In light of last week’s brilliant episode of The Office (if you haven’t seen the episode, entitled “PDA”, watch it now), I felt it best to take a closer look at one of the decade’s best and most influential sitcoms.
It makes me pretty sad that The Office doesn’t get the love it used to. While the show has definitely declined in quality since it’s revelatory second and third seasons, there’s still a lot to love about the gang at Dunder-Mifflin. But pretty soon, one of those things to love will not be Michael Scott.
Steve Carell’s long-awaited departure from The Office has been a hot topic at NBC for a while now. When Carell announced at the beginning of the show’s seventh season that he would not return for the mockumentary’s eighth season, the internet lit up with rumors of who would replace him as Regional Manager of Dunder-Mifflin-Sabre. But now, showrunner Paul Lieberstein has announced that Carell will leave the show with four episodes remaining in the seventh season, leaving the office with one question: how will they replace Michael Scott? To pad the impact of Carell’s departure, moviestar and king of frat-boy humor Will Ferrel has agreed to a four episode arc on The Office as Michael Scott’s interim replacement. Lieberstein has made it clear that the show’s creative team is weighing the options of hiring an outside actor to replace Carell or promoting from within. The casting rumors range from NBC favorites to out-of-left-field actors. Here are some of the names that have been mentioned in the running:
Rhys Darby
Producers of The Office reportedly reached out to Darby, to many known as Murray from Flight of the Conchords, to ask if he would join the cast later this season, although Lieberstein and the other Office producers are keeping it close to the vest whether or not Darby’s casting would be for the role of the Manager. Darby’s portrayal of Murray on HBO’s Flight of the Conchords was similarly fun in Murray’s incompetence, making Darby a solid candidate for a Michael Scott-type role. However, Lieberstein has been quoted as saying that the executive producers of The Office are not interested in replacing Michael with a character of the same type, so if Darby were to join the cast, chances are he won’t be playing a hapless worker-type that we have seen from him in the past.
Danny McBride
McBride’s participation is less likely than Darby’s, since Flight Of the Conchords is no longer on the air and McBride is still occupied by his turn on HBO’s Eastbound & Down. You may know Danny McBride from his hilarious turn in Pineapple Express as Red and his not-so-hilarious role alongside Will Ferrel in Land of the Lost.
Ricky Gervais
In the chaos otherwise known as online Office casting speculation, many bloggers have called for the return of David Brent, Ricky Gervais’s iconic character from the original UK version of The Office. And to an extent, they got it. The creator of all things Office and executive producer of the American version made a quick guest appearance in the cold open of the show’s January 27th episode, “The Seminar,” during which he interacts with Michael Scott and asks, in clear wink to the audience, if there are “any jobs going off” at Dunder-Mifflin.
Harvey Keitel
In an interview with E!, Paul Lieberstein said that his number one choice to replace Michael Scott would be none other than Harvey Keitel. Yes, seriously. Keitel, despite his reputation as an established dramatic actor, is the only actor who could pull off the job, according to Lieberstein. I don’t really see how Keitel’s persona would fit into the aesthetic of The Office, but if Keitel were to join the cast, it would certainly be an interesting change of pace. For me it will be hard to take Keitel seriously because despite his roles in such film classics as Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, and Reservoir Dogs, he will always be Little Nicky’s dad to me.
Rumors continue to swirl on the message boards and blogs, but nothing is certain yet. Lieberstein has also said that they may promote from within, citing Andy, Dwight, and Darryl as candidates for the position. In a vast sea of rumors and uncertainty, only one thing is for certain: it’s gonna be an interesting ride for the rest of this season on The Office.
