‘The Office’: Fans Divided Over This Character — It ‘Took a Weird Turn’
During the series run of The Office, there were many memorable characters — some were fan-favorites and others weren’t so cherished. One character that most fans agreed they couldn’t stand was Deangelo Vickers, played by Will Ferrell.
Will Ferrell stepped in when Steve Carell left
As Steve Carell, who played Michael Scott, was on his way out in season 7, The Office recruited a big name to step in for a handful of episodes. Ferrell was cast as branch manager Deangelo Vickers and appeared on four episodes — three with Carell and one after Michael Scott had left.
When the casting decision was announced in 2011, executive producer Paul Lieberstein, who plays Toby Flenderson as well, said in a statement, “We found Steve Carell when he was nothing but a movie star and we turned him into a television star. We are proud to continue The Office’s tradition of discovering famous talent, and we hope that once America gets a good look at Will, they’ll see what we see, tremendous raw sexuality.”
In a 2011 interview with Morning Edition, Ferrell revealed that it was his idea to make the guest appearance.
“I really haven’t done much episodic television, and I really didn’t have much going on in terms of film and production, so I said absolutely, I would love it,” Ferrell explained at the time. “It was a little intimidating at first because that cast is like a well-oiled machine and they know each other so well.”
‘Office’ fans didn’t like Deangelo Vickers
Fans weren’t on board with Ferrell’s character and a Reddit thread at the time discussing his storyline had many agreeing that he wasn’t a good addition.
One Redditor noted, “After tonight, I’m glad Ferrell is only around for 3 more episodes” and another shared, “I agree — I thought it was brutally bad. He COULD have been a good fit and they started off on the right foot having him be similar (but not the same) to Michael. The second you get a more standard boss the sooner we all stop watching because we already watch that sitcom all day all week.”
“At first, I thought it was going to be the greatest thing in the world,” one fan wrote at the time. “But it somehow took a weird turn that I can’t quite put my finger on. maybe the combination of Michael inevitably leaving and the Andy jokes…”
Fans still have mixed feelings about Ferrell during repeat viewings
After fans of the show had the opportunity to see Ferrell’s arc play out and the show continue on after Michael Scott left, the Deangelo Vickers character was just a blip in the span of the series. Upon repeat viewings of the show, however, fans still have mixed feelings.
In a 2015 Reddit thread, one user asked if people skip the Will Ferrell episodes, explaining, “I don’t really have anything against Will Ferrell, I just think his character/personality doesn’t really fit the show, and I can’t stand the couple episodes that he’s in. I can barely even watch Goodbye, Michael, which doesn’t have much Will Ferrell in it at all, but I power through because it’s a good episode. But I skip the last Dundies and the inner circle and all those Ferrell-centric episodes.”
Some agreed, with one Redditor noting, “It seems like he brings his typical humor with him and it doesn’t really fit the overall feel of the show. I don’t skip the episodes though, it’s not a dealbreaker to me.”
One Reddit user said they felt “betrayed,” commenting, “Oh yes. Seriously I hated every episode he was on the show. Michael’s last Dundies should not have included him. I felt a little betrayed that it went down that way, honestly. Cringe city.”
Not everyone hated Deangelo, however. One Redditor explained, “I felt the opposite honestly. I wished he would have stayed as the new boss.”
“I liked it. I liked how Michael’s replacement made Michael look better in almost every possible way,” another fan shared.
