Rainn Wilson recently reflected on the fate of The Farm, the canceled spin-off of The Office centered on Dwight Schrute. In a new interview, he explained that NBC’s programming shift caused the project’s rejection before it aired. He also stressed that the series could have brought major success to the network.
Rainn Wilson opens up on The Office’s Dwight spin-off getting axed
Speaking on The Last Laugh podcast, Rainn Wilson explained that NBC’s new regime at the time “wanted to do big, bright, flashy, splashy shows that were multi-cams and going back to Friends kind of thing,” adding, “They were just not interested at all in Office spinoffs at the time.”
He noted, “Had they taken The Farm, they’d probably have another billion dollars in the bank. Even now, all the people that have seen The Office 20 times, they’re going to watch The Farm at least once or twice.” Wilson explained that the spin-off appeared as a backdoor pilot in the ninth and final season of The Office. NBC declined it before the episode aired. He confirmed in a 2012 tweet that the show would not move forward.
Reflecting on the situation, Wilson said, “Would it have been as good as The Office? No. No way. Not even close. Would it have been good? Would it have been solid? Would it have been a good solid comedy? Yeah, it would have, and we would’ve done some really cool stuff. And I think they really missed out.”
Wilson also addressed the broader legacy of The Office. He said NBC “never really got the show” until years after it ended in 2013, when streaming viewership on Netflix revealed its long-term popularity. He added that certain episodes were “jaw-droppingly kind of horrific,” citing the “Benihana Christmas” storyline.
Wilson explained, “It’s a show based around clueless, insensitive, racist, sexist people that kind of mirrors the United States in a lot of ways,” and acknowledged that a new version would need to be “very, very different” in today’s environment. (via Deadline)
Originally reported by Anubhav Chaudhry on ComingSoon.
