Ricky Gervais and Will Arnett to Appear on Season Finale of 'The Office'...is Arnett the New Michael Scott?

After seven hilarious seasons, Steve Carell is leaving NBC's flagship Thursday night comedy, "The Office." So, how do you make up for losing a comedy legend? How about putting two more in his place?

The seventh season finale of "The Office" will feature appearances from Ricky Gervais and Will Arnett in an obvious attempt to placate us when we're crying over the departure of Michael Scott. And you know what? It just might work.

Arnett is comedy gold, as his appearances on NBC's other primetime sitcoms "30 Rock" and "Parks & Recreation" have been slam dunks.

Gervais, meanwhile, carries additional significance: Gervais is the creator of the original version of "The Office" which aired in England for a number of seasons.

Gervais played the Michael Scott role in the original show, and has actually appeared as the same character on the American version of "The Office" before (he had a scene with Carell back in January).

Here's where it gets really interesting: Gervais mentioned on his blog a while back that he recommended Arnett to the rest of the "Office" team as a possible replacement for Steve Carell. Could it be that this appearance from Arnett is setting up for next season, and he will be the new Scranton manager?

So, that brings the tally of famous funny dudes to three: Gervais, Arnett, and Will Ferrell, who will appear in a three-episode arc to transition the show into a life without Carell. Will it work? That remains to be seen, but I don't think anyone will complain about seeing these three comedy giants do their thing on one of the funniest shows on television.