Michael Scott (The Office)

Michael Scott is the fictional character at the center of the American television series The Office. Portrayed by Steve Carell, Scott is the regional manager of the Scranton, Pennsylvania, branch of the paper company Dunder Mifflin. He is a well-intentioned but often thoughtless and incompetent manager who thinks he is both the boss and best friend of his employees.

The character was based on Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's David Brent type in the British production The Office for Greg Daniels' American adaptation. Scott, who remained close to Brent in the first seasons, took on a warmer and more fragile personality in the following episodes; The show's humor is largely based around his off-the-cuff jokes, his search for approval, and his attempt to see the office as a family.

Place in the series

Scott was the protagonist in the first seven seasons of the series. The "World's Best Boss" trophy on his desk and the Dundie award ceremony he organizes for his employees every year are among the memorable elements of the character. One of the important story arcs of the character is that he leaves the company in the fifth season and establishes the short-lived Michael Scott Paper Company with Jim and Pam.

He left the series in the seventh season, in the episode "Goodbye, Michael", in which he leaves the office to move to Colorado with Holly Flax; He made a brief guest return in the series' final episode.

Steve Carell won the Golden Globe for best actor in a musical or comedy series for this role in 2006, and was nominated for an Emmy for lead actor in a comedy series every year between 2006 and 2011, but never received this award. Michael Scott is considered one of the most recognizable characters in American television comedy today.