So long, Carrell.

Steve Carrell's last day of work on The Office is today. Big Love is within its last month on the air. Even for someone who doesn't have cable or satellite, and only watches television from time to time on the internet, this is a sad time in television, as far as I'm concerned.

I used to be a television addict. I'm still way too tuned in to pop culture, but I watch far less television than I used to. Wait, scratch that. I watch far less live television than I used to. I still have my TV on constantly, but I'm mostly watching DVDs of series that have long been off the air. I have the complete series of Will & Grace, Arrested Development and Reba, four seasons of Friends, two seasons of The Golden Girls, seven of the eight seasons of Bewitched, one season of 227, and the first two seasons of True Blood. I just received Friends and True Blood for Christmas, so I had even less to watch three months ago than I do now. I do occassionally watch movies (of which I have many), but when I'm home I'm usually just cycling through those television seasons, or watching whatever I've gotten in the mail through Netflix.

Anyway, the point is, two of my favorite series currently airing are closing chapters. Big Love is ending (on what I hope and pray is a good note, after a fourth season trainwreck and a rocky final season). The Office might as well be ending, because removing Michael Scott from Dunder Mifflin would be like watching...what's a fair comparison? It will be like watching Cheers without Sam Malone, or The Mary Tyler Moore Show without Lou Grant. Sure, other major members of the cast will remain, and there will still be other stories, but how can you have a workplace comedy without the boss? Or an ensemble show without everyone's favorite buffoon? I am anxious to see the remaining episodes, especially the ones featuring Will Ferrell, but I can't imagine anyone else running that office as well as Steve Carrell. Unless of course, it would be the new company overlord Kathy Bates, but she has her own show now, so that dream is dead.

I just hope The Office isn't the next show to go on to that great television set in the sky, because I will miss having the sweet romance of Jim and Pam in my life as a reminder that love really does exist. And it's sad that I need TV characters to remind me of that.