Rainn Wilson Gets Real About Steve Carrell’s ‘The Office’ Departure: The Show Was a ‘Struggle’

Let’s just get it out in the open: When Steve Carell walked out of Dunder Mifflin’s office in Season 7 with a “World’s Best Boss” mug in one hand and our hearts in the other, the show changed. Sure, we stuck around for two more seasons. We still laughed. We still side-eyed Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) trying (hard) to be regional manager. But something was off. 

In a recent interview, Rainn Wilson, who played beet plantation owner Dwight Schrute, admitted that the show struggled after Carell left. Trying to keep The Office funny after Season 7 was a hurdle the cast and crew needed to overcome. 

Wilson appeared on the Good Guys podcast (via Variety) and shared the difficulties of continuing with the series after Carell left. “When Steve left, then it was a little bit chaotic of 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, and without one of the greatest comic actors in American history at the center of our show. That was also a struggle.” Wilson explained.  

Carell undeniably left the show because his career as a movie star had already begun, something that the cast and crew knew and expected. Wilson said, “We knew it was coming for a long time.”  

While still playing Michael Scott, he went on to star in movies like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Evan Almighty, Get Smart, Date Night, Despicable Me (which later became a successful franchise), and Crazy, Stupid, Love. 

The Office enjoyed moderately positive reviews from critics. But, understandably, the eighth season was criticized for a decline in quality. However, the ninth and final season was met with a positive response.  

Rolling Stone included the show in its list of 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. It’s no wonder its creator, Greg Daniels, tried to expand the franchise. Daniels told The Wrap in an interview in 2023 (via US Weekly), “The notion of maybe something like the way The Mandalorian is a new show in the Star Wars universe, you know what I mean? Something like the notion of this documentary crew doing a documentary about a different subject.”  

The spin-off, The Paper, is set in the same universe as The Office. However, the story shifts from a paper company to a struggling Midwestern newspaper fighting to stay afloat. In a bid to bring it back to life, a group of volunteers takes on the challenge. A familiar documentary crew captures every moment. 

Peacock will premiere The Paper this September.