The Officeseason 9 episode “The Farm” received a very negative reception upon release, to the point that it ended up killing the show’s first spinoff. Though it got off to a rough start,The Officeran for 9 seasons, during which time it became one of the most successful sitcoms on TV. WithThe Office’s sprawling ensemble castand huge popularity, the sitcom seemed ripe for a spinoff.
Unfortunately, the idea for the first spinoff wasn’t related to one ofThe Office’s best episodes, but its worst.“The Farm” saw the action take place away from Dunder Mifflin and its beloved employees, and move to an entirely new location. While “The Farm” gave audiences more context on Dwight’s life outside of Dunder Mifflin, it also caused the downfall ofThe Office’s first spinoff.
“The Farm” Is The Office’s Worst Episode
An Interesting Idea, But Badly Executed
While some considered it a so-bad-it-was-almost-good,The Office’s “The Farm”was undoubtedly the worst episodeof the sitcom. “The Farm” centered on Dwight after the death of his Aunt Shirley, and it introduced several new members of the Schrute family. This included Fannie, Jeb, and Cammy, Dwight’s sister, brother, and nephew, respectively.
Blake Garrett Rosenthal, who played Cammy, also appeared inThe Officeseason 7 episode “WUPHF.com,” as one of the children on the hay ride. The show never confirmed whether this child and Cammy were the same character or not, although it was unlikely.
Whileit was interesting to learn more about the Schrute family’s lorein a direct way, rather than hearing Dwight’s tales about them, it didn’t pay off as an episode ofThe Office. Unfortunately, the new characters that were introduced weren’t fleshed out enough, and Dwight’s only purpose was as a narrative device to explain who these new personalities were.
The reason for this was that“The Farm” was serving as a backdoor pilot forThe Officespinoff of the same name. However, taking us away from our beloved Dunder Mifflin made this a dubious decision, so it’s no surprise the episode received negative reviews. Plus, all the standard elements ofThe Officeaudiences would typically expect, like the Todd Packer subplot, were rather forgettable.
How “The Farm” Almost Became An Office Spinoff (& Why It Was Canceled)
NBC Didn’t Connect With “The Farm,” Just Like Audiences & Critics
The Office’s failed spinoff,The Farm, had potential, but the execution was what let it down. The concept forThe Farmfirst came about in 2012, butafter the backdoor pilot was shot and seen by NBC’s higher ups, the response wasn’t great.However,The Officeteam didn’t waste this footage, and instead modified it, added in additional scenes with the recurring and familiar characters, and created season 9’s “The Farm.”
It was never made clear what the exact reason for NBC rejectingThe Farmwas,but considering critics’ reviews ofThe Officeepisode after it was altered, it can be assumed the feedback was similar. In a way, it wasn’t the worst thing that this happened.
The original plan saw Dwight leaveThe Officeearly, rather than sticking around until the end of season 9, which would eventually explain the beginning ofThe Farm’s story. This would have meant thataudiences wouldn’t have seen Dwight as Dunder Mifflin Scranton’s Regional Manager.It also meant thatDwight and Angela’s relationship inThe Officeprobably wouldn’t have got a happy ending, especially as “The Farm” set up his romance with milkmaid Esther.
Why “The Farm” Spinoff Would Have Flopped
The Office Spinoff’s Failure Was Apparent From The Backdoor Pilot
While the idea forThe Farmwas an intriguing one, realistically, it would have flopped as a spinoff. Firstly, audiences would’ve likely struggled to connect withThe Farmas it would’ve started airing shortly afterThe Officefinale. There would be too much comparison between the two, andultimately, there would be disappointed reviews about how it wasn’tThe Office.Secondly, the characters simply weren’t as engaging or likable as those inThe Office, and Rainn Wilson’s Dwight would’ve only been able to carry the show so far.
A common complaint about this episode was that the story got too wacky towards the end, which put the spinoff under a lot of pressure to either fully embrace this quality (and later struggle to keep up), or to try to ground it. It was great to see more of Dwight on his farm, but because he’d be in his element or comfort zone, he probably wouldn’t be as zany or erratic as he was inThe Office, and that was what made his character so entertaining.
Thankfully, theupcomingOfficespinoff calledThe Paper, is on the way. While Dwight Schrute won’t be a part of it, Oscar Nuñez will be reprising his role as Oscar Martinez fromThe Office, so it has definite potential.
