Washington [US], May 30 (ANI): The Office star Jenna Fischer believes the hit comedy stayed strong throughout all its nine seasons, even after Steve Carell left the show.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Fisher, during her appearance on the podcast Fly on the Wall, shared her thoughts after rewatching the full series for her Office Ladies podcast. She addressed a common belief that the show wasn't as good after Carell, who played the famous Michael Scott, left in 2011.

'It's really good the whole time...this belief that the two seasons after Steve left, we were just treading water and maybe they weren't as good,' said Fischer.

She also said that many people involved in the show thought it peaked in season three or four, even before Carell's departure. But Fischer now thinks differently.

'Some of my favorite episodes were in seasons eight and nine after Steve had left,' she added. 'The show still had these amazing storylines.'

The Office ran from 2005 to 2013. A new follow-up show titled The Paper is set to release in September 2024 on Peacock. Oscar Nunez, who played Oscar Martinez, will return for the new series. However, Carell, earlier, while speaking to The Hollywood Reporter confirmed he will not appear.

'I will be watching but I will not be showing up. It's just a new thing and there's really no reason for my character [Michael Scott] to show up in something like that,' he said.

'But I'm excited about it, it sounds like a great conceit. I love the idea -- I guess it's set in a failing newspaper company, and I worked with Domhnall Gleeson, who is one of the leads; I did [2022 series] The Patient with him and he's an excellent actor and a super nice guy so I think it'll be great,' he added. (ANI)