To put it plainly, "The Office" has never really recovered after the departure of Steve Carell. In fact, one could argue the show peaked during season five, his third to last run on the show, and began a downward decline that was only exacerabated by the hunt for a new office manager and a switch in corporate ownership for Dunder Mifflin. It has long retreated for the sharp and funny early seasons, and it is now ready to say goodbye as executive producer Greg Daniels has revealed that the upcoming ninth season will also be the last.
"At some point you have a choice: to always tell the beginnings of stories and the middles or to allow a story to end, and I think endings can be very powerful and meaningful pieces of the story," Daniels told reporters, as he revealed he pitched the network on ending the series. "If we didn't let it end this year, I don't know if we would have been able to tell the endings for so many characters that I really want to know the endings for."
And while just what the fate of Jim, Pam, Ryan, Kelly, Erin, Dwight, Stanley, Phyllis, Oscar, Kevin, Andy, Angela and the rest might be, and we'd guess they'll be keeping that under lock and key until the finale, we will get the answer to one question everyone has had since the very beginning. "We'll see who's behind the documentary, and we'll meet some of them," Daniels teased.
We have to admit, that alone is making us curious to tune in for season nine, even as awful as the show has become. And as for Michael Scott, don't count out his return just yet, but the ball will be in Steve Carell's court. "We have ideas for the ending, and obviously if he would participate, we would have a lot of good times. The idea will fly without him if he can't make it. He is pretty busy," Daniels shared. And if he does come back, we really hope that means the return of Holly Flax and the awesome Amy Ryan as well. And we'd also love some more David Wallace by the underrated Andy Buckley.
And while we'll have to wait and see what will happen to the cast once they scatter after "The Office," plans continue to move forward for the Dwight Scrute spinoff no one seems that enthused about, "The Farm." So are you ready to say goodbye to "The Office"? Any favorite episodes? [THR]