Boss
Take a Memo:
This week is the final episode of The Office. For 9 seasons, this has been one of the funniest shows on television, and one of the most popular in TV history. The show endured a major blow a few seasons back, when Steve Carell did not renew his contract, and many say this was the inevitable death knell. Since that time, the producers and writers have struggled to find their 'sea legs' again, and in many ways, the dynamics of the show changed.
Maybe it is because I have always loved this show, but I am in the camp who still believe the show was great, even without the presence of Carell. Yes, it's a different show without Michael Scott, but I think this forced the other characters to emerge and develop, where they were previously subdued and relegated to supporting roles. I have enjoyed watching the progression.
Season 8 was not the best season, in many ways, it was a hot mess. It seemed as if the writers were lost, searching for that 'magic' lost in the void of Carell's absence. James Spader was okay, but didn't seem to quite hit the mark, he just didn't "fit" in the scheme. The same with Kathy Bates and others who were brought in to shore up the cast. In my opinion, retrospectively, I think they would have been better served to focus more on the remaining cast of characters, rather than trying to replace what was lost with Carell.
When the final history is written on The Office, it will definitely be remembered as the Carell Era vs. the Post-Carell Era, and this is apparent on any message board where fans of the show can express an opinion. If I have to read, one more time, about how the show hasn't been the same since Steve Carell left, I may go crazy. Yes, I get it, it's not the same! But even without Carell, the show was still very funny to me, and I still enjoyed the last few seasons. For some of the supporting characters, their best moments have been in the past few seasons.
I hate that NBC pulled the plug on a possible Rainn Wilson spin-off, because I would have certainly watched it. The characters who were set to star in The Farm are hilarious to me. Perhaps some sense of nostalgia will kick in after The Office is put to bed, and NBC will revive the idea? Probably not, since Wilson has already signed on to another show, but anything can happen in television, so you never know.
In any event, I wanted to post a thread on this, because I am sure there are some fans still out there, who will be watching the swan song.
Maybe it is because I have always loved this show, but I am in the camp who still believe the show was great, even without the presence of Carell. Yes, it's a different show without Michael Scott, but I think this forced the other characters to emerge and develop, where they were previously subdued and relegated to supporting roles. I have enjoyed watching the progression.
Season 8 was not the best season, in many ways, it was a hot mess. It seemed as if the writers were lost, searching for that 'magic' lost in the void of Carell's absence. James Spader was okay, but didn't seem to quite hit the mark, he just didn't "fit" in the scheme. The same with Kathy Bates and others who were brought in to shore up the cast. In my opinion, retrospectively, I think they would have been better served to focus more on the remaining cast of characters, rather than trying to replace what was lost with Carell.
When the final history is written on The Office, it will definitely be remembered as the Carell Era vs. the Post-Carell Era, and this is apparent on any message board where fans of the show can express an opinion. If I have to read, one more time, about how the show hasn't been the same since Steve Carell left, I may go crazy. Yes, I get it, it's not the same! But even without Carell, the show was still very funny to me, and I still enjoyed the last few seasons. For some of the supporting characters, their best moments have been in the past few seasons.
I hate that NBC pulled the plug on a possible Rainn Wilson spin-off, because I would have certainly watched it. The characters who were set to star in The Farm are hilarious to me. Perhaps some sense of nostalgia will kick in after The Office is put to bed, and NBC will revive the idea? Probably not, since Wilson has already signed on to another show, but anything can happen in television, so you never know.
In any event, I wanted to post a thread on this, because I am sure there are some fans still out there, who will be watching the swan song.
