“The Office”, an American sitcom that is based off of the British comedy, has done a pretty good job holding it’s own in ratings over the last few years. That is until now. Last season Michael Scott, who is played by Steve Carell, announced that he would be leaving the paper company Dunder Mifflin as the office manager. For the story line, it seemed plausable. However, to the millions of fans who have followed the show for years it felt as if there should have been a punchline. Another “that’s what she said” commentary.
Unfortunately, Michael Scott did leave Dunder Mifflin and the season finale for Season 7 was spent interviewing for his replacement. Season 8, which aired on September 22, 2011 had more viewers tuned in than the previous season’s finale. Nielsen Ratings reported 7.63 million viewers watched the opening episode for Season 8, while only 7.07 million viewers watched the season finale for Season 7.
You would think with such a strong hold in the first episode, this season would show to be another win for “The Office”. Apparently this is not the case. Currently, Season 8 is reaching its midpoint and so far it has an average of 6.08 million viewers while Season 7 had an average of 7.6 million viewers. So why the drop in viewers if it has such a strong fan base?
One theory is that Steve Carell helped create the following for the sitcom series. After he announced he was leaving the show, critics were skeptical that James Spader, who plays Robert California, could fill Carell’s shoes. The dynamics of the other characters haven’t really changed to have viewers losing interest. The genius comical element of what office workers only dream of their work life being like is still the basis of the show. The only thing that has changed is the removal of what’s considered to be the heart of the show, Michael Scott.
Now the question will be, will James Spader continue with the show or will Season 8 of “The Office” be his last? And will there be any chance for Steve Carell to come back to the sitcom and give us another one of his lovable one liners? Because let’s face it, Robert California is just creepy.
