While the classic sitcom "The Office" remains a comedy masterpiece for many viewers, star Rainn Wilson, who played Dwight Schrute, recently admitted that the show would likely be impossible to produce in its original form in today's cultural environment.
In an interview with Fox News, Wilson stated that audience tolerance for edgy and offensive humor has changed significantly since "The Office" first premiered in 2005. "I do think it's impossible to make 'The Office' today," he said. "I think it's too politically incorrect. I think it would be too difficult, but I kind of miss it."
Wilson noted that many of the show's jokes stemmed from the outrageous behavior of Dwight and his boss, Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell. Michael was intentionally designed as a character who lacked self-awareness and frequently said the wrong thing, and the show often used the reactions of other characters to highlight the absurdity of his inappropriate actions.
"We were able to get away with a lot of really great, really inappropriate stuff," he said. "But I don't think we could get away with it today, even with Michael being the buffoon."
This isn't the first time Wilson has reflected on the more controversial moments in "The Office." He previously stated that he felt embarrassed rewatching the Season 3 episode "A Benihana Christmas," because it made characters like Michael and Dwight look like "ignorant, insensitive, racist, and sexist people, which in many ways reflected America." In the episode, Michael invites two Asian waitresses to the office Christmas party and uses a marker to tell them apart.
"It's a tricky conversation," Wilson said at the time. "They're ignorant, and in their ignorance, they're racist and insensitive, and they're always saying the wrong thing." Co-stars Jenna Fischer (Pam) and Angela Kinsey (Angela) have also expressed that such a storyline would likely not be written today.
via： Fox News