andy — not the ever-so-insane Dwight, not the normal, everyman Jim, but Andy — is the boss, and that brings with it a whole new set of trials and tribulations, missteps and misgivings. Darryl got to something besides being the token black man, Angela has an over-arching storyline about more than her affair with Dwight four years ago, and Erin went from receptionist and minor background player to The Office’s hidden gem.

The trouble with having an ensemble comedy with a star as bright as Steve Carell is that there, quite literally, isn’t room for anyone else. It would be weird and unfitting for Michael Scott to step aside and let Dwight take center stage, but it’s not weird for Andy Bernard to do the same.

The Office still hasn’t lost its characteristic, “this is realistic in the kind of way that makes you believe it could happen, even if you know it’s too over the top to actually happen,” mentality. Could Michael Scott manage the Scranton branch for seven years without getting fired or moving on, and surviving as manager even when Dunder Mifflin’s was bought out? Probably not. But could Robert California get hired as manager and succeed to CEO within months, then just hang around Scranton, PA when the main offices are in Tallahassee, seemingly for no good reason other than to make his employees paranoid? Probably not. The hapless, fantastical disillusion isn’t gone — it’s even better now.

Without the Steve-sun shining and blinding everyone with its intensity, everyone’s stars have become that much brighter. Andy as manager and Robert California as CEO brought us Jim’s smug bedbug dance and Dwight’s subsequent extermination in “After Hours,” season 8, episode 16. Now my favorite Dwight-Jim interaction since “bears, beets, Battlestar Galactica.” It’s given us Robert California’s pool party, Angela and not-Dwight’s baby, and the misguided and somewhat naïve romance between Erin and Andy. It even gave us back the infamous Todd Packer and gifted us Catherine Tate (as Nellie) from across the pond.

Life without Michael Scott isn’t the barren and boundless television wasteland I imagined it would be. It’s even brighter, funnier. It has more sparkle. The Office had gotten stale, unoriginal and downright boring at times. Without the Steve Carell crutch, the show has picked itself up by its bootstraps, generating more creativity, and new storylines and new locations. The four episodes set in Tallahasse,, season 8, episodes 15-18, are the funniest, most jaw-droppingly hilarious Office episodes I’ve seen in recent years. It’s a different kind of humor, the kind that’s actually funny, the likes of which I haven’t seen from Scranton since the second or third season.

Michael Scott isn’t coming back, but a bright, beautiful phoenix has risen in his place, and it’s plumage has the preppy pastel of Andy Bernard, the classic mustard-yellow Dwight, and the bright pink Kelly Kapoor cannot live without.

Come on. Tell me that’s not something you want to see.

7 COMMENTS

  1. Well, your opinion is definitely in the minority, but I’m right there with you.  I honestly thought this last season of The Office was one of it’s best.  Most people seem to think the show has gone downhill, and ratings have slipped significantly.  But then again, we live in a world where Two and a Half men is the number one sitcom while brilliant shows like Community and Cougar Town live in permanent threat of cancellation.

  2. To give credit where credit is due. Season 8 was ok. It had it’s moments and I’ve always loved all the characters(except the for new Catherine Tate as Nellie. She annoys the hell out of me) from “The Office” but as far as I’m concern Michael G. Scott was the show. Steve Carell (Michael G. Scott,) you’re are sourly missed by most fans
    ….That’s What She Said:(

  3. It got to the point where he was so over the top, I enjoyed many scenes more when he wasn’t around and wished he was toned down a little. His stupidity is humorous, definitely, but in later seasons he does horrible things and it is played off as just ‘childlike ignorance’. I mean it gets to the point where he says and does mean things. While putting drugs in Toby’s desk is a funny moment, it just seemed so unlike the rather tame (but idiotic) Michael from earlier seasons.
    Anyways, I told a friend I thought Michael Scott was obnoxious and they were mad at me for almost a week. We actually argued and they got mad.

    I realize it’s an unpopular decision, as Katie Snyder mentioned, but I was kind of glad he was leaving. Andy became less annoying and I enjoyed seeing him run the show. By season 6, Michael was no longer the reason I watched the show.

    Jeez I wrote an essay here. And like two years late…

  4. In all honesty, I never much cared for Micheal. Okay, I thought he was funny at times and Steve Carell is an amazing actor, but the thing that got me was his overwhelming desire to control everything, and be the center of attention. Maybe it’s just because I’ve had too many people in my life like that, but the first time I can firmly say I hated him was the season 3 premiere. ‘Gay witch hunt’. I had no problem when he wanted to know who was gay, but then he outed Oscar and it made me so mad because you just don’t do that. Now, this episode is also one of my more liked episodes because someone finally put their foot down to Micheal. Then there was the first Christmas episode they had. Micheal got a homemade over mitt. While other people would probably not like it, they would appreciate the time and effort that went into the gift. Micheal on the other hand was concerned with the dollar amount.
    Micheal also has a tendency to try and ‘fix’ problems. He thinks when he steps in and does something that clearly makes the problem worse, he’s done a good thing.

    I’m being too hard on the guy. I may not have liked him, but I did hold him close to my heart because hey, Steve Carell, and he can be genuinely funny at times. He’s fourth favourite behind Dwight (who reminds me a lot of my brother), Pam because she cares and is also funny, and Jim because mmm best

    BUT DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON ANGELA

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