James Spader’s Robert California would often steal the show in every scene he was in, but the character’s reception as Michael Scott’s replacement in The Office was never that good. To this day, it is difficult not to associate The Office with Steve Carell’s Michael Scott, even though the show still had two and a half seasons after Michael left. Steve Carell’s departure from The Office gave the show the impossible task of finding a Michael Scott replacement, and the arduous responsibility eventually fell on James Spader’s Robert California’s shoulders.
While The Office served as the starting point in the careers of many promising actors, The Office’s later seasons also featured some established starts – and not only in the comedy genre. Names like Will Arnett, Will Farrell, and even Jim Carrey all had cameo appearances in The Office in different capacities, and by the time the search for Dunder Mifflin’s new regional manager started, it was difficult to anticipate who else would be interviewed by the Search Committee. The Office season 7, episodes 25-26, “Search Committee” saw several unexpected cameos applying for the regional manager job, including James Spader playing a character named Robert California. All of the candidates left the Search Committee impressed, not necessarily in a good way.
The Office’s "Search Committee" storyline was mostly played for jokes, but surprisingly, Michael Scott’s replacement as Dunder Mifflin Scranton’s Regional Manager did come out of the interviews conducted by Toby, Jim, and Gabe. Robert California’s confidence and oratory managed to impress Dunder Mifflin the same way James Spader’s talent for comedy impressed The Office without Michael Scott would always be difficult, which means Robert California’s reception would reflect not only the character but also the moment The Office was going through.
Robert California Was Michael Scott’s Exact Opposite
In of character only, Robert California could not be more different than Michael Scott. From The Office’s season 2 onward, Steve Carell played Michael Scott as an insecure manager who always sought validation from his co-workers – an interesting approach considering that The Office season 1’s Michael was more of a copy of David Brent. Michael Scott was not particularly talented in his regional manager job, and although Michael was a good salesman, he would often cause problems for Jen, David Wallace, and Jo Bennet. Robert California, on the other hand, was the epitome of the word confidence. Robert California truly believed he was always the smartest, most talented person in the room – a jarring contrast from Michael Scott’s manager role. James Spader's character was also an extremely convincing speaker, to the point he was able to convince Jo to give him her job as Dunder Mifflin-Saber’s CEO. Robert California was also much more professional when it comes to being a manager, that is, he never became close to The Office’s characters the same way as Michael did.
Robert California’s Strong Personality Didn’t Fit Into The Office
While all of those Robert California’s differences from Michael Scott were obviously intended, such a strong contrast between the two characters made it more difficult for Robert California to fit into The Office season 8. At that point, The Office’s main characters had become very much a family, and any new addition would have difficulty fitting in. Most of The Office’s characters were slightly surreal, something that viewers had already learned ever since the first seasons. Robert California, on the other hand, felt like he belonged in a different, more “realistic” show. James Spader’s Robert California did have his own surreal traits, but the character’s style of humor was way too different from names like Jim, Pam, and Dwight.
Any Michael Scott Replacement Was Bound To Be Rejected
No matter the actor, the character, or the direction of the season, Michael Scott's replacement in The Office was bound to be rejected. The very decision of continuing The Office without Steve Carell was already controversial, with many arguing that The Office should have ended after Steve Carell left. The Office season 8 tried way too hard to be different from the Michael Scott era, and such a drastic change was symbolized by Robert California. The Scranton/Saber merger storyline had already changed The Office from its original dynamic, and now the arrival of a new lead actor to replace Steve Carell made it so that The Office season 8 felt almost like a different show. Obviously, the show was never just about The Office's Michael Scott. Characters like Dwight, Jim, and Pam had been part of The Office’s heart and soul ever since the beginning, but Carell’s Michael Scott was the anchor to all of them. That is why no replacement, no matter how good they were, would work perfectly.
Robert California Was Never Meant To Be Michael Scott’s True Replacement
According to James Spader and The Office’s producers, Robert California’s run in The Office was designed as a one-season arc only. That is why James Spader left The Office after season 8. Therefore, Robert California was never meant to be Michael Scott’s true replacement, nor James Spader was supposed to lead the show for several seasons as The Office's Steve Carell character did. In fact, Robert Calfornia was not even Dunder Mifflin Scranton’s regional manager for too long, as he got himself promoted to CEO in less than a day. The Office was aware that Robert California could not be the new Michael Scott, which is why The Office season 8 tried a different dynamic, with Andy Bernard being the regional manager and Robert California being the CEO.
One benefit of Steve Carell’s departure, if any, is that The Office season 8 and 9 were allowed to try different things both in of characters and story. For example, James Spader’s Robert California was a hilarious character that would have never been created had Carell never left The Office. The burden of being Michael Scott’s replacement got in the way of what could have been a much better-received character, and unfortunately, Robert California and The Office season 8 will always be linked to the absence of Michael Scott.