The Office series finale aired on May 16, 2013, but in a spiritual sense, the show’s final episode was two years earlier. In “Goodbye, Michael,” which turns 10 years old today, Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell) leaves Dunder Mifflin Paper Company to move to Colorado with his then-fiancée, Holly (Amy Ryan). As Oscar (Oscar Martinez) told Yahoo! Entertainment, “It was like, ‘Wow, the show’s over, and now we’re going to do another show without Steve.’ Someone’s going to come in and be the boss. The Office was over: Steve left, and now it’s another show.” The sitcom lasted two more seasons, but it was never the same (even though I will defend Robert California to my dying day).
It was an emotional farewell for everyone:
“People were crying all over the place,” Nunez remembers. “It was very emotional.” Eventually, [creator Greg] Daniels had to step in and tell the cast to keep a stiff upper lip. “The hardest part was just saying to the actors, ‘This is a comedy show, you can’t cry in every scene with Steve! Try to care a little bit less.'”
Kate Flannery (Meredith) also discussed her memories of “Goodbye, Michael,” including the gift that Carell gave to his co-workers. “When Steve left The Office, he gave everybody a Rolex watch,” she said. “I still wear it. It reminds of me that amazing experience.” (Carell was also given a gift: still being number one on the call sheet.)
The Office is currently streaming on Peacock.
(Via Yahoo! Entertainment)
