When Steve Carell told a BBC Radio interviewer earlier this year that he would definitely be leaving The Office when his contract expires at the end of next season, there was some speculation that it may all be a negotiating tactic. However, Carell recently confirmed to E! News that 2010-2011 will be his last in The Office, saying, “I just think it's time. I want to fulfill my contract. When I first signed on I had a contract for seven seasons, and this coming year is my seventh. I just thought it was time for my character to go.”
But Carell doesn’t think that his exit necessarily means the end: “I think it's just a dynamic change to the show, which could be a good thing, actually. Add some new life and some new energy…I see it as a positive in general for the show.” He then added some typically humble deflection about his exit not being a “huge thing,” saying, “The ensemble is so strong, and the writers are great, so it's just one part of that ensemble drifting off. They've incorporated so many new characters and so many new, great storylines that I have no doubt it'll continue as strong if not stronger than ever.”