When Steve Carell hosted NBC’s season premiere of Saturday Night Live on Oct. 1, there was nothing funny about his monologue. Clearly, it was meant to touch upon his unlikely and brisk rise to stardom, along with the usual delusions of grandeur that accompany such a surge–but, frankly, it was fairly lackadaisical. He said pokerfaced, “I’m on a hit series, The Office…My movie The 40 Year-Old Virgin just surpassed the $100 million mark. Not a lot of comedies reach the $100 million mark. That is rarefied air. See, I’m in the big leagues now–I’m in a category with the Vince Vaughns, Owen Wilsons, Ben Stillers…”
The man simply spoke the truth, but he doesn’t seem that excited, does he? That’s because for Carell, it’s in the deadpan. Always.
After getting his start on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, in which Carell–along with other comedic minds such as Stephen Colbert and Lewis Black–comprised host Stewart’s crack staff of on-air contributors–and we do mean “cracked.” Carell’s job was to interview serious-minded politicians and political pundits and deride them both mid-and post-interview. He excelled at his job.
A bit but highly memorable role in 2003’s Bruce Almighty as an arrogant anchorman who gets Bruce’s full Almighty wrath followed. In fact, it was so memorable Carell is now slated for the lead role in the spin-off/sequel, Evan Almighty. Then there was last year’s Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, in which Carell once again stole the show as a dimwitted weather man. Finally, we have Virgin. He’s now joined the likes of Vaughn, Wilson and Ben Stiller, who along with Jack Black, Owen’s brother, Luke Wilson, and Will Ferrell make up the fabled “Frat Pack.” With all that momentum, we are compelled to watch Carell’s newest TV venture–NBC’s The Office.
NBC lucked out by locking Carell up for The Office–a loose remake of the wildly popular British mockumentary that never quite made it over the pond (except to unexpectedly win two Golden Globes in 2004). Had it not been for Virgin’s impact at the box office, the U.S. version might’ve been canceled after its mid-season run earlier this year. NBC ran with the buzz, embarking on an odd marketing campaign that saw Carell plugging his movie during reruns of the show’s first season. Such boldness has seemingly paid off: The Office was greenlit for a full 13-episode run this fall, and it has one of the most coveted time slots (Tuesday nights, 9:30 p.m. ET, NBC), cozily following rookie comedy phenomenon My Name is Earl.
Whether the show eclipses the genius of the British version is debatable (well, not really), but it is undeniably better than the vast majority of contemporary TV, which mostly consists of shameless “reality” variations. In U.S. version, Carell is perfect as Michael Scott, the glib head honcho of a paper supplier in desolate Scranton, Pennsylvania. Michael loves the employees almost as much as he does himself, but the employees hate him, despite his harmlessness. To stave off narcolepsy, the employees make fun of their boss and play makeshift games with one another. You know, like a typical office job.
The Office buzz has actually afforded it a prized spot around many an office water cooler (begging the question, “What’s in the water?”). The show might not compare to greater water-cooler conversation-starters such as Desperate Housewives and Lost, but it’s lucky to have earned a spot. Still, we all know what seems to happen to most good TV, don’t we? Low ratings! Look no further than Fox’s Arrested Development, whose Emmy wins and nominations are fast-approaching its total viewership. Like Arrested, The Office doesn’t use a laugh track either, which is apparently a risky move.
Whatever the ultimate fate of The Office, Carell can only be held accountable for the good things that may lie ahead for the show, when studio bigwigs will converge over a swanky eatery in sunny California to determine its outcome. Between juggling between film and TV, Carell is making the rest of the so-called “Frat Pack” look more like the “Slack Pack.” Besides Evan Almighty, Carell is also attached to at least eight more projects. They include the recently wrapped Little Miss Sunshine, starring Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette, as well as playing secret agent Maxwell Smart in a big-screen redo of the TV show Get Smart.
Carell takes it all in stride. When talking to him recently about The 40 Year-Old Virgin, he told Hollywood.com, “I try not to get ahead of myself in terms of the next thing. I’ve been really lucky just to support myself acting and being able to help create and be the lead in a movie is way beyond any expectation I have had. So, I am pretty happy with what’s happened so far. So honestly if this is it and it all crashes down tomorrow I’m happy.”
Rarefied air, indeed. Now if only his movie audience responds to his TV work, we’ll be seeing our favorite Office Everyman for several seasons to come. If he has time to do it, that is.
