Steve Carell May Be Leaving 'The Office'

The Office fansite, OfficeTally, has republished an interview Steve Carell did with BBC Radio wherein the actor has indicated that the next season of The Office may just be his last.

While he was doing some promotion work for his recent collaboration with Tina Fey, Date Night, the actor revealed that he was only contracted with the show up until the show's seventh season, which will begin airing this fall. While contracts can obviously be renewed, the actor dropped the bomb when he was asked about how much longer he personally planned to be with the show after that.

"I don't think so. I think that will probably be my last year," he responded.

While this is by no means a sign that season seven will be the show's last, Carell's role as the bumbling boss Michael Scott has been a large part of why the show has been so popular and successful with fans and critics.

It's possible that the in-demand actor is merely using this as a negotiation tactic on the actor's part in order to get a higher pay, but, for now, this news definitely puts the show's fate in question. His departure would certainly shake up the show's chemistry, as a new permanent boss would have to be introduced, whether that means promoting an existing character or introducing a new one. Of course, that's if the show even continues.

The show's British counterpart, which served as the American show's basis, saw the boss character, David Brent (Ricky Gervais), being fired from his company, only to flounder in the wake of his minor celebrity status. Could Michael Scott go out on a similar note, or would Brent's decidedly more likable American counterpart go out on a much happier note - perhaps finally hooking up with Holly?