‘The Office’ Finale Won’t Feature Steve Carell, Creator Confirms
Steve Carell will not return to Dunder Mifflin when The Office airs its series finale on May 16th, creator and showrunner Greg Daniels told reporters during a conference call, Us Weekly reports.
“I think Steve felt, and I agree, that the ‘Goodbye, Michael’ episode was his goodbye and he didn’t want to overshadow the ending that all the other characters deserved,” Daniels said. Carell left the show after seven seasons, when Michael Scott left Scranton for Colorado to marry HR rep Holly Flax.
Closing Time: Saying Goodbye to ‘The Office‘
Although there have been rumors that Carell might return for The Office‘s finale, they’ve all leaned more toward the side of doubtful. “We’re hopeful but I don’t think [Carell] will,” NBC chairman Robert Greenblatt told reporters in January. “He left in the way he wanted to leave, and he and Greg talked about it, and I don’t think he will. There’s maybe a little Hail Mary pass on a cameo, but I think the decision would be compromising his schedule.”
Daniels did reveal a few details about what will happen when The Office wraps up after nine seasons, saying, “After attempting to beat that [British] ending in a number of different ways, we ended up doing something very similar.” Ricky Gervais’ original series concluded with the characters reuniting after becoming reality TV stars.