The Office star Rainn Wilson, who portrayed the iconic character Dwight Schrute on the NBC comedy, recently remarked that a show like The Office would be difficult to make in today’s political climate. Wilson cited what he described as partisan hypocrisy on both sides of the political spectrum as one reason for his view. The comments come at a time when a spinoff of The Office is already airing on NBC.
What Rainn Wilson said about why The Office wouldn’t work the same way today
Rainn Wilson portrayed Dwight Schrute in the NBC workplace mockumentary, The Office. He said the show would be difficult to make today. He believes it is due to what he described as partisan hypocrisy on both sides of the political spectrum. Wilson also argued that cancel culture has changed the boundaries of what is considered acceptable in comedy.
“I do feel like you couldn’t make The Office today,” Wilson told Fox News Digital. He said, “I think that would be too hard to be as politically incorrect as the show was. And I do, I do kind of miss that.”
He explained that his character and Steve Carell’s character were portrayed as lacking self-awareness. However, he believes some of the things they said and did on the show would not be viewed the same way today.
“We milked that for a lot of great, really inappropriate stuff,” Wilson continued. “But even with the fact that painting that character as just an idiot, I don’t think you could get away with it today.”
Wilson said that partisan hypocrisy is one of the major factors contributing to political dysfunction. He argued that Republicans and Democrats are often quick to criticize misconduct by the opposing party. He also claimed that similar behavior within their own political groups is sometimes overlooked. As an example, Wilson referenced allegations surrounding Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner’s tattoo.
“It’s the hypocrisy that gets me the most. It’s the hypocrisy of like, both sides need to have, kind of, equal standards of behavior,” he added.
Despite his claims, The Paper, a spinoff series of The Office, is currently preparing for its second season. The series also includes characters such as Esmeralda Grand. According to Wilson, the character displays some of the socially awkward and politically incorrect traits often associated with characters like Dwight Schrute and Michael Scott.
