“Trying to figure out the tone of the show”: Rainn Wilson says The Office cast sensed Steve Carell’s departure ahead of time.

Steve Carell played the overenthusiastic regional manager of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton Branch, Michael Scott, in The Office. The character would mostly annoy his colleagues with his quirky sense of humor. He was an integral part of the mockumentary due to his antiques and attempts at humor, which always creeped out his employees with his try-hard attitude.

However, Carell left The Office after season 7. His departure left a huge hole in the show and was also tough for the other cast members, as Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute, recounted. While on the Good Guys podcast, Wilson revealed how chaotic it was when he left, as they now had to figure out who the lead was and how to keep the show entertaining. He said:

"When Steve left, then it was a little bit chaotic of trying to figure out the tone of the show and who's the lead and how are we telling these stories without the comic engine of the show, which is Michael Scott, and without one of the greatest comic actors in American history at the center of our show."

More on this in our story.

The Office: Rainn Wilson reveals the cast saw it coming

Carell’s Michael Scott was one of the funniest characters on The Office, whose sometimes inappropriate jokes and humor, combined with a decent heart, kept viewers entertained for almost seven seasons before he left. Not just the viewers but even the cast found it tough to move ahead after the departure of such an important character. But Wilson also stated in the podcast that the cast had seen it coming:

"We knew it was coming for a long time."

According to Wilson, Carell was one of the biggest stars and they knew that he would be leaving the show and move forward with other work.

He further added:

"Of course, he's gonna leave The Office when he can. So we were prepared for it, but that was definitely a struggle to find the tone of the show without Steve."

While Wilson shared about how it was tough to find his footing after Carell left, Carell himself had previously discussed his departure on the Office Ladies podcast, hosted by his The Office co-stars Angela Kinsey and Jenna Fischer, in 2024. He stated:

"It was time for other characters to kind of step to the forefront and and other storylines to be pursued. It was just I think it was the right, it was that the timing was right, I think, for everybody. But simultaneously there was just a sense of joy for me that we had experienced all of this and we were getting- I was getting a chance to kind of take a lap with everybody."

He continued:

"And the way, you know, those last few episodes were structured, it felt very rich to me to kind of simultaneously be saying goodbye as Michael and, you know, us as as friends, you know, in this moment of work together. But yeah, it was a lot. It was a very emotional thing."

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With Steve or without, The Office is still among the most loved shows, and every character still has a place in the heart of the fans, even after more than a decade since it wrapped up.

Also Read: Roy was supposed to be at Jim and Pam’s wedding in The Office: Here’s why the idea was dropped at the last moment

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