When The Office says goodbye this May, it looks like Michael Scott won’t be joining in on the farewell. NBC Chairman Bob Greenblatt revealed to reporters this weekend that the long-lasting Peacock sitcom will close out its nine-season run with a one-hour finale in May but that there are no plans to involve Steve Carell because Carell is satisfied with his character’s exit from the show two years ago in the seventh season episode “Goodbye, Michael.†Greenblatt told the press, “I’m hopeful, but I don’t think he will be back. He left in the way that he wanted that character to leave,†before adding, “There’s maybe a little Hail Mary pass on a cameo, but I think the decision is that he [doesn’t want to compromise] his [original] exit.†When asked about returning by The LA Times in June, Carell explained his feelings:
It hasn’t been discussed … Do you really think that people want to see Michael Scott again? I think the people who say they want to see Michael Scott reappear would be ultimately slightly disappointed. I think you always wish for something that you don’t sincerely want to come true. And I think in a way it’s better to imagine where Michael and Holly are at this point than actually see it.
US Office showrunner/creator Greg Daniels was asked if there were plans to bring back Carell by EW way back in August, saying, “We would certainly wish for it. We’re not going to put so much pressure on Steve by writing something that would only work if he would return. He really loves how he was exited. He’s probably anxious about not messing up such a stylish exit. It’s a perfectly legitimate point. We’ll see.†Carell’s stance makes sense as doing the Office finale could screw up the sweet ending his character had last year, but it just doesn’t feel right for the show to ends its run without Michael Scott when he was such a huge part of it.