Less than half a year after Steve Carell left The Office, Michael Scott has already fallen off the radar – or at least out of the minds of the Emmy Award voters.
It is no news to anyone that I love Michael. After his tearful goodbye in April, I was left reflecting on why The Office was a good show in the first place. Aside from the Jim and Pam Halpert, who ground and humanize the show, and Dwight Schrute, who makes it absolutely ridiculous, the character that stood out in both hilarity and audience connection was Michael Scott. And though he was zany and impossibly annoying at times, he was without a doubt one of the most lovable and sympathetic characters on television during his time at Dunder Mifflin.
Six years ago, when The Office first aired in its US version, the show catapulted to countrywide – even worldwide – renown because of its weird collision of comedy and realism. This show that graces the favorite television lists of so many Americans has, in the past few years, fallen slightly under the radar with new comedies popping up right and left that shun its original ideal of realism in a comedic setting.
And at this year’s Emmys, the sitcom overpowered the single camera.
The Office was never a typical situation comedy. There were no lines set up to receive a laugh track from an audience that may or may not have actually understood the joke and there was no implied wink to the TV camera to make you remember that something was funny. Irony was often the joke and laughter was a natural, rather than reactive, response.
Before fans of Jim Parson’s Sheldon Cooper start throwing rocks, I have to make a concession. Despite my distaste for many sitcoms that have been and are currently broadcasting, I will be the first person to tell you that The Big Bang Theory is a great show. In fact, I am not afraid to say that Sheldon is one of the best characters on television. His lack of social skills and perfect deadpan delivery of jokes makes him the highlight of The Big Bang Theory, creating literally no contest between his and other characters on the show.
But The Big Bang Theory hasn’t lost Sheldon. For however long the show runs into the future – which is currently signed on through 2014 – Sheldon will likely continue on with the show as well. And Emmy nominations, and possible wins taking into consideration his semi-surprise win last year, will follow.
For Michael Scott, the same is not true. When the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences nominated Steve Carell, there was the promising possibility that this might be a chance at redeeming themselves for years of oversight. But the opportunity knocked – the sixth consecutive year of Emmy nomination for Carell, and the final opportunity – and the Emmys had no interest in redeeming themselves.
But really, this loss should not be seen as a failure by or for Michael Scott or Office fans. Because the votes did not count in Steve Carell’s favor, a whole slew of renewed enthusiasm for Michael Scott has followed to counter the indifference of the Academy. And in the end, an award is something that sits on a mantelpiece, but the admiration of an audience for an actor will live on forever.