Rainn Wilson thinks NBC 'missed out' by skipping Dwight spinoff
What's the story
Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute in the popular sitcom The Office, recently discussed the fate of a potential spin-off series titled The Farm. Speaking on The Last Laugh podcast, he revealed that NBC's decision not to pursue this spin-off was a missed opportunity. "Had they taken The Farm, they'd probably have another billion dollars in the bank," he said.
Network's shift
Change in NBC leadership affected decision
Wilson explained that NBC had a change in leadership that wanted to focus on more flashy shows. "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," he said. "And they were just not interested at all in Office spinoffs at the time."
Spin-off potential
Wilson believes 'The Farm' would have been a hit
Wilson is confident that The Farm would have been a success. "Even now, all the people that have seen The Office 20 times, they're going to watch The Farm at least once or twice," he said. "Would it have been as good as The Office? No. No way. Not even close." However, he believes it would have been a solid comedy and a good show. The spinoff would have focused on Shrute and his offbeat family.
Network's oversight
Did NBC miss chance to cash in on 'The Office'?
Wilson also criticized NBC for not recognizing the potential of The Office earlier. "But the history of The Office in NBC is, they never really got the show," he said. "Honestly, it was like five years after the show was over when all of a sudden it started being watched in the billions of minutes on Netflix that NBC was like, wait a minute, this is kind of a cash cow."
New series
Meanwhile, check out 'The Paper'
Despite the setback with The Farm, fans of The Office can still enjoy a new spin-off series titled The Paper. This show, created by Greg Daniels, follows the story of an eager editor-in-chief trying to revive a struggling newspaper in Toledo, Ohio. It is currently streaming on Peacock.