Steve Carell is Leaving NBC's 'The Office' Early

Steve Carell can’t even last through the season.

According to multiple reports, Steve is leaving The Office before the end of the season episode airs in the spring. Steve made the show a success – can it last without him?

NBC execs hope it can, because the other networks are gaining on them in the comedy department.

The master plan for why Steve is leaving is exactly that. The audience has to deal with the absence of the star and hopefully that month’s early exit will allow them to adjust. Will the adjustment carry over until the fall, when the show will start up again? From TV.com:

Most sitcoms would save such a momentous moment for a teary-eyed season finale, but The Office is kicking Carell's Michael Scott to the curb in late April, about a month before the season should end. The extra time is designed to give regular viewers a chance to get used to The Office without Michael Scott, and thicken the plot of who will takeover as the boss of Dunder-Mifflin's Scranton branch.

In the hunt for the newly opened spot will be familiar characters from the show along with new characters yet to be introduced.

Will you watch The Office once Steve is gone? The rest of the main characters are still around and the plot is getting good. Will it stay good though?

Steve will move on to some movies and probably another project or two for TV in the near future. Can he make another show such a hit or was he destined for movie roles?