With Steve Carrell wrapping up his final season at NBC’s critically-acclaimed The Office, there have been a ton of names surfacing as to which actor is best suited to headline the show moving forward.
Color me less than enthused about the latest name to enter the fray: Will Arnett. Reports have surfaced that Ricky Gervais — who starred in the British version and serves as a producer on the American remake — will not only appear in the season finale but he will be joined by Arnett.
Don’t get me wrong, Arnett is a fine actor; but his track record suggests he is better in small doses rather than carrying a show on his own. I liked the recurring role he had on 30 Rock as the arch nemesis of Alec Baldwin’s character, and he was great as a member of the ensemble cast in the since-canceled FOX series Arrested Development. But it’s no small coincidence that his most recent sitcom, Running Wilde, was shut down by Fox in December after airing for only a few months.
What The Office needs is somebody who is capable of playing as a member of a great supporting cast (which is what Arnett does best) while also managing to carry the show at times (which Arnett has yet to show he can do).
That said, I find Gervais to be a great comic and a good judge of talent, so he must have seen something that made him believe that Arnett is capable of filling Carrell’s giant shoes.
“Had a little meeting with NBC about various things and recommended Will Arnett for a regular in The Office,” Gervais wrote on his blog recently. “Thoughts? I think he’s amazing.”
My thoughts are that I am a big fan of The Office, so I will tune in at the beginning of the season to watch regardless of whom gets cast. Whether my loyalty will be temporary or full-time remains to be seen.
