Steve Carell 'Office' Send-Off to Be Supersized

Steve Carell 'Office' Send-Off to Be Supersized

No one wants to see Steve Carell's Michael Scott leave Dunder Mifflin, least of all the producers of The Office (NBC, Thursday, 9 p.m. ET). But at least those producers appear to be working overtime to soften the blow -- with a supersized, star-studded send-off episode that will air April 28 and run for an extra-special 50 minutes.

Specifics of the April 28 episode's plot aren't known, but one thing we're fairly certain of is this: It will end with Michael and lady love Holly (Amy Ryan) leaving Scranton for Colorado.

As for who will fill Steve Carell's shoes, Ricky Gervais, Will Arnett, Ray Romano, James Spader and British comedian Catherine Tate have all been tapped to appear in the show's May 19 season finale, with some of them reportedly playing applicants vying for Michael's job.

Will Ferrell, meanwhile, kicks off a four-episode arc on the show April 14, playing Michael's replacement, at least temporarily. While Ferrell has alluded to joining the show permanently, it's likely that he was just joking (hey, the guy's a comedian), seeing as he's a huge movie star and isn't slated to appear in the May 19 season ender (at least not to the public's knowledge).

As for Arnett and Spader, it doesn't sound like they're in the running for head honcho at Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch. Office writer Mindy Kaling, who plays Kelly Kapoor on the shwo, tweeted last month that Arnett would be playing the infamous Scranton Strangler, with Spader portraying his lawyer. While some commentators think she was just attempting to throw off the speculators, we think those roles suit Arnett and Spader just fine.

With all these famous faces showing up in the coming weeks, Michael's farewell might be just as sweet as it will be bitter. Hopefully. But however it all ends, one thing is certain: Michael's loss will be deeply felt. That's what she said!

Source: http://www.ivillage.com/steve-carell-office-send-be-supersized/1-a-340187

Janel Moloney Jeri Manthey Jessica Capshaw Joey McIntyre John Billingsley