I find it hard to believe that Ferrell will be a regular on the show. I'd be happy to be wrong about that. I think Ferrell's a great talent. His movie The Other Guys from last summer was the funniest movie of the year, I think, and was a different part for him than the overgrown adolescents he's...
I have to agree the show is back on track. The last few episodes have been great, and I appreciated the former cast member cameos in Threat Level Midnight (Hardin, Jones, etc).
I thought last week's episode was pretty good, even if the show has fallen from its highs of the earlier seasons. It's a great ensemble cast and I think they will have a shot at continuing when Carrell leaves. Of course, it could only be a one season thing, like That 70s Show when Topher Grace left.