Dunder Mifflin may have another job opening come next year, as NBC is currently working on a spin-off of The Office centered around everyone’s favorite assistant regional manager, Dwight K Schrute III (Rainn Wilson), for a potential midseason replacement in 2013.
The spin-off series, which has yet to officially be announced by NBC, is described as a family comedy and will focus on the Schrute family beet farm and bed & breakfast that has been hilariously featured several times over the course of the series. Spearheaded by Wilson and The Office executive producer (and Toby) Paul Lieberstein, the proverbial seeds for Dwight’s upcoming spin-off series will be planted in an upcoming episode of The Office.
Speaking to Deadline, a source close to The Office reveals how the spin-off idea came about, as well as how they’re going to flesh out the idea to be able to carry a series on its own:
Paul and Rainn have been joking for years about Dwight’s life on the farm, his family and how ill-suited he is to run a B&B.
A while ago, it started to feel like a show to them. NBC agreed. It’s been further developed to include multiple generations, many cousins and neighbors. At its base it will be about a family farm struggling to survive and a family trying to stay together.
Before fans of The Office begin jumping up and down at the mention of “cousins,” it is not yet known whether or not the loveably awkward Mose, who is played by Parks & Recreation co-creator Mike Schur, will be a part of the series. If anything, the character of Mose could be transitioned into something of a reoccurring character, such as Rafi (Jason Mantzoukas) in FX’s The League, who was originally going to be one the main characters on the series.
Of course, in order for Dwight to take on the responsibility that comes from running a beet farm/bed and breakfast, he’s going to have to leave the world of Dunder Mifflin behind him. If everything goes as planned (which is likely), Wilson will return for half of The Office season 9, before heading off to his own series.
While NBC has yet to officially renew The Office for season 9, all signs point to the series receiving another season order from the network; though, who all will be returning is still up for question. Without having an official pick-up from NBC, negotiations with the core cast members – who are without a contract for season - are unable to occur.
But the real question is: Can The Office survive without Dwight? Sure, the loss of Steve Carell was great, but what allowed the series to continue was that the rest of the cast collectively made up a stronger comedic force than Carell on his own.
Without Dwight, that collective begins to break down, as the lack of certain personalities become more and more obvious to the viewer. And while the position of Carell was filled by Ed Helm’s Andy Bernard, their personalities were similar enough to make up for the core dynamic that Carell brought to the series.
Unfortunately, when it comes to Dwight, a wonderfully unique and crazed character, there really isn’t any equal – which, perhaps, is NBC’s ultimate intention.
With NBC ordering 8 new comedy pilots, the network appears to want to lock down a more secure comedy block. While it’s true that The Office is still successful in its timeslot, the age of the series means that it won’t be around much longer.
So if the network renews The Office for one final year, which will certainly see the return of many memorable faces from the past (we already know that Carell is willing to come back), not only will they be able to use the “buzz” that comes with a final season to launch their new comedies, but they’ll also be able to leverage the highly-anticipated return of many past characters to fill the void that Wilson will have left by going to his own series.
Of course, the real question is… Would anyone be interested in seeing a Dwight spin-off series?
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The Office airs Thursdays @9pm on NBC. Expect to hear more about the potential Dwight spin-off series in the coming months.
Follow Anthony on Twitter @anthonyocasio
Source: Deadline
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Steve Carell was The Office. The cast flowed into their characters because of him. He left, the show is boring. Like the person above, I tune in when I remember it’s on. While watching, I scan channels for something else. Or, I pick up a book and study.
The show is fantastic still… Maybe you should actually watch it before saying it’s boring… The comedy between Jim and Dwight has increased substantially since Carrell left…
Nah it really isn’t jim is so dull without micheals stupidity
The show isn’t boring, which means you clearly haven’t been paying any attention. Your loss really
Aww no Im not liking this. I love Dwight and his farm but it’s only funny on the office. One of the main reasons the character is so funny is because Jim is there to be sarcastic and mess with him. The office can’t last without him. I think he should stay for all of next season if they hopefully renew it
It won’t be the same.
The only person who can legitimately fill the Dwight void is Robert California. He makes you feel awkward, and has a strange take on life much like Dwight. The only big difference is that Robert finds success no matter what while Dwight consistently fails.
Yes California may be awkward and have that different take on life, but he isn’t witty like Dwight. He sort of rambles on which is somewhat confusing and boring. Show will die without Dwight.
HEck Yeah Ill Watch!!! How exciting! Ive always thought the office should have had more episodes revolving around his beat farm/b&b.
That said, I want the Office Season 9 & 10 more!!
Sean, i really do think the show will be brilliant “the farm” aha i cant waiting im an english man that like the american office much more then the english one it is just fantastic jim and dwight are fantastic, however i beleieve the show may not be the same with out dwight, if they do the spin off they will need to bring in a character that is like dwight
No!! The show is goin to be bad without him , the whole thing will fail.
I have been a fan of The Office since the creation of the show. I have to say at first I was very upset with the show, specifically to see “Michael Scott” leave the office. But the manor in which it was done was very appropriate so I accepted the change and continued to watch the show. I have to say, that within the first five minutes of the first episode of season 8 I was very upset with the changes that were made to the show. I did not appreciate what-so ever the immediate and blatant write off of Kathy Bates’ character for one. But still, I gave the season a shot and very much enjoyed it for the most part. It’s nice to watch a show expand through it’s maturity on television and yes some of these expansions have caused “growing pains” for people who love and follow the show on a regular basis. I will say that the comedy within season 8 I felt was some of the funniest skits I have seen on the show (THANK GOD). So with that, the changes made to the show were acceptable because the characters did “mold” together comedically more in season 8 than in the show’s previous seasons. However I do believe that season 9 should be the show’s last season. It is clear that with the spin off of Dwight’s supposed “Beat Farm” show that NBC is trying to squeeze a quarter out of a dime. I am a loyal fan to not only The Office as a show but to the characters created within it. Dwight is my favorite character and if he does receive a new show I will not be part of the viewing office. I would rather see the show end in season nine with the return of some old characters, than to see the character or characters that I love dragged on in another show that will in no way shape or form be even closely comparable to that of the office. All good things must come to an end and the characters along with “The Office” need to be retired. Yes we would LOVE to see all of the characters continue in The Office but sometimes, just to protect the integrity of the show and the love that has been developed within its fan base, it must end. The Office has been an amazing show that I loved for the past 8 years and will continue to love and re-watch, but all good things must come to an end and its time for this office’s doors to be locked up one last time.
Kathy Bates was unavailable for filming.
I Think That All These People Signing Off Could Be Just What The Office Needs, A Lot Of People, Including Myself, Have Criticized Season 8 For Having A Lack Of Arcs That Move The Series Forward But With People Leaving, That Could Leave A Lot Of Space For Story Development And With Helms Having To Potentially Leaving Mid Season For The Hangover Part III Filming, Perhaps Carell Could Come Back As A Temporary Replacement For Helms And It Could Also Further The Jim/Pam Relationship By Krasinski Having To Leave Midseason As Well. The Lack Of Characters Remaining With The Series Could Really Open Some New Story Opportunities That Could Make The 9th Season More Interesting Than The Last Three Seasons Combined.
To be honest, the show should have ended when Steve Carrell left. If we lose another great character, the show will just suck.
It probably would be very funny, but I also feel it would be the demise of the office. I don’t think I would watch it purely in protest.
I think each character makes up the whole show, but it bothered me when Michael left the show, Dwight is a funny actor with his shady self, but to do a show by himself. I mean Woooow!!!! His place is on a show like the Office where he has a stronger and high demand character, thats wanted by the viewers to stay on the show.That’s taking some of the ingredients out that makes a strong recipe, if ya know what i mean, people enjoyed the characters that made up the office, so the best idea I feel would be to give us a season nine and ten and call it even. The best swagga you could have would be bring Micheal back and keep Dwight or place some more actors in like Jim Carry,Mr. Bean, Kevin James of sitcoms “king of queens”, add swagga to the show don’t drop it as if it’s not a hot or demanding show and if you a true office viewer you would feel me:) please don’t make T.V boring,lol
I feel that it was a privilege to have Dwight and Michael on the same show together as a team they were hilarious! I also feel that the crew as a whole made the show what it is. The way their chemistry was on screen u would think that they really worked in an office together, from the way they looked at the screen when something crazy happened or when someone said something off the wall was just comical!
I feel that it was a privilege to have Dwight and Michael on the same show together as a team they were hilarious! I also feel that the crew as a whole made the show what it is. The way their chemistry was on screen u would think that they really worked in an office together, from the way they looked at the screen when something crazy happened or when someone said something off the wall was just comical! Please keep The Office going for two or more seasons!
A spin-off of the office, involving Dwight and his beet farm, would be a perfect way to keep the spirit of the office alive, because the office deserves to continue. This show is an amazing, hilarious and intelligent one that has entered the hearts of millions of people. Yes, season 8 started off a bit shaky, but every episode got better and better. It is already a favorite season of many because of the growth seen in every character. There are many, many people who would not only love to see a season 9, but even a season 10 or 11! This is a series that changed the way of comedic television, and with the writers and producers of The Office, there is no way the integrity of this show could ever be lost, which was proven by their ability to keep their audience watching without the amazing Steve Carrel presence. Please, keep it coming.
man, dont do a spin off series, you already took carell out of it,if he comes back and season 9 is the final season it will be epic i hope and id hope he doesnt return due to issues with holly, holly should come back with as a re acurring housewife possibly? but if it is the final season of the best show in the world, then yeah do a spin off cuz wilson character is great, but what about all the people whos main reason for watching nbc period is the jim and pam of the series, id miss that couple terribly, maybe spinoff called home life? only if the show is ending in season 9, which will be a sad sad day. #theoffice4life!!