Okay, I have barely been watching The Office this season, just because… you know, I have other junk to do, other stuff to watch and the show really isn’t that good anymore. But I had seen the promos that last night’s episode was going to be “The Proposal” and since Bones was a repeat, I watched it. I was shocked to find myself crying for a good five minutes! It was a beautifully written episode, and they gave fans of the show the perfect Michael Scott proposal. And I simply love Amy Ryan – she’s such an incredibly gifted dramatic actress, and she’s so wonderful and dry and moving in this role of a funky, sweet, cheesy HR rep. I don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t watched it yet, but it’s really, really good, and they gave Michael Scott a really good reason to leave the show.
So, yes, Michael Scott/Steve Carell is leaving, and there has been endless speculation as to who would replace him. I had my money on Will Arnett, alum of Arrested Development and one of my favorite guest stars on 30 Rock (he was on last night’s 30 Rock too, as was Oscar-winning screenwriter AARON SORKIN, which was one of the most awesome things ever). Anyway, it turns out that Carell’s replacement is… Will Ferrell! Well, Will is coming in for four episodes, after that, who knows? Show runner/producer Paul Lieberstein (Toby!) tells Deadline: “We are proud to continue The Office’s tradition of discovering famous talent… and we hope that once America gets a good look at Will, they’ll see what we see, tremendous raw sexuality.”
Photos courtesy of WENN.
@kaiser
I thought I was the only dork crying last night. So glad to know that you were right there with me!
It was incredibly moving! They hit all the right notes. It was lovely.
will ferrell…meh
Paul Lieberstein (Toby!) tells Deadline: “We are proud to continue The Office’s tradition of discovering famous talent… and we hope that once America gets a good look at Will, they’ll see what we see, tremendous raw sexuality.”
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
This is why I continue to watch, even though this season has been horrible. The writing CAN be fantastic.
I will watch the show to the end, but it definitely hasn’t been as good in the last 2 or 3 seasons – but last night, when Michael opened the door and everyone was standing there with candles, I totally teared up. The whole thing was so sweet, and I’m so glad the character is leaving for a reason that makes sense and is HAPPY.
Kaiser, do you watch Parks & Rec too? If you don’t, you HAVE TO. It’s as funny (if not more) than the Office in it’s prime, but it’s also incredibly sweet.
Aww Boooo! I ended up not watching the whole episode and because I’m in Canada I can’t find it online. Stupid NBC! I ended up getting sucked into that Bones episode, the way Bones watches Jersey Shore as a documentary on the ‘Guido’Tribe was HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!!
LOVED it! Sweet and satisfying.
I totally cried my eyes out!! My boyfriend’s name is also Michael and we are planning on getting engaged soon so it hit very close to home! I loved it!!
I too shamelessly cried.
I love watching the office reruns and haven’t been watching the new season too much. I will definitely watch this episode, Will Ferrell is not a good replacement in my opinion. He is not funny, just spastic.
i dvred it and cant wait to watch it!
I missed it but I now have to see this episode. I bet Kaiser is still sweeping up the pistachio shells this morning.
If Will can keep his over acting to a minimum, he could do a great job. The thing about Steve is that for the most part one could believe in his unconscious ineptitude.
I’ve been watching this season off and on but last night’s episode was the best of this season so far it was really sweet and funny and just… I’m really gonna miss Steve Carrell when he leaves The Office.
I didn’t cry but I did have the biggest idiot grin on my face the whole time it was happening. I was so happy for Michael.
The last few seasons of the office have really been forgettable but I hope Steve Carrell leaving may revitalize the show or change the dynamic a little. He’s a great actor but the show does need some major changes to make it good again.
I hope that Will Arnett is Steve’s replacement. He is awesome. I must disagree with Melanie. Just because.
Blah….Will Ferrell. I’ll probably stop watching the show now.
I was hoping for Ricky Gervais.
I’d be really, really surprised if Will Ferrell end up as the new boss permanently. I think he’s going to do a few episodes and move on, and then the real new boss will happen. But who knows.
I adore Will Arnett, but have never liked him in anything as much as Arrested Development (though he’s pretty great on 30 Rock). He might be interesting on the Office, but either way I hope he lands a new show.
i love this show. i cried at the pam and jim story line and misted last night. im a little concerned about will taking over (i love him no matter what) but hes such a presence and steve carell has been so complimentary to the cast and the characters mesh has been perfect. sad hes leaving, glad its continuing.
what a great show.
i also have to get a nod out to ” community”. ive only seen it twice, but it was hilarious, cast well, written great and has that same magic mesh of story lines.
Glad to know I wasn’t the only one who cried.
I LOVED last night’s Office…I love Holly and Michael together!
Semi-unrelated: I always wonder why Amy Ryan didn’t have a bigger movie career after Gone Baby Gone….
if WF is like ron burgundy in the office, it’ll be great….
I can’t read the story in depth because we’re so far behind in the uk, Jim and Pam haven’t even got married yet!
I adore the character Michael Scott, he is the Office to me. It’s the only comedy that properly makes me laugh. I think Steve Carrell is the best comedic actor around at present…especially loved him in Little Miss Sunshine.
Sadly Will Farrell has never made me laugh. He’s right up in your face, there’s no subtlety.
Will Ferrell could be great in this role. I think the key is to make sure the replacement is completely unlike Michael Scott, which I think a Ferrell character would absolutely be. I personally was hoping for Ricky Gervais, but either one of the two would be fantastic. Imagine the weirdness of Will Ferrell’s character interacting with the weirdness of Dwight… Amazing!
I love Will Ferrell. I may start to watch The Office now.
when i heard that Steve Carell is leaving i just stopped watching.it was the last straw!but god knows i love Will Ferrell so i’ll give the office a second chance 😀
there was a time that i was obsessed with that show.it deserves a second chance…
Ew. Can’t stand Will Ferrell anymore. I guess I’ll be deleting this one off the PVR from now on.
This is what I think should happen: Will Farrell starts off as a straight guy. Totally serious boss, boring. He’d make all the characters in the office really miss Michael Scott. Sort of a white Charles Minor, right?
But then SLOWLY the crazy should be allowed to come out. And it’s a different kind of crazy than Michael Scott, but still crazy. And crazier, because when he finally lets it all out, corporate realizes they have to get rid of him and boom, he’s gone.
That story arc would last 3-5 episodes and then we’re into next spring and they can wrap it up from there and boom series finale.
The writers owe me fifty bucks.
I’m glad to know it wasn’t just the pregnancy hormones getting to me—i bawled buckets!!! my husband even tried to make me feel better, lol!!! as if i was sad? dork!
it was awesome. absolutely perfect.
I will miss Steve Carell but maybe adding Will will shake things up. I’ll admit to also not watching the show this season. It kind of lost it charm.
SPOILERS IN THE TITLE SHOULD BE A NO NO!!
thanks a lot, i dvr’ed it, havent seen it yet.
Used to be a HUGE fan of the show…until this past season. It just became so painfully bad and unwatchable! Steve Carrell’s character you just wanted to punch in the head..Jim and Pam…Y-A-W-N…and all the other peripheral characters have become caricatures.
PLEASE bring Will Arnett in for the new boss role! If he’s even a fraction as good as the way he was on Arrested Development, they’ll get me back as a viewer.
Until then…I’ll just watch the prior seasons in reruns…when it was GOOD!
Oh yeah. And fire Mindy Kaling as head writer. She SUCKS!!!
Will Ferrell is one of my favorite actors to work with. He’s such a nice man.
Love me some Will!!! He will be great in this role. I thought he should have been casted as the boss from day 1. He is much funnier and a better actor than Steve.
There are no spoilers in the title for the latest episode.
Will Ferrell won’t be the new permanent manager-Rainn Wilson pretty much squashed that rumor (mentioning that Will makes 20 million a film-why would he stay on a tv show? though he could have been joking…)
Ricky Gervais and Will Arnett both have guesting roles later on but I highly doubt Ricky Gervais will want to be on the show for very long. He seems to like the writing aspects of television far more than acting. He’ll likely do another blink-and-you-miss-him blip.
Ick. I’ve seen The Office a few times, but I hate Steve Carell so much that I couldn’t watch it regularly. Will Ferrell is even worse! Damn shame.
I cried. And then I had a snack.
Ricky Gervais. That’d have me back for the first time in a long time.
It’s been known for some time that Ferrell was coming on, so that wasn’t a spoiler.
I’m glad he’s not permanent. To me Will is a one trick pony.
Loved last night’s episode. It was perfect.
I HATED that proposal.
What was with all the random other office members asking her to marry them? That’s just embarrassing.
In Canada go to GlobalTV.com on the Internet, you can watch it there. It was a great show, I loved it, but I will miss them both on this show.
I’m not sure Will Ferrell is any better than Steve Carrell. Hate them both. I wish Michael Scott had just left at the beginning of this (painful) season.
I want Will Arnett to join the cast!
Rhys Darby would have been a perfect replacement, shame he missed out.
I agree the show hasn’t been that great the last few seasons. And it pains me to say that because I really do love it. I got all misty last night watching it too! And then, when the sprinklers went off, it was just perfect 🙂 I am so happy for Michael and Holly.
I agree to the poster who recommended Parks and Rec. It is hilarious AND sweet! Plus, I work for a municipality like they do and some of the “ridiculous” stuff that happens on the show? Yeah, that sh!t really happens. LOL It’s just funnier on TV.