The Office

What's Next For The Office?

The Office. Definitely an American classic. Because what is America with out our shameless amounts of remakes and rip-offs?

Despite being a remake of a popular British sitcom of the same name, The Office of the U.S. has more than held it's own. It's seventh season is currently airing on NBC, every Thursday night.

*Shameless plug*

The Office is one of my favorite shows on TV right now and is my third favorite show of all time. Recent news has been flying about as the seventh season draws to a close. It was announced during the break between seasons six and seven that Steve Carell (who plays the quirky but lovable manager, Michael Scott) will be leaving the show.

This comes as quite a shock and is incredibly depressing. In my opinion, Michael is the glue that holds the show together; remove him and the whole thing will fall apart.

I honestly don't believe the show can function without Steve, which makes the networks decision to continue with it feel like a stab in the heart. Of course, the show has plenty of characters, all of whom are funny in their own right and the current plan is to run the show and focus on them.

This idea is cool in a way, since it allows for a deeper character exploration of other characters besides Jim and Pam and their beautiful relationship.

Six years leading up to the greatest TV wedding of all time.

Personally, I think that focusing on the smaller characters will be fun. Can't go wrong with a little more Creed in your life; not to mention the more recent addition of new secretary and orphan Erin. So, yes. Life without Michael can potentially be fun...for a little while.

The problem with this "No-Steve" situation is that the entire show revolves around him. Every episode has Michael providing the key plot line while the smaller characters are sub-plots. Thus, some serious rewriting and restructuring is needed for every episode and I'm afraid that the simple humor that is The Office will be lost as each episode bounces between three or four plots.

The writing of the show is about to become a science and will have to be treated as such. What is even more worrisome is the overall weakness of the last two seasons. Granted, all these plot changes could be a set up for something bigger (like the printer problems discovered in the end of season six). However, they will actually have to do something with the plot points (UNLIKE the printer problems discovered in the end of season six).

To make matters worse, the writers are supposedly planning to keep the manager position relatively empty, bringing in guest stars for brief stints and having the Office workers fight over the position. Once again, this seems like it will draw away from the plot points of the lesser characters we're supposed to be exploring.

My thoughts exactly, Kevin.

So, The Office is probably going to be a little touch-and-go next season as the writers try to flesh out the new system. However, they're going to have to find a groove quickly; the lesser characters are going to get boring after about a season.

For now, though, I'm going to enjoy Michael Scott's presence until the summer. For those of you that don't know, they're planning on sending Michael out with a huge bang.

There will be a story arc that spans four episodes leading up to Micheal's exit. This story arc will end with Micheal "getting what he deserves," though we may not necessarily like it. As spooky as that sounds, we can definitely expect some upcoming fun as Will Ferrell will join the show for Michael's final episodes (not to worry, fans. He will not be replacing Michael permanently). Even better, it looks like we get tosee Michael's movie next week!

Yes, Michael's last few days will definitely be fun before Steve leaves us crying in a corner. There is a bit more hope for the upcoming seasons however. Michael's departure will not be the season finale. Instead, we will have a bit of a taste for what life will be like without Michael. And, based on that, we can decide if we're going to keep watching next season.

Keep it up guys. You're our only hope.

Yes, next season of The Office will probably separate the die-hard from the casual fans but stay faithful, Office lovers. We will rebuild. We will survive. But, good grief. We'll miss you, Steve.

I SAID STAY FAITHFUL!