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By using a mockumentary format, The Office followed the lives of office workers at the fictitious Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania. When the show concluded, the central cast members didn’t want to say goodbye. However, the actors knew this one particular moment marked the end of the comedy series.

'The Office' cast
‘The Office’ full cast | Mitchell Haaseth/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

‘The Office’ cast members say a final goodbye to the comedy sitcom 

The Office ran for nine seasons, airing on NBC from 2005 to 2013. Although the cast said a final farewell in The Office Season 9, the cast knew the end was near before that moment. In 2015, actor Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute) sat with Moderator Joshua Horowitz at the AOL Build Speaker Series. 

When asked about the show’s final season, Wilson revealed the core cast members knew The Office needed to end with season nine. “That’s exactly what happened in the final season of The Office,” he said at the time. “We all, me, John [Krasinski], Jenna [Fischer], Ed [Helms], especially were like, ‘This has been fantastic, I love this job, I love you all here, it’s time for this show to end.’” 

Before filming The Office Season 9, Wilson shared that the actors talked to creator Greg Daniels and said the show should end. “We went into Greg’s [Daniels], the producers’ office, and were like, ‘Let’s end, let’s make this the final season a great sendoff,'” he said. “I think every single person was just really ready to end. We did 200 episodes. We had a great time.”

Although Wilson was ready to end the show, he was grateful for the opportunity. “I’m really spoiled,” he said. “Because it’s the greatest work experience ever.”

One cast member played a significant role in the show’s conclusion 

The Office cast: John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, and Steve Carell
The Office cast: John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer, and Steve Carell | Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank
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Even though some cast members expressed their desire for the show to end, John Krasinski played a pivotal role in The Office final season. In Brian Baumgartner’s podcast An Oral History of The Office, former cast members Rainn Wilson, Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly), John Krasinski (Jim Halpert), and creator Greg Daniels talked about the show’s uncertain future after Steve Carell’s exit. 

For seven seasons, the actor played the lovable boss Michael Scott. When Carell departed from the show, the cast felt The Office wouldn’t be the same without him. Despite famous guest stars like Will Ferrel, Ray Romano, and James Spader portraying the manager role, they couldn’t fill Carell’s shoes. 

During the podcast episode, Daniels couldn’t decide whether or not to continue the show after season nine. Then, Daniels recalled a conversation between him and Krasinski. “I think John actually motivated that partly. Krasinski came to me and said, ‘Look, I think we need to do our last season and not continue to keep going. I want you to do it. He was the leader.”

Why did John Krasinski want to end ‘The Office’?

For Krasinski, he wanted to end the show on a high note. “I had a very honest conversation with Greg. He called me about season 9 and said, ‘What do you think?’ and I said, ‘You have to end the show.’”

The actor added, “I don’t want to negotiate – because none of us had contracts – this isn’t about a negotiation. You have to end the show before they end it for us. I remember that feeling of like, ‘We don’t want to be taken out back.’”

The Office is streaming now on Peacock.

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