When Steve Carell left problems for The Office after Michael left was who would replace the lovable Dunder Mifflin manager. James Spader's Robert California was a great Carell replacement initially, having been introduced in season 7's finale, but there were some apparent issues with the character. Robert seemed to be nerfed from his first appearance, which led to him quickly being disliked by fans, despite Spader's brilliant reputation. Consequently, Spader left the show after The Office season 8.
Steve Carell's Michael Scott saved the show. However, the one character that could have been the perfect Michael replacement is Andy Bernard (Ed Helms), making it a shame that The Office wasted the opportunity after season 7.
Andy Bernard Was The Perfect Replacement For Michael Scott
Andy's Character Arc Set Him Up To Be A Great Leader
When Andy Bernard is first introduced in The Office, he is an abrasive addition to the cast and his annoying personality haunts Jim (John Krasinski) at Stamford's branch of Dunder Mifflin. However, as the Regional Director of Sales at Stamford, Andy proves himself to be an aloof leader, demonstrating similar characteristics to the wild antics of Michael. He began to fit in quite well with his colleagues, becoming a well-loved character. Unfortunately, this changed over time, as The Office season 9 made Andy one of the most unlikable characters for no reason.
When Andy was working in sales alongside Jim and Dwight, he was a notable fan favorite.
Before season 9, when Andy was working alongside Jim and Dwight (Rainn Wilson), he was a notable fan favorite. Having been demoted from director of sales, Andy is no longer in charge, which humbles and calms his personality somewhat. In fact, during this period, Andy manages to form a relationship with both Angela (Angela Kinsey) and Erin (Ellie Kemper), two sensible women, and briefly holds Michael's job as regional manager, illustrating his character arc. It even looked likely Andy would take over as the fun new manager for the foreseeable future, if not for Robert California's great job interview in The Office.
By Ruining Andy, The Office Wasted Its Only Chance At Replacing Michael
Andy's Character Development Was Undone In Season 9
Andy's change in The Office was worse due to Michael's exit, as it meant the show had wasted its only chance at succeeding the manager. Having secured the role of office manager at the end of season 8, The Office season 9 looked to be back on track, with Andy as the perfect Michael Scott replacement. However, this quickly came undone as Ed Helms' commitment to filming The Hangover 3 meant the character could only appear for half of the season. As a result, The Office sent Andy on a sailing trip with his brother, which changed his character.
Steve Carell’s The Office Successor Was Missing The One Thing That Made Michael Scott So Good
Steve Carell's The Office successor Netflix show, Space Force, had a big problem with it's ing characters despite its high production value.
When Helms returned to The Office, Andy's was completely different, seemingly undoing years of character development. Instead of the toned-down personality who had worked on his anger management and pursued two successful relationships, Andy returned to the same arrogant persona of his first appearance, leaving many disappointed. Andy was no longer a cringe-worthy but well-meaning character, but an unabashedly arrogant manager. Although The Office would never have truly recovered from Carell's exit, Andy did look like an exciting candidate, but the strange decision to undo his arc meant that The Office's final season fell short.
The Office
- Release Date
- 2005 - 2013-00-00
- Network
- NBC
- Showrunner
- Greg Daniels
Cast
Michael Scott
Dwight Schrute
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Greg Daniels, Paul Lieberstein, Paul Feig, Randall Einhorn, Ken Kwapis
- Writers
- Ricky Gervais, Greg Daniels, B.J. Novak
- Franchise(s)
- The Office
- Creator(s)
- Greg Daniels
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