Rainn Wilson doubts ‘The Office’ could launch today

Rainn Wilson says “The Office” couldn’t be made today because of how hard it would be to keep the show’s politically incorrect edge. His comments arrive as the “Office” universe expands on Peacock and as creators revisit parts of the original series that drew

A lot can change in a decade—sometimes fast enough that a hit comedy can feel like it belongs to another era.

Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute on “The Office” for nine seasons, argued in an interview published June 14 that the NBC sitcom “couldn’t” be made today. The actor, 60, said he believes it would be “too hard to be as politically incorrect as the show was,” adding, “I do kind of miss that.”

Wilson also suggested the cultural landscape is shifting in uneven ways. He said there was a time when “it was really hard to joke about anything. ” but that “that’s kind of shifted back now a little bit.” And he pushed back on comedians who say they can’t tell jokes anymore. saying. “I think you can. You just have to make them a little smarter.”.

“The Office” aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013. following employees of a paper company in Pennsylvania as they navigate daily work under the “hugely inappropriate and aloof” boss. Michael Scott. played by Steve Carell. Much of the humor. especially in the early seasons. came from Michael doing and saying offensive things that made employees uncomfortable and got him in trouble—starting in the show’s second episode.

That episode includes what the show calls a “diversity seminar” after Michael’s insensitive comments. Wilson pointed to that “Diversity Day” episode as an example of why the series is “really inappropriate” in a “good way. ” and he said the overall characterization of Michael Scott as an “idiot” is something the show couldn’t “get away with” in 2026.

His remarks landed at the same time the franchise itself is moving forward. “The Office” sequel series from former show-runners Greg Daniels and Michael Koman is set to arrive on Peacock this September. And it’s not the only current “Office” offshoot: “The Paper. ” a spin-off on Peacock. is airing now and is going into a second season.

The debate around Wilson’s comments has been loud. Some fans objected to the idea that “The Office” couldn’t be made now. citing ongoing offensive-humor shows such as “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. ” which is still on the air. Others pointed out that “The Paper” is already live on Peacock and argued it leans less on inappropriate humor than the original series.

Not everyone agreed that “The Office” was even particularly edgy in the first place. One X user wrote. “The delusion here is incredible. ” adding: “First. there was never anything edgy about ‘The Office. ‘ but to say this when the two longest running comedies still being made today are ‘South Park’ and ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ lol.”.

Wilson’s viewpoint isn’t isolated. In 2022. Mindy Kaling—who played Kelly Kapoor on “The Office” and also wrote for the show—told “Good Morning America” that the series is “so inappropriate now. ” joking that most of the characters would be “canceled” if they existed in modern times. Kaling said the writers. including the ones she’s still in touch with. talk about how “so much of that show. we probably couldn’t make now. ” adding that “Tastes have changed” and “what offends people has changed so much now.” She said it’s part of why the show was popular. because “people feel like there’s something kind of fearless about it or taboo that it talks about on the show.”.

Steve Carell has also questioned whether the show would translate the same way. In 2018. the star told Esquire. “It might be impossible to do that show today and have people accept it the way it was accepted ten years ago. The climate’s different.” Carell said “the whole idea of that character. Michael Scott. ” was “predicated on inappropriate behavior. ” and added. “I just don’t know how that would fly now.” He said there is “a very high awareness of offensive things today — which is good. for sure. ” but warned that when that character is taken too literally. it “doesn’t really work.”.

The franchise’s own edits and revisions point to the tension at the heart of the argument. In 2020, a scene from a 2012 episode featuring a character in blackface was edited out on streaming. At the time. creator Greg Daniels said in a statement shared with Variety that the show “employed satire to expose unacceptable behavior and deliver a message of inclusion.” Daniels also said the series now cuts “a shot of an actor wearing blackface” that was used to criticize a specific racist European practice. adding: “Blackface is unacceptable and making the point so graphically is hurtful and wrong. I am sorry for the pain that caused.”.

Taken together, the comments from Wilson, Kaling, and Carell frame a familiar collision: a comedy built on characters and moments designed to offend—or at least provoke discomfort—versus an era that demands sharper boundaries on what can air, and how.

For viewers, the question isn’t only whether “The Office” could be made today; it’s how the show’s legacy would survive if it had to meet today’s standards in real time—on broadcast, on streaming, and in the public argument that never really ends.

Rainn Wilson The Office Dwight Schrute Peacock Greg Daniels Michael Koman Steve Carell Mindy Kaling The Paper diversity seminar blackface edit streaming