Number of seasons: 9 Number of seasons it should have had: 7 NBC has hardly had a sterling few years, so its unsurprising in a way that The Office managed to somehow outlive the contract of its star. Steve Carell went on to more lucrative Hollywood ventures at the end of the seventh season and simultaneously provided a get out of jail free card for the writers had they wished to end the series, but instead the show transferred its focus to Jim and Pam and blunted its rapier wit in the process. Romance has its place in cringe comedy, but in seasons eight and nine, The Office struggled to balance the two. The show managed to craft a suitable ending for Michael Scott, in which he moved to Colorado with Holly, but lacked the confidence to move on convincingly without him. It was increasingly apparent in the eighth season that the series was spinning its wheels until it figured out its next move, and the ninth season rejuvenation of the documentary format was by turns inventive and gimmicky. The finale was an emotional hour, but The Office had already watched its perfect ending sail on by, two years earlier.
