So, Rainn Wilson tweeted out yesterday that NBC has passed on Schrute Farms, the spin-off of The Office that was supposed to follow Dwight Schrute to a beet farm and bed and breakfast. Wilson broke the news himself on Twitter: “Farm Update: NBC has passed on moving forward with The Farm TV show. Had a blast making the pilot – onwards & upwards!” I was never particularly on board with the spin-off, although — like Josh — I’m going to miss The Office characters, even if the show is a former shell of itself. That’s not the worry, however; the worry is what this continues to mean for NBC.
The network’s decision to cancel Schrute Farms is really just another reminder of the direction the network is determined to take away from single-camera comedies and toward broader, laugh track comedies. It’s why they killed Dane Cook’s Next Caller. It’s why they announced a format change for Up All Night yesterday, and it’s why Community, 30 Rock, and The Office won’t be back next season. Parks and Recreation probably won’t be back next year, either, which means — for most of us — there will no longer be a reason to watch NBC (well, except for Parenthood, which is amazing). NBC won’t even be a recognizable network come next season; it will be the Revolution and The Voice network.
The irony, I guess, is that NBC seems to be trying to recapture its past glory, and all of NBC’s biggest hits were multi-cam, laugh-track sitcoms: Friends, Cheers, Seinfeld, Cosby Show and Frasier. Maybe NBC just doesn’t realize that the laugh tracks weren’t what made those sitcoms successful;it was the writing, and so far, NBC hasn’t shown any willingness to invest in that.
It should be noted, however, that we will likely see the pilot for Scrhute Farms, as it was filmed as an episode of The Office.
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Wait is Parks and Rec getting canceled? It’s good that they passed on this show though. The Office just needs to go away completely.
thank god, let rainn move on with a career. also what about parks and rec?
I’m really hoping that Parks and Rec or Community may be able to find a home on a cable network.
The ratings those shows receive on NBC are disastrous, but on a basic cable network or on Netflix they would be successes. So I too hope that some executive at Comedy Central or FX or something decides to pick them up if NBC cancels them.
That is assuming Community is still good when it comes back. So far, the new showrunners seem to be doing the right things in terms of speaking to the fans to alleviate our fears. I guess we’ll find out when “October 19th” rolls around.
We’re just all assuming Parks will be done after this year due to low ratings and NBC’s new direction/disdain for good comedy.
God, I hope it backfires and they sink even lower.
After this season, of course. Let the good shows finish.
30 Rock and the Office are gone after this year anyway. Community will definitely not be back and if they pick up P&R for another year I’d be severely surprised.
On the upside, I’m sure looking forward to the season premiere of Oww, My Balls….Tuesdays on NBC.
Ass: The TV Show.
I like Fart: The Series better. Ass jumped the shark when him and Taint started dating.
[images3.wikia.nocookie.net] Relevant.
This is probably for the best, especially since Mose wouldn’t have been on the show.
Although I have to admit that I like the episode where Jim and Pam visit the farm.
It was a great episode and a highlight of one of the best seasons. But an entire season of it? No gracias.
I agree with Patty……the premise of this show “could” have been quite funny….
This is the best news I read yesterday.
I’m a die hard Office fan and I still thought this was a horrible idea. On to better things, Mr. Wilson.
A week ago, I was stuck in a Mexican hotel and the only TV program in English was a rerun of 2 Broke Girls. The plot had something to do with Martha Stewart, and I could only bear to watch 15 or so minutes. Every single “joke” in that span was based on a heinously executed foreign accent or a flimsy racial stereotype. It was literally the most unfunny thing I have ever watched. The show averages more than twice the weekly viewers of Parks and Rec. The point being, as much as I will never defend the decision making at NBC HQ and want to hold them accountable for phasing out brilliant shows like Parks and Community, I place the brunt of the blame on the same party responsible for most of the country’s ills: the general American public, and their inexhaustible idiocy.
I cant believe being stuck in a Mexican hotel isnt the worst part of that story.
That’s old people for you.
Seriously, it’s a network. If no one watches the shows, they’re gonna get canned. It’s become too easy to take potshots at NBC for cancelling the only funny shows they have, but what else are they to do? If 2 Broke Assholes makes coin, that’s always the programming we’re gonna get.
Didn’t Dwight make a comment in the most recent episode of The Office that alluded to this show? Something about this “other” family members or something?
You have to think deep down, Rainn Wilson is secretly pleased that he doesn’t have to continue playing Dwight, right?
Yeah, he slipped in a comment on how taking care of his family gives him anxiety. Quickly mentioning brothers, sisters, cousins, but none by name. I caught that and thought it was clearly a set-up for the back door pilot that is what Rainn Wilson was alluding to in his tweet.
I just started psycho-watching Parks & Rec on Netflix. I don’t know why I didn’t try it out sooner. If NBC cancels Community and P&R, I might just die.
nice icon/profile pic/whatever it’s called. It took me embarrassingly long to realize The Mighty B was Amy Poehler’s show lol
“we will likely see the pilot for Scrhute Farms, as it was filmed as an episode of The Office.”
I’mma need comfirmation on this. Will it be the last episode in the office’s run?
And not a single fuck was given that day.
What’s with the inherent hate for comedies that aren’t single-cam?
It’s not so much the format, as it is what they represent. NBC has said they want to appeal to a broader audience and the way to do that is single-cam sitcoms. They want less shows like Community, 30 Rock, or Parks and Rec and basically want CBS style sitcoms, all of which are absolutely terrible.
^This. When was the last time you saw a legitimately good sitcom with a laugh track. I mean, they got some mileage out of How I Met your Mother with Barney Stinson, but that particular horse has been pretty much beaten to death. And, every other sitcom on CBS is just insulting to anyone with at least half of a functioning brain.
Two Broke Girls is insulting to comatose people too. It’s that bad. Not even Kat Dennings’ rack can redeem that shit.