Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute on NBC’s The Office, criticized the show for jokes he called "horrific" and said a revival made in today’s cultural climate would have to be “very, very different.” He made the remarks during an appearance on The Last Laugh podcast that was released Wednesday.
Wilson singled out the Season 3 episode "Benihana Christmas," in which characters draw on an Asian woman’s face with a Sharpie, calling the scene "jaw-droppingly kind of horrific." He said the series was built around characters who are "clueless and in their cluelessness they’re racist and insensitive," naming Michael Scott, Dwight and Andy — and Kevin Malone — as examples. "It’s a show based around clueless, insensitive, racist, sexist people that kind of mirrors the United States in a lot of ways," he said. "[It’s] a tricky conversation."
While critical of some jokes, Wilson also acknowledged the program’s satirical thrust and its appeal. "You want to encourage it," he said, arguing that the series "is funny as hell and it also kind of skewers a particular American sensibility," but added that when "you dig deep" certain moments go "pretty far." He questioned whether the show could be produced the same way today, saying, "Could it happen today? I think it would have to be very, very different if it were made in this environment."
The Office aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013 and remains a cultural touchstone, with episodes frequently watched again on streaming platforms. Earlier this month Peacock premiered The Paper, a spinoff set in a different workplace. Oscar Nunez, who played accountant Oscar Martinez on the original series, was the only returning actor to reprise his role in the new show. Nunez told The Post that Wilson had reached out to him about The Paper, saying, "Of course, Rainn Wilson is always the one who finds out about things. He’s got his finger on the pulse of whatever is going on."
Wilson also revisited a past spinoff effort centered on his character. A backdoor pilot for The Farm aired during The Office’s final season, but NBC chose not to move forward with the series. Wilson said the network had a new regime at the time that was seeking "big, bright, flashy, splashy shows" and was uninterested in Office-era spinoffs. "Had they taken ‘The Farm,’ they’d probably have another billion dollars in the bank," he said, arguing that many viewers who have watched The Office repeatedly would likely watch a Dwight-focused spinoff.
He tempered that prediction by saying The Farm "would not have been as good as The Office," though he defended it as "a good solid comedy" that would have allowed the cast to "do some really cool stuff." Wilson said executives missed an opportunity but acknowledged the limits of comparing any spinoff to the original.
The remarks contribute to an ongoing reassessment of older comedy series as audiences and creators weigh the line between satire and harmful stereotyping. Wilson’s comments also underscore the tension between preserving a show’s original tone and adapting content to contemporary standards. As networks and streamers continue to mine legacy programming for new projects, conversations about context, intent and impact on audiences remain central to how those projects are developed and received.
