File this under potentially earth-shattering news. While speaking with the BBC to promote Date Night, Steve Carell revealed the previously unthinkable bit of news: His time at Dunder Mifflin could be coming to an end after next season. Say it ain't so, Steve!
Question: How long will you stay with The Office for? How many more series? How long does your contract run?
Carrell: Contract through next season.
Question: And will you stay after that?
Carrell: I don't think so. I think that will probably be my last year.
Lest you think Carell's pulling a happy prank, there's a corresponding audio clip -- which you can listen to here -- where he sounds dead serious. Of course this brings up many currently unanswerable questions: Can The Office continue without Steve Carell? If it does, who would replace him? What does this mean for NBC's Thursday night comedy block? And, probably most important, who gets that World's Best Boss coffee mug?
ยท Steve Carell to Leave 'The Office' After Season 7? [Office Tally via @moyran]