Steve Carell | featured news

Steve Carell said goodbye to The Office earlier this year, but he’ll be back in prime time next year to lend his voice to an episode of The Simpsons, EW has learned exclusively. Carell will play Dan Gillick, a tightly wound accountant for Fat Tony (returning guest Joe Mantegna), who may go from crunching numbers to crunching skulls when he’s put in charge of the mob by Fat Tony while the big boss serves jury duty.

History is against the Emmy-winner as he attempts to fill Steve Carell's shoes.

Apologies for not filing a rating story earlier, it was a pretty big busy morning in TV news today. With the final ratings for last night in, here are the biggest highlights:
NBC's The Office (3.5/10 in 18-49) was down 17% from last week's episode, which marked the departure of star Steve Carell.

Scranton regional manager Michael Scott has left "The Office," as long promised, in a fond farewell for the actor who played him, series star Steve Carell....

It’s finally happening — Michael Scott (Steve Carell) begins his departure from “The Office” (NBC at 9), but he needs a replacement first. Cue guest star Will Ferrell, who plays the new manager that everyone tries to impress . . . except Dwight, naturally.

NBC will extend Steve Carell’s final episode of The Office to 50 minutes.

Will Ferrell is coming to "The Office." Ferrell will play a visiting branch manager over an arc of several episodes. NBC announced the casting Wednesday with the promise that Ferrell's character will be "just as inappropriate" as Steve Carell's Michael Scott.

FRIDAY 8 PM: (Numbers will be refined later tonight.)
... Despicable Me 3D today is translating into "amazing" attendance of $22 million for what could be a $55M-$60M weekend opening despite having two other 3D family films in the marketplace.

Actor Steve Carell is tendering his resignation as the egotistical boss Michael Scott of "The Office", and leaving the hit TV comedy show next year.

1. DATE NIGHT (Fox) NEW [3,374 Runs]
Friday $9.1M, Estimated Weekend $26M

Overall, it's a fairly tight race among the box office leaders this weekend with the only newcomer -- Fox's Date Night -- opening very wide so it can compete on an equal footing.