A weekly program focusing on the arts and entertainment

Add Steve Carell to that list of performers who succeeded as TV stars and are now seeking new media to conquer. The lead actor in “The Office” has announced he will do one more season with the NBC sitcom and then move on to something else.

Arts and Entertainment Editor Bob Sokolsky says that move could place him on some shaky ground, noting the number of performers who left successful roles and shows, expecting applause to follow them.

Sometimes, he says, it does. Frequently it doesn’t and the performers often wind up back in TV.

And that, he adds, can pose a perplexing question. Does the performer make the role a success or is it the role that makes the actor or actress successful?

Think about it, he declares. Would viewers have accepted Archie Bunker played by Lorne Green? And would we have still loved Lucy had the role gone to Goldie Hawn?