Posted in: NBC, TV | Tagged: the office

The Office Felt "A Little Bit Chaotic" After Steve Carell Left: Wilson

Rainn Wilson (Home Delivery) says it felt "a little bit chaotic" during the final two seasons of The Office after star Steve Carell left.

Sometimes, executives and showrunners gamble on whether the momentum of their hit series can carry on after the lead star departs from an ensemble series. It's a practice we often saw on several TV shows like The X-Files, NYPD Blue, Law & Order, and The Office. In the case of the Greg Daniels series based on the UK megahit from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, NBC got two more seasons following the departure of Steve Carell, who played Dunder Mifflin branch manager Michael Scott in the first seven seasons. With guest stars filling leadership positions for the remainder of the series, Rainn Wilson, who played salesman and assistant manager Dwight Schrute for all nine seasons, opened up to The Good Guys podcast about adjusting in the final two seasons.

The Office Star Rainn Wilson on Set Feeling "A Little Bit Chaotic" Following Steve Carell's Departure

"When Steve left, then it was a little bit chaotic trying to figure out the tone of the show and who's the lead and how are we telling these stories without, you know, the comic engine of the show, which is Michael Scott?" Wilson told hosts Josh Peck and Ben Soffer. The Home Delivery star added that the cast was ready, given how much Carell's star power has grown in his final seasons before returning for the finale in 2013, "[He] was such a big movie star at the time. We knew it was coming for a long time."

With Carell's departure, there were opportunities that emerged with guest stars Will Ferrell, James Spader, and Catherine Tate. Bob Odenkirk, who originally auditioned for Carell's role, was cast as Mark, who exhibited Michael-type behaviors in the season nine episode "Moving On." Co-star Jenna Fischer (Pam Beasley), who also appeared in all 188 episodes with Wilson, argued that some of her favorite The Office episodes came after Carell left, telling Deadline, "There were still these amazing storylines." Fischer currently co-hosts the series-themed podcast Office Ladies alongside co-star Angela Kinsey, who played Angela Martin.

As far as the current state of the franchise, we'll see at least one familiar face with the Daniels and Michael Koman-created spinoff series The Paper for Peacock that will feature the return of Oscar Nuñez, who will reprise his role as Oscar Martinez. The series, which shifts the mockumentary focus from the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company to a Midwest newspaper, The Truth Teller, will star Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore and premieres in September. For more on Wilson's life and career, you can check out the episode below.

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