That's what he said: Steve Carell announces departure from "The Office"

After the upcoming season, Michael Scott will leave everybody's favorite paper company -- but the show may go on

Published June 28, 2010 9:15PM (EDT)

Looking for a job? A paper company in Scranton, Pennsylvania may be looking for a new regional manager.

Steve Carell, who plays bungling boss Michael Scott on "The Office," has announced that the show's upcoming seventh season will be his last. "I just think it's time," he tells E! News. "It doesn't certainly mean the end of the show. I think it's just a dynamic change to the show, which could be a good thing, actually. Add some new life and some new energy...I see it as a positive in general for the show."

Er, what? Can anyone envision a scenario in which Michael Scott riding off into the sunset in his Sebring convertible is a good thing for "The Office?" Michael puts the cringe in the show's cringe comedy with his desperate yearning for a family, strange combination of selfishness and loyalty, and utter lack of any sense of boundary. He's the show's vulnerable, pathetic-yet-sympathetic heart.

The series isn't what it used to be, but without him, it won't be anything at all. His departure will leave a hole in "The Office" that can't be satisfactorily filled by anyone else. 

That's what she said. 

For your juvenile enjoyment:


By Jamie Kapalko

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