Rainn Wilson recently opened up about the decision to axe the planned The Office spinoff that would have focused on his character, Dwight Schrute.
During the final season of the hit series, there were plans to develop a spinoff titled The Farm, and it was going to center on the Schrute family. While a backdoor pilot was made, NBC ended up shelving the project, and The Office franchise was gone for good until this year, when it was revived for the new spinoff, The Paper.
Why Did The Office Spinoff with Dwight Schrute Get Canceled?
In a recent interview on The Last Laugh podcast (via Deadline), Wilson explained why the planned The Office spinoff series starring Dwight Schrute was axed.
He also claimed that The Farm would have been a successful show if NBC had not shelved the project and given it a series order.
"NBC at that time had a new regime that came in, and they wanted to do big, bright, flashy, splashy shows that were multi-cams and going back to Friends kind of thing. And they were just not interested at all in Office spinoffs at the time," the actor said.
"Had they taken The Farm, they’d probably have another billion dollars in the bank. Even now, all the people who have seen The Office 20 times, they’re going to watch The Farm at least once or twice."
Wilson continued, "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."
More than ten years after the final episode aired, The Office franchise returned with a new spinoff series titled The Paper. It focuses on a new group of characters and setting, and brings back fan-favorite character Oscar Martinez.
What is The Office Spinoff Series, The Paper, About?
The Paper follows a dying Midwestern newspaper and its publisher's efforts to revive it using volunteer reporters. Just like The Office, they are being followed by a documentary crew.
The cast includes Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Gbemisola Ikumelo, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key, and Oscar Nunez.
Before the series premiered, it was renewed for a second season. All 10 episodes of the first season are currently available to stream on Peacock.
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