When Steve Carell announced he’d be leaving “The Office,” NBC worried the star’s absence would further erode the show’s already diminishing ratings. Appearing on “Off the Beat with Brian Baumgartner” — the podcast hosted by his former co-star, who played accountant Kevin Malone — Paul Lieberstein confirmed that while he was showrunner the network insisted on a well-known actor to fill the void. “Which we fought,” Liberstein said. “All of TV was losing its ratings. … We didn’t know how much of a hit we would take with Steve going, but we took a pretty big one.”
An array of A-list comedy talent was introduced, including Will Ferrell, Catherine Tate, Ray Romano, Will Arnett, James Spader, and, most intriguingly, Ricky Gervais, who reprised David Brent, the character in the original British iteration of “The Office” on whom Michael Scott is based. Ultimately, Spader’s character, Robert California, became the new boss. However, not everyone in the cast was happy with the new hire.
Appearing on Baumgartner’s previous podcast, “An Oral History of The Office,” Jenna Fischer said she wished the existing ensemble cast was trusted to carry the show, believing the decision to bring on guest stars as an unnecessary ratings-driven swing. Lieberstein was taken aback by her comments, telling Baumgartner during his appearance, “Even when people came in, they weren’t the focus. … So I’m a little surprised at Jenna’s comment.” In his signature deadpan, he added, I’m not mad, just really, really, really hurt.”
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