When Steve Carell leftThe Office,the show faced quite a few challenges in finding a new direction. One of the mainproblems forThe Officeafter Michael leftwas 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 afterThe Officeseason 8.
The Office’sdecline in the later seasonswas partly due to the task of finding someone to lead the show the same way that Michael had. While Robert California was a great choice in offering a new personality that hadn’t really been seen inThe Officebefore, yet maintained the aloofness of Michael, his character quickly became stale, showing how muchSteve 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 thatThe Officewasted 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 inThe 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, asThe Officeseason 9 made Andy one of the most unlikablecharacters 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 notfor Robert California’s great job interview inThe 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 inThe Officewas 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 Officeseason 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 filmingThe Hangover 3meant the character could only appear for half of the season. As a result,The Officesent Andy on a sailing trip with his brother, which changed his character.
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When Helms returned toThe 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. AlthoughThe Officewould never have truly recovered from Carell’s exit, Andy did look like an exciting candidate, but the strange decision to undo his arc meant thatThe Office’s final season fell short.
