Keck's Exclusives: Steve Carell's Office Co-Star: Series Should End with Michael's Suicide!

While NBC has hinted at plans to continue The Office once star Steve Carell exits at the end of the upcoming seventh season, some of the show's co-stars feel it might be best to close up Dunder Mifflin for good.

"It's been a funny show, but enough with it already," Oscar Nunez (Oscar) tells me. "I'm surprised we were able to make it wonderful for as long as we did. God bless our writers."

So how should the series end? Noting Michael's erratic behavior throughout the years, Oscar suggests a macabre, yet strangely plausible, scenario that doesn't seem entirely outside the realm of possibility. "Suicide makes sense," says Nunez, who has been aware of Steve's plan to exit for several months. "He should hang himself in the office. Just end in a really dark way."

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But other Office stars are campaigning for a more upbeat exit for their buffoonish boss.

"He's always looking for love," reminds Kate Flannery, who plays Meredith. "Michael Scott's journey has always been that he can run this crazy paper company, but he can't run his own personal life. So I would like to see his personal side triumph."

Specifically, co-star Craig Robinson (Darryl) is rooting for Michael to reunite with an old love. "I'd like to see Michael end up with Holly (Amy Ryan) and head off into the sunset," he says. "They are soul mates."

Kate is one of the few Office co-stars who believes there could still be life in the old paper company without its departing manager, and appreciates NBC's acknowledgement that they can make it on their own.

"Knowing that NBC made a statement that they would continue should Steve leave was a little bit of a sigh of relief," admits Flannery. "I'm not sure whether someone would get bumped up to boss or someone new would come in. I just want to enjoy this year with Steve, because it's not happening yet. We do have one more."

Then, "We're going to try to right our ship without the captain," adds Robinson, acknowledging, "We'll certainly be scrambling. Can we succeed? Who knows?"

As for a new boss coming in to sit at Michael's desk, Craig offers up perhaps the only name that could keep the series running for several more seasons. No, not Heather Locklear or Kirstie Alley, but the star of the original UK version of The Office that inspired NBC's remake. "Bring in Ricky Gervais!" says Robinson.

Nah, counters Nunez. "Ricky Gervais did his version and is done," he says. "Artistically, we should leave the show alone without Steve. But economically if NBC can get someone else to come in, of course they're going to try." 

So, how do you feel? Should the show try to continue without Carell? And how would you feel if Michael's final scene found him hanging by a noose?

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