'The Office' without Michael Scott

"Office" fans everywhere have been saddened to learn that after next season Steve Carell, who plays Michael Scott, will be leaving the show when his contract is up. The Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin Paper will never be the same.

Since the beginning, it has been the awkward, weird and well-intentioned antics of Michael Scott that have reeled in viewers interested to see what predicament workers would find themselves in that week. Scott is well-known for having no idea what is and is not appropriate, never understanding boundaries and always doing things for the benefit of his workers. With this pivotal character gone, what exactly is left?

Without Michael Scott, the wildly charismatic and funny office will face the problem of becoming a normal, boring office. Pam and Jim have already gotten together and had a baby, there has already been the all-too-important episode where a character is outed as gay (Oscar), and we have seen more office romances than should be allowed in any company. What can the writers come up with?

Quite frankly, it will be rather difficult, if not impossible, for "The Office" to live up to expectations in the post-Michael Scott era. The best thing to do would be to end the show when Michael Scott leaves instead of forcing viewers to sit through painful episodes of forced comedy and sub-par plot lines. Even if the writers can come up with a hysterical story line, without Michael Scott there to deliver it, will it really be that hysterical?

A good show should know when to end. It is when networks don't know how to pull the plug that we end up with things like "Saved by the Bell: The College Years." The best thing for "The Office" would be to go out on top.